“The first sparrow of spring! The year beginning with younger hope than ever!”
-Henry David Thoreau (from Walden, 2000 edition, p.331)
After a long winter of rain and snow here in the California mountains, suddenly it’s spring! The sun is peeking back out and the flowers are blooming like crazy. Birds and other wildlife are venturing out so it is a great time to go for a walk and bring a pair of binoculars or a camera. As the days get longer there is a feeling of promise and possibility in the air.
This white-crowned sparrow is a seed eating bird. The shape of the bird’s bill can tell you what a bird eats – long and thin for picking off insects, sharp hooks for meat-eating raptors, and short and conical for crushing seeds. As can be seen from the picture below, many sparrows have distinctive head patterns. Sparrows are said to symbolize joy and community and were considered a symbol of love in ancient Greece.
As we move into these longer and sunnier days, I wish for you endless new possibilities and many happy days full of love!
Please note that all profits from the sale of any of my books, fine art prints and notecards are donated to 501(c) nonprofit organizations, organizations working so hard to save animals, wildlife, and our planet’s biodiversity. (To make a purchase please see ‘Fine Art Prints & Notecards’ and ‘Books’ pages of website.)
Stay Inspired!
Wendy