Birdie of Mississippi

ROBIN BATHS Peggy Williams aka Birdie of Mississippi             As I sit by the window to watch the Birdies that come to my yard, I notice that the robins are lined up to take a bath in my birdbath outside my kitchen window.  Right now there are two in the bath and one about four feet away waiting his turn.  They get in and splash around dipping and swinging their wings about to cover themselves with the fresh water.  The bath lasts about five minutes and then he jumps out to quickly fly away.  The next robin hops into the bath to repeat what the robin before him just has done! Later that afternoon in the heat of the day the robins do a repeat of what they had done earlier this morning!             I have noticed this many times and even photographed them as they bathed, but today I thought to myself – why does the robin bathe so often?  Yes, I see other birds come to my birdbath to bathe and drink water, but never as often as the robin!  Since I hav

RAISING BIRDIE AWARENESS By Peggy Williams AKA Birdie of Mississippi                When I began taking photos of birds in my backyard it was a way to relax and also to use my Christmas present!  I didn’t know that first day how my hobby would evolve into all that it has become.  A small business has developed and by faith I am taking baby steps to see where it may go.  Even though “Birdie of Mississippi” is still in its beginning stages it has taken diverse paths.  It is photography, social interaction, art, writing, drawing, painting, educational, technology, social media, presentations and public speaking, cultural and environmental.  With each step that I take into the world of birds I develop a new skill and desire to grow in knowledge.                Three years ago I semi-retired, and some people would say these new activities are “Bucket List” items, but I call them experiencing the life that God has given me to the fullest!  I have felt God’s Hand leading me

SPRING BIRDIES By: Peggy Williams aka “Birdie of Mississippi” Spring is here and each morning I look outside to be surprised by the new Birdies that have returned after the long winter!   American Goldfinches, Indigo Buntings and Rose Breasted Grosbeaks all came back this spring! Each one joyfully finding my yard to eat their fill of black oil sunflower seeds at my “All You Can Eat Buffet” and drink from their water bowls that never run dry!   How do I know that they are so happy? I know by their singing merrily outside my window as their cheery songs wake me early each morning as they start their day!   It is their praise in the highest form for God providing for their needs and they encourage me to do the same! So I begin my day with singing, too! As the weather warmed up on Sunday I watched as the birds went to our birdbath.   First a chubby robin, next a tiny wren and finally a beautiful female cardinal splashed about and each had a big time bathing.   As my grand-dau

MI CASA ES SU CASA By: Peggy Williams aka “Birdie of Mississippi” Watching birds come to your yard to begin a home is a very exciting event both for you and for the bird.   Birds are much like us when we search for a new home. They want to find a place where they feel secure, have their needs met and find peace and happiness. If a bird finds these things then they decide to build a nest and live there.   Some birds are seasonal and come for a short while and then move on.   They leave for either cooler or warmer weather or even just to go to eat some of their favorite foods!   So if families of birds come to live in your yard they look to you to help them and provide for them.   They need trees and shrubbery for homes and also for protection from predators.   They also require bugs, delicious flowers that have sweet nectar, nutritious food in bird feeders and fresh water to drink and have a bath. Many birds come in the spring and stay if conditions are right for

PB & J By Peggy Williams             One day last week I filled little bowls for the birds to enjoy.  Two bowls were crunchy peanut butter and two bowls were grape jelly!  There are a number of birds that enjoy peanut butter – woodpeckers, wrens, chickadees…and those that love grape jelly – Baltimore orioles, tanagers and even hummingbirds!  So, I was excited to see what might come one spring morning.  The table that I put the bowls on is right outside a picture window in my kitchen that looks out over my backyard!  I sit in my “Mimi” rocking chair having my morning coffee and watch as the birds come to eat their breakfast.             As I watched on Sunday morning I noticed a squirrel putting his front paws in a little bowl of water and lick his paws - then repeat over and over.  I laughed and thought how funny he looked!  Then I looked at the table with the PB & J and there was another squirrel reaching into the peanut butter with his paws and putting it to his mo

Birds, of course, have been flying and living around me all my life.   I studied basic knowledge of birds in elementary school and I was taught the name of our State Bird – the “Mockingbird”, but I’m not certain that I would have known what it was if I actually saw one! But I could recognize local birds that live in the South such as robins, cardinals and a few more, but it didn’t extend too far past that.   I have always been a very “busy” and “task oriented” person, but last spring things changed. During my early morning quiet time with God I read a Scripture “Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.” Job 37:14.   In reading this I realized that I regularly fail to appreciate sunrises and sunsets, spring flowers in bloom, and yes “birds” because I don’t venture outside to register these happenings!   I have never been an outdoor person because I dislike heat, getting sweaty, bugs and getting bitten!   All, of course, happens to every person that lives in  Mississippi.