A Letter from a Winter Bird

Image: A Dark-eyed Junco stands on snow-covered ground beneath a bird feeder, holding a seed in its pale pink bill. Photo by Alva Steury.

BY BRIAN CUNNINGHAM

Winter, in some ways, is just another season in a bird’s life. In other ways, it is a season of survival.

The challenges of surviving and thriving are unique. Birds carefully balance energy, safety, food, and water. Every choice matters.

During winter, the choices you make in your backyard matter more than you may realize. To understand just how much, imagine receiving a letter from a winter bird.

Dear Friend,

The days are cooler now, and the nights are long. Winter has settled in, and for a small bird like me, that matters more than you may realize.

I notice that you’ve kept your feeders full and clean. Even when you don’t see me there, please know I appreciate it. Some days I may be visiting the native plants instead—working the seed heads, gleaning what’s left, surviving on the foresight you planted long ago.

Thank you for cultivating and installing those native plants. Their bounty sustains me when the ground is cold and hard and food is difficult to find.

And that brush pile (yes, the one that may not be much to look at), tall native grasses and perennials you left standing, the leaves and pine needles you allowed to remain in the flower beds and quiet corners of your yard … maybe they make your neighbors wonder about tidiness. But to me, they are everything! A shield from the wind, a place to hide from danger, and food—oh, the wonderful food they provide.

That heated water feature may seem quiet and lonely this time of year, but it is a lifesaver. It offers a fresh drink when so much is frozen or just hard to find. Or a rare chance to bathe, even in winter, and keep my feathers in working order.

You counted my kin during the Christmas Bird Count and again during the Great Backyard Bird Count. You didn’t just look; you truly saw us. We mattered enough to you to be noticed.

So please accept this small but sincere thanks. Your yard is more than a yard—it is habitat, refuge, and hope. You are the most audacious host a bird could wish for this winter.

With gratitude on the wing,

A Winter Bird

Brian Cunningham is chief naturalist at Wild Birds Unlimited, Inc., and host of the Nature Centered podcast. He contributed this piece as part of National Bird Feeding Month, a February observance that highlights how feeding birds supports their survival during winter.