Killdeer

With wind whistling and snow flying, I was on our way home on KY 1006, when a bird flew across the road in front of us and landed in some large gravel.   It was a killdeer, common in Kentucky yet uncommon to this area at this time of year with the amount of snow and cold we have had recently.  Shore bird, or snow bird, that was the question when I saw this poor little killdeer flying from water hole to water hole and wading into the icy cold after something to eat.  I probably watched for 10 minutes as it worked feverishly with the snow flying around it, the only thing that kept this water from freezing was that it was running slightly.  Scenes like this make me ever aware of how difficult this weather is for the birds, yet how they are also prepared by God to survive.  

People who travel south to warmer climates are called “Snowbirds”, originating from the song “Snowbird”, made popular by Anne Murray:  

             “Spread your tiny wings and fly away

              And take the snow back with you

              Where it came from on that day ……..

              So, little Snowbird, take me with you when you go

              To that land of gentle breezes where the peaceful waters flow”

I don’t know if you’re truly a snowbird, if you leave the cold, but to have a little shorebird here in the middle of winter made me think twice about how we complain about the cold.  With the prospects of  beaches, mud flats and oyster beds, verses snow, wind, icy water and more of it to come, you would think it would have moved south.   Surely it will find enough food to give it the energy to move on to a warmer climate.