February sometimes seems like the longest month of the year, not the shortest. Most years, the cold winds blow, the snow accumulates, and icicles hang in the trees.
If you think it’s hard on us, how about the wild birds out there trying to survive? Winter can be a punishing time for them. February is National Bird Feeding Month and a great time to get started enjoying feeding and watching birds, if you are not already. To me, it is a lot more entertaining than what is on your television, computer, or smartphone.
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey shows that bird watching and feeding are enjoyed by about 47.8 million people in America. Pastor Scotty is one of those. So is Miles Yocom, who plays the mandolin in our 8:30 service at the Livestock Center. He knows a lot about birds and can tell you about many species. He also takes beautiful pictures of them.
Those of us who feed birds enjoy watching them come into our feeders every season of the year. Most are colorful and are pleasing to the eye. Bird songs fill the air. I also provide native plants with berries, nuts, the birds love. Also, flowers for the hummingbirds and bees.
In winter, bird feeding is important because it provides them with food that they desperately need when the food that God supplies to help warm their bodies is in short supply in the wild.
During winter, keep your feeders full of wild bird food blends that contain energy-rich foods such as sunflower seeds and nuts to help sustain them. Consider a heated birdbath so birds may enjoy a fresh source of water during freezing temperatures. Provide nest boxes so wild birds have a place to shelter and stay warm.
Birds are important to God. So much so they are mentioned in the Bible over one hundred times. My favorite is in Matthew 6:26 when Jesus says, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they?” Jesus is telling us to watch the birds and let them teach us about life. Learn those lessons that the birds can teach you, and it can help keep you from worry and anxiety. God cares for the birds, and us.