Merry Christmas!!

We posted this last year and were happy with it so decided to have another go at it!

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The cat had removed any stray rodents running the floors,
Because she followed the policy to keep cats indoors;

The birders were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of lifers flitted in their heads;

When out in the great oak a clatter did brew,
A Barred Owl calling “Who cooks for you?”;

I sprang from my bed and grabbed my bins,
Slipped on a bird book and bonked both my shins;

I felt the need for a pain reliever,
And nearly toppled over my sleeping Golden Retriever;

I made it to the window and looked at the feeding station,
And remembered all the year’s work for bird conservation;

I gazed at the moon-lit yard, which twinkled like glass,
Oh how great it looked nearly devoid of grass;

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
An early rising Cardinal chirping with no fear;

I grabbed a coat and was followed by my entourage,
Three excited dogs out towards the garage;

The shadows of the old willow blocked the light of the moon,
Concealing the suet where woodpeckers would be soon;

Suddenly out of the darkness a figure did stand,
The friendliest person I’ve seen in the land;

He carried a camera, bins, bird guide, and gave me a smile,
And asked if he could talk to me for awhile;

He called out bird names with a bellow,
“Whooping Crane, Cerulean Warbler, and that ‘Lord God’ fellow;

All birds facing the danger of vanishing from Earth,
Unless people realize just what they’re worth;

Birders and nature-lovers must make a stand,
Educate the ill-informed to make sure to care for the land”;

He warned me to never quit fighting for birds,
Even if just through the blog full of words;

Without warning his mouth was drawn and he let out a pish,
And a Bald Eagle arrived still carrying a fish;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Let me know if we work together we have nothing to dread;

And then I heard him exclaim as he vanished from sight,
“Merry Christmas and good birding to all, and to all a good night!”

The Birdfreak Team wishes each and every one of you a Merry Christmas!! Be safe and in good cheer!!