The 7th day of Christmas brings in the last of the fowl in the song: "7 swans a-swimming," preceded by geese, calling (or colley) birds, French hens, turtle doves and a partridge. In Virginia, in the United States, all of those are very common birds (except for that partridge in the pear tree!).

Given my love of birds and bird-watching, I think it's perfectly reasonable that they were included in the song. And the timing is great too!

At this time of year, I can no longer take pictures of butterflies. The loss of leaves means no more gorgeous autumn settings...hence, the Bittersweet song I wrote at some point. But that loss comes with a blessing: It is so much easier to see the birds, against the empty branches, than it was when they were covered with leaves.

Another blessing in 2023 has been the use of Merlin, an app from Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It can identify birds by hearing their songs. Just yesterday, I was able to use it to identify my first hairy woodpecker this winter.

So, as we close out the only 12-31-23 (123123) in my lifetime, I encourage you to get outdoors, enjoy those birds and get a dose of vitamin N(ature).

See also: Singing's for the Birds