So, I’ve got my Birdseed Oracle Cafe going, full swing. Little birds coming and going all day long. And as long as the seed is there, the signs, they come.
Except for one thing.
I suck at identifying birds.
I try to take them one at a time and keep it fun. Who’s obvious? Cannot miss Bluejays or Cardinals, and the black and white and reds give away the flavors of Woodpeckers that come by. Some are distinct enough I can easily identify them. But others can give me trouble.
I posted a picture of the “Warblers” I was getting at the Cafe. What I didn’t mention is that I’d initially been rather disappointed with them.
See, I love the colorful birds best–shhh. Don’t tell the others. It’s not their fault they don’t wow me. I just cannot hold a grudge against a Starling or Grackle, even if the behavior is boorish because they’re so damned beautiful. I thrill at the way those iridescent colors glint in the sun. But the same is true of any beautiful bird. I get excited seeing a boldly-colored Jay or Cardinal swoop in, because of the way they stand out.
Yes, the birds are all lovely, in their own way. And maybe it’s wrong of me to feel the way I do. But I do get more excited seeing more impressive birds.
The birds that were mobbing my feeder? Eh. Not so impressive. But as they continued arriving en masse over the course of days turning into weeks, I thought I’d figure out what they may be saying. I decided they must be Warblers, based on a picture I found someplace. I looked at Warbler messages. It’s all good stuff.
And I’m looking to line up with this energy. So I make the decision to consciously appreciate them more, as is. I make note of their grace, and what I notice to admire: how politely they got their food and share space, how lovely they are in their own, understated way. How bravely they weathered Thor the Warrior Kitten staredowns from the other side of the window. These birds had spunk! Once you change the energetic channel to appreciation, you can find a lot to see.
I stopped (internally) complaining about who the birds were NOT and began loving them for who they ARE.
I was doing a good job of appreciating my Warblers, I think. I posted a picture of them. That’s when my double Libra friend came to my rescue and SO very politely–like, so politely you could have missed it, if you weren’t paying attention–pointed out that my mob of “Warblers” was actually made up of Goldfinches, not yet turned gold.
Ooops.
The good news is, I could expect a glorious color explosion later this spring of sunny yellow. The even better news is, their color is determined by the quality of their diet. In other words, I’m directly contributing to the show by serving up the seed. That’s cool!
As if on cue, the next day I saw some of the birds starting to molt. The gold is beginning to peek through.
Now, I associate Goldfinches with joy and blessings, among other things. So the whole mistaken identity episode gave me a good laugh. Because I was surrounded by these birds, day after day after day. I had multitudes of blessings all around me, but I wasn’t recognizing them. Point taken.
Well played, Universe. Well-played.
Over the coming days, I’ll be watching them molt, a witness to the transformational process. Some look a little sick, or at the very least unkempt as the actual process of change is messy. Not any different from us. And I’m sure they’ll have more to say to me, as I watch them change and apply what I observe metaphorically, in my own life. My transformation process can be a little messy sometimes, too. But it doesn’t mean it’s not going exactly as it should.
Are you able to appreciate what you’ve got, even if it doesn’t look just like what you’ve wanted?