Thursday, February 13, 2014

Birds Count and The Bird Count -

If it weren't for birds, the world as we know it would not exist.

Birds are woven through our lives from sports and social media to gaming, the military and our homes. Without the birds, our economy would crash. 

Think about it.

St. Louis would be without their Cardinals, Baltimore without their Ravens and Orioles.  Who would have won the Super Bowl since Seattle wouldn't have the Seahawks?  Toronto would be without Blue Jays, Philly without the Eagles..the list goes on.

Gaming and social media would have the void of Flickr without the Flicker.  The economical hit alone would be significant if  "Angry Birds" didn't exist as greeting cards, stuffed birds, t-shirts, party decor and more have resulted from this game.

And speaking of the economy, what about the bird images with which we fill our homes?  Images of birds abound in malls and local stores. What logos would businesses use?  Just last night, I noticed the duck logo for Hilton's Homewood Suites.

What would artists paint? What might Dolly, Ferlin and Marty have sung in place of  "On the Wings of a Snow White Dove" My favorite childhood movie "The Birds" wouldn't exist. I'm unsure about The Byrds since they've the y not i.

People are described hawkish and dovish.  Carrier pigeons were integral in saving lives as they carried messages in war not that long ago and even used to carry urgently needed medications and lab specimens.  And although I'm not quite sure how I feel about it I can support a local business by sending a pigeon gram today!

Indigenous or Native eople have known the birds and everything in the natural world carries energy and messages that when we are receptive we can receive.  I was reminded of this when I read about the series of children's books created about Louis the Duck in the Homewood logo.

Children listen.  We were once all children and still are somewhere within. 

Birds count in a multitude of ways, ways easily ignored but are unfathomably important.

To me they count for the beauty and joy they bring.  This weekend, I will join others around the globe and literally count birds Feb. 14-17 as part of the 17th annual and global Great Backyard Bird Count.

Minimally take 15 minutes one day and count the birds in your yard or a specific area. Register at the GBBC site and submit your numbers.

For all the birds have done for us and continue to do, this is the least we can do for them!

-Dawn, The Good News Muse, 13 February 2014

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