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🦉 Bird Day
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🦉 January 5th is National Bird Day
— a perfect reminder to slow down, look around, and notice the birds sharing winter with us.
Winter is a wonderful time for birdwatching: 🌳 trees are bare, and birds become easier to spot and appear more vibrant. Cardinals, blue jays, and chickadees add bright splashes of color to the quiet winter landscape.
📸 We’re especially happy to share photos by Eric Jeddry, a London-based photographer and Montessori teacher who specializes in heartfelt family portraits.
Eric’s passion for photography began while hiking the Bruce Trail, where he started capturing landscapes and wildlife — moments of stillness, movement, and connection with nature.
🧭 Check the facts:
Many birds migrate south from Canada for the winter — such as Canada geese, warblers, some robins, and swallows.
But here’s a surprising twist: for the Snowy Owl, Canada is the south.
❄️ Snowy owls breed in the Arctic tundra. In winter, some move south into southern Canada and the northern United States.
You can sometimes spot them:
🇨🇦 in open areas of Ontario, Quebec, the Prairies, and along shorelines
🇺🇸 in the northern U.S., especially around the Great Lakes, New England, the Midwest, and open coastal fields
This makes winter a fascinating mix of:
- birds that stay — chickadees, cardinals, blue jays, nuthatches
- birds that leave — warblers, swallows, many robins
- birds that arrive from even farther north — snowy owls, rough-legged hawks, northern shrikes
- birds that decide at the last minute — like Canada geese, who may stay if lakes remain open and food is available 🪶
❄️ Winter can be a challenging time for birds, and even small acts of care can make a real difference.
🥜 What to feed birds in winter:
- Sunflower seeds (raw, unsalted) — great for most birds
- Peanuts (unsalted) — loved by jays and woodpeckers
- Suet (unsalted) — perfect for chickadees and nuthatches
- Oats or millet — good for sparrows and small birds
🚫 Avoid bread, salty, or fried foods.
👨👩👧 What to do today with children:
- 👀 Try to spot 2–3 different birds
- 🎨 Draw the brightest one you see
- 📸 Take a photo — or simply remember the moment
- ❓ Ask: Why are birds easier to see in winter?
Know your birds
Northern Cardinal 🔴 and Blue Jay 💙
Northern Cardinal 🔴 and Blue Jay 💙
Northern Cardinal 🔴 and Blue Jay 💙
🎵 Cardinals don’t migrate — they stay all winter and sing even in cold weather.
👀 Fun fact: Cardinals can see colors better than humans!
🧠 Blue jays are very smart birds — they can solve problems and even copy the calls of other birds.
🌰 They love acorns and often hide food to eat later, helping forests grow new trees.
📣 Fun fact: Blue jays can imitate hawk calls to scare other birds away from food!
Black-capped Chickadee
Northern Cardinal 🔴 and Blue Jay 💙
Northern Cardinal 🔴 and Blue Jay 💙
🐦 This tiny bird looks small but is incredibly brave in winter.
🧠 Chickadees can remember thousands of food hiding spots.
❄️ Fun fact: At night, they lower their body temperature to save energy!
Wild Turkey
Northern Cardinal 🔴 and Blue Jay 💙
Great Blue Heron
🦃 Wild turkeys can fly — really! Just not very far.
👣 They travel in groups and sleep in trees at night for safety.
😮 Fun fact: Turkeys have excellent eyesight and can spot movement from far away.
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
💧 Herons love wetlands, ponds, and marshes, where they hunt fish by standing very still — like statues.
⏳ They can wait a long time before striking, then move in a flash.
🪽 When flying, these giant birds move slowly with their necks folded like an “S,” and their wingspan can be wider than a grown-up is tall.
🦵 Fun fact: Their long legs help them walk through water without getting their feathers wet.
Downy Woodpecker
Great Blue Heron
Downy Woodpecker
🔨 This small woodpecker taps on trees to find insects hiding inside.
🪵 Its head is specially built to absorb shock — like a helmet.
🔴 Fun fact: The red spot on the head means it’s a male.
Great Egret 🤍
Great Blue Heron
Downy Woodpecker
💧 Great egrets love wetlands, marshes, and river edges, where they hunt fish and frogs.
⏳ They are very patient hunters and can stand completely still for a long time before striking.
🪶 Fun fact: Their bright white feathers once made them very rare because people wanted them for hats — today they’re protected.
Common Loon
Rough-legged Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
🌊 Loons are amazing swimmers and divers.
🎶 Their calls sound spooky and echo across lakes.
🪶 Fun fact: Loons can’t walk well on land — their legs are too far back!
Rough-legged Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
🦅 This hawk comes south in winter from the Arctic.
👁️ It hunts by hovering in the air like a kite.
❄️ Fun fact: Its feathered legs keep it warm in cold places.
Mallard Duck 🦆
Rough-legged Hawk
Mallard Duck 🦆
💧 Mallards are strong swimmers and can sleep while floating on water.
🪶 Females are brown and speckled, which helps them blend in and stay safe.
👣 Fun fact: Ducklings can walk, swim, and feed themselves just hours after hatching!
Great Gray Owl
Great Horned Owl 🦉
Mallard Duck 🦆
🦉 One of the largest owls in North America — but mostly fluff!
👂 It can hear mice moving under snow.
🎯 Fun fact: It can catch prey without seeing it, just by sound.
Great Horned Owl 🦉
Great Horned Owl 🦉
Great Horned Owl 🦉
👀 This owl has incredible night vision and can see very well in the dark.
👂 Its ears are slightly uneven, helping it locate sounds with amazing accuracy.
🌙 Fun fact: The “horns” aren’t ears — they’re just feathers!
Bald Eagle 🦅
Great Horned Owl 🦉
Great Horned Owl 🦉
🪽 Bald eagles are powerful fliers with wide wings that help them glide over lakes and rivers.
🐟 They mostly eat fish and often swoop down to grab one right from the water.
🇺🇸 Fun fact: The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States — and it isn’t actually bald, it just has white feathers on its head.
The Sparrow Lesson
What Small Birds Teach Us
They noticed the sparrow first.
Little brown-grey birds were hopping along the path, like living crumbs scattered at their feet.
Al stopped and watched.
“It’s so small,” he said.
The sparrow didn’t even fly away — it simply hopped aside.
Stefun crouched down. “It’s not scared at all.”
May smiled. “House sparrows live almost everywhere people do. In towns, villages, and cities — nearly all over the world.”
That made them look again.
“They’re not very strong,” Sofay said thoughtfully. “And they don’t fly very far.”
That was true. A sparrow is light as a handful of leaves. It can’t glide like a gull or soar like a hawk. When it flies, its little heart works terribly hard, beating faster than we can imagine.
“Isn’t life difficult for them?” Stefun asked quietly.
“Sometimes,” May said. “Many don’t grow up. But sparrows have learned a different way to live.”
Just then, another sparrow chirped sharply — and the whole flock lifted into the air at once from the bushes along the street.
Al laughed. “It’s like they all heard the same message!”
“They did,” Sofay said. “If one sees danger, everyone knows. If one finds food, the others come.”
They watched the birds settle again, sharing crumbs, arguing, then gathering close.
“Alone, they’re tiny,” May said. “Together, they’re clever.”
“They don’t wait for a perfect place,” Al added. “They use what’s there.”
“Yes,” May agreed. “If there are no fields, they live in cities. If there are no trees, they find cracks in walls and roofs. They learn from people, from streets, from noise.”
Sofay remembered something. “They even bring cigarette butts, to their nests to protect their babies. The smell can keep insects away ”
The children watched the sparrows again — and now they felt different.
“They’re not very strong,” Al said slowly.
“But they’re survivors.”
Sofay nodded. “They notice things. They learn.”
“And they stay together,” Stefun added.
May smiled.
“Sometimes being a hero doesn’t mean being the biggest or the bravest.
Sometimes it means adapting, helping one another, and finding a way.”
The sparrows hopped on, close to one another — quick, watchful, alive.
As if they understood. 🐦🌿
National Bird Day
Photo credit: © Eric Jeddry
Photo credit: © Eric Jeddry
Photo credit: © Eric Jeddry
Photo credit: © Eric Jeddry
Photo credit: © Eric Jeddry
Photo credit: © Eric Jeddry
Photo credit: © Eric Jeddry
Photo credit: © Eric Jeddry