The Blackbird's Journey

Featured image: Journey of the Black Bird

I have 3, maybe more, black birds that visit my ground feeder. They are such beautiful birds, especially when the sunlight catches the shine on their bodies. The blacks become wonderful purples and blues, deep, deep purples and blues. When they fluff their feathers, their colors are even more glorious.
I generally have black birds at my feeders all year long. In the summer after I have watered the grass, they love looking for worms. And at the same time, their “caw caw” resounds in the early hours, serving as a wake up song for the start of a new day.

I love watching them negotiate their ways through the trees with their marvelous wing spans. They move cautiously from one branch to the next, grabbing a morsel to eat and quickly flying away, for I have a fox that loves my feeders also. They land on the nearest low branch and enjoy their lunch. They rarely come to the feeders early in the morning. It is usually mid-day when I see them in the woods looking for food.

According to legend folklore and mythology, the black bird signifies mystery and magic. The black bird frequently appears in the costumes of tribal cultures and is extremely captivating. Hence the title of this work. Their historical journey has been with us for 100’s of years. Their mysterious journeys have lived in our imaginings for just as long.