Tracking the Unsuspecting!

It seems I just can't go outdoors anymore without looking for signs of my little animal friends.  Today I ventured outside to resupply my bird feeders which have been very busy with lots of traffic.  Birds eat more when the temperatures turn colder in order to keep their body fat up and maintain their energy.  So, clothed like a true Minnesotan in the winter,  I trudged through the bright white snow with heavy laden buckets in hand talking to my feathered friends and telling them how they brighten my deary days with their fleeting about and their silly antics.  As I walk along I notice the dainty feet prints of a small bird who landed on the porch and decided to go for a walk.  My outdoor kitty, who's name is Snowy, (you"ll see where she got her name) follows me hoping for some lovin' and waits patiently as I care for the birds.  Maybe she is hoping to creep closer to an unsuspecting feathered friend and have a little morsel.  But alas, I keep her at bay!

Snowy, my outdoor buddy!

Bird tracks.  It dropped a sunflower seed on the way.

  

I'm fascinated by all the tracks I find today.  There is a rabbit highway through the leafless lilac bushes.  Oh how I would love to catch them playing their rabbit games under the moonlit night.  I can imagine them hopping over each other and playing tag as they frolic about the Colorado Pines.  The Ring-Necked Pheasants have a rather wide trail from the pines down by the garden to the front and back yard.  It looks like a 4 lane freeway.  I've watched them cautiously run from one pine tree to the next, hoping no one will see them.  There are so many tracks, they intersect with each other and overlap each other.  Some going this way and that.

Rabbit Track

Pheasant Trail

A well worn rabbit trail.

It reminds me of a verse in the Bible that says, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way." Psalm 37: 23  I wonder what the Lord sees when He looks at my tracks.  Does He see my tracks going this way and that with no apparent direction?  Can He tell where I've come from and to where I am going?  Do I travel the same track often, creating a path in my journey?  I earnestly desire the Lord to order my steps.  I want to follow Him and delight in His way.  He has set me on a path and by His grace I'll walk with Him each day.  Maybe today I'll play tag with Him!

Guess Who?

Winter's Blanket

For those of us who live in the northern hemisphere, winter is just another season we look forward to and are prepared to greet.  However, if you live in Minnesota, this year's snow is starting to pile up and beginning to stress the wildlife who must fend for themselves if they want to survive winter's brutal grip.

I live in the Minnesota's farm country, where snow covered fields, once lush with corn, wheat, or soybeans provide food and nourishment for creatures such as deer, raccoons, pheasants, wild turkeys, and a host of others.   As this winter marches on, these poor animals are having a hard time finding the food that is so necessary for their survival.  This need for survival is driving them to seek food from other resources.  I have seen this first hand as one cold morning I noticed a pheasant under our bird feeders in the front yard.   It isn't that unusual to see a pheasant or two throughout the winter, however when 1 or 2 turned into 5, then 7, then 13, then 17, and finally today 22, I knew we had become a haven for them.  From the first time I saw just the one appear in our yard, I began putting out cracked corn for them every couple of days.  I guess word spread among the flock quickly, and now we enjoy a host of Ring-Necked Pheasants.

I'm amused as I watch these feathery friends scurry from one protective pine tree to the next.  With heads held high and eyes surveying the landscape, they run, cautiously pausing, then dart to their destination.  It's a scene I have watched for weeks now and never tire of it reruns.  I hope winter surprises you with unexpected visitors and keep feeding those birds!