A few days ago, I read Mae Clair’s blog, promoting Jan Sikes’s latest book, JAGGED FEATHERS. Jan uses symbolism and American folklore in her novel, and she talked about peoples’ spirit animals. https://maeclair.net/2022/02/24/new-release-jagged-feathers-jansikes3-romanticsuspense-whiteruneseries/ A blue jay plays an important part in the story. I’m a big fan of those birds. I like crows and blackbirds, too. They’re smart and quirky. But then, I like all birds. Vultures and buzzards might make me a little leery, but they serve a useful purpose, so I even give them a pass.
I hang four bird feeders in the crabapple tree close to our living room window, and we have a shelf feeder for squirrels, but I throw peanuts on the ground for my blue jays. The blue jays have gotten so spoiled, they call when they see me in the kitchen in the morning. They’re in the pine tree by our driveway, waiting for their breakfast. I get excited when I see the downy, hairy, and red-bellied woodpeckers come to our suet feeders, along with our nuthatches. The cardinals look stunning on the branches of our neighbor’s apple tree, flitting back and forth to the feeders.
We have a lot of birds, too many to list. Two of my favorites, though, are the tufted titmouse and the Carolina wren. But what we have the MOST of are finches and sparrows. Lots and lots of sparrows of different varieties. Once, I was complaining about how much seed we have to buy because of them, and my sister said, “You know, if we were birds, we’d be sparrows.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because neither of us are anything special. We’re just ordinary, like a lot of people. So we should love ordinary. Not everyone can be a cardinal or a robin.”
I think about that every time I start fussing when the sparrows swoop in and wipe out every seed in the feeders in one day. I still grumble, but Patty was right. Ordinary can be extraordinary, just as special in its own way as the rare and exclusive. And P.S. According to two quizzes, my animal spirit is an owl. What’s yours?
Judi Lynn 
So true. Be content to be a sparrow. Love average sparrows who struggle to live an average life without the flashy feather of a cardinal or a robin.
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I like flashy, too:)
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Me too. Love their vivid color.
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My husband recently took up a hobby of feeding birds. I sometimes think he spends more money on bird seed (several varieties) than groceries. We have all the birds you mention come to the feeders and I love every one of them.
In one quiz, my spirit animal was a deer but in another it was an owl. I think I’m more of an owl. 🙂
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Are you wise and stay up late? 🙂
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Can’t stay awake long. Maybe because I have to get up early. That could change once I retire.
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Retirement is WONDERFUL!
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That’s a deep observation. I’ll probably dwell on that all day.
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Maybe you’re an owl? And you’re growing wiser.
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That’s an excellent post, Judi. I feel like it’s so good, and so wise, it need to be immortalized somehow.
I would hope my spirit animal is a cat, but I’ll need to take a test to find out!
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Good luck! Then you can lick your paws and be the cat’s meow:)
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Love your post, can so identify with feeding birds, altho in the winter we switch to suet cakes and then have to save those daily from the squirrels. I put out peanuts as well. But my spirit animal? I’m not sure, always hoped it was a dog and then which? Not sure it is our 16 y/o Bichon–she is more hubby’s than mine. I’d be interested in seeing your quizzes that tell you which and hope, for me, not an owl.
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I don’t remember which quizzes I took. There are quite a few of them. Here’s one: https://www.quizexpo.com/wpqpersonality/what-is-your-spirit-animal/?qz=final&post=1646&_fpage=eyJxaWQiOiIxNjUzIiwiYW5zd2VzX2luZm8iOnsicG50Ijp7ImFuc3dlcnMiOnsiMTY2MiI6WyI5OTUxNzY2Il0sIjE2NjQiOlsiMTgwOTkyOCJdLCIxNjY2IjpbIjE3MTQxMiJdLCIxNjY4IjpbIjM4ODQ2NjEiXSwiMTY3MyI6WyIxMzQ3MjE2Il0sIjE2NzUiOlsiNTcyNDcxOSJdLCIxNjc3IjpbIjU5NTQ3ODYiXSwiMTY3OSI6WyI5NDM3NTQ4Il0sIjE2ODEiOlsiODg0NzE1OSJdLCIxNjgzIjpbIjM5Mzk1MTIiXSwiMTY4NSI6WyI5MjY2Mzg2Il0sIjE2ODciOlsiNTQ1ODkxNSJdfX19fQ= but I ended up having a deer for my spirit animal this time:) Here’s another–one of the ones where I’m an owl. https://www.gotoquiz.com/results/what_is_your_spirit_animal_very_accurate
I typed in the search engine, quiz to find my spirit animal, and there are quite a few quizzes. Good luck. Hope you find one with a dog:)
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