12 days of christmas

(christmas music is everywhere! like birdsong is in the spring)

"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree. On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree. On the third day of Christmas..."

ever notice that the first seven days have something to do w/ birds?? except the 5 golden rings, ok. so this is what i see the 12 days of christmas:

1. (what's a partridge? a quail?) i'd love to see a bobwhite sitting in a bradford pear. tho i seriously doubt i will. too conspicuous for that bird.

2. the Eurasian collard-dove is VERY similar in appearance to the turtle dove. the domesticated birds have been finding their own niche in North American fauna, and spreading north from Florida like wildfire. i'm always excited to see one, tho its really an introduced species, like the starling or pigeon.
as i'm driving i see a dove on a telephone wire. it may be the ever present mourning dove, but i take a close look at its tail to make sure. if it has a long tail that's blunt, rounded, w/ a big white tip contrasting a black base, its not a mourning dove! yay! i've got my smile for the day!

3. North America's not so good for ground-dwelling birds. i have domesticated hens tho. but theyre not french. theyre just spoiled. they kinda dont even belong in the sphere of birds, just b/c theyre not wild.
i did see a turkey hen today tho.

4. "calling birds"??
most birds dont sing this time of yr. that's really reserved for claiming a nesting territory and calling a mate. nowadays they just chirp in the underbrush. but a few still burst joyfully into a medley! i hate winter, but one of the birds i really miss in the summer is my white-throated sparrow. this chubby sparrow likes to make a rucus in the leaves, looking for food. he's faithful to my feeder too. and i can often hear him in the distance, whistling his song. "poor sam pea-body-body-body-bod" w/ the first three notes descending in pitch and the last pitch repeated however long the bird has breath.

well, that's enuf of a rabbit trail from a christmas song!
[rule one of birding: reference as many things in life as possible, to birds]