My Backyard Birds

I was in my God-spot the other morning, out on the back patio, and a falling feather caught my eye. It flitted down to earth and came to rest on the grass. I looked up and noticed a Grackle sitting on the fence. He was shaking his tail feathers and since I speak bird, I told him "Turn your little tail around and poop on the other side please!" As I watched, I decided he was not pooping at all, he was primping & preening. I wondered if he had any idea what an ugly bird he is. Grackles are everywhere. They are common birds with common feathers. Boring. Well, that's my opinion

I couldn't help but wonder if this silly Grackle has ever caught a glimpse of the gorgeous Great Egrets who like to hang around our neighborhood lake. They are tall, brilliantly white birds. They seem a little skittish, yet so elegant in flight. They are the symbol of the National Audubon Society.

Or perhaps he has noticed the Scissor-tail Flycatchers. It is easy to spot these fabulous creatures as we drive through the area. They are hard to miss with their fantastic tail feather action. They have the distinction of being the state bird of Oklahoma. No one picked the Grackle for their state bird, I checked.

I try to get back to the Bible on my lap, but I can't stop thinking about this bird. I've made my judgement clear. I can be so good at that:

Interesting - Boring

Fantastic - Common

Beautiful - Ugly

Thankfully, the humble Grackle hasn't read my mind. I'm pretty sure he isn't comparing himself to any other birds in the neighborhood. I wonder why, of all God's creatures, we get tripped up on the comparison stone. (Click to Tweet) This Grackle is simply soaking up the morning sun at the top of my privacy fence. It's a peculiar thing, but I just noticed how shinny his feathers are. I don't think I'd seen that before. Maybe I need to do a little more soaking myself.

I've spoken to our tendency to compare HERE.

Special thanks to Birds of Oklahoma's Bill Horn for use of his breath-taking picture of a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. What an amazing shot! Thank you Bill!