Learning from the Bluebirds

Some of the lessons I've learned from bluebirds Sialia and Silas include:

1. Waking up early is over-rated. There is nothing sweeter than sleeping till the sun comes up then being served breakfast in bed.
2. Things change. Scrawny naked pips can become beautiful bluebirds. People can change, too, if you stick around long enough to notice.
3. Sometimes it’s okay to sit on the fence and see what happens. Other times, you have to know when to fight for what is important.
4. Babies thrive when their parents work together as a team.
5. The best way to keep a home clean is to get rid of the crap. Carry it out in sacks when you must.
6. Parents usually know what is best for the children.
7. Intruders are part of life, especially when you have a bunch of babies born at the same time. The hard part is choosing whether to let the strangers learn from you or whether to swoop down and peck them on the head till they leave you alone.
8. When you know the weather will be scary, keep feeding the kids and act like nothing is wrong.
9. The best thing to do during life’s storms is hunker down and stay close to your family.
10. Life happens and it isn't always good, but that doesn't mean you have to quit chirping. Someone may be looking at you as the bright part of their day.
11. Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best. - Henry Van Dyke, ornithologist, 1852-1933
12. Hope is the thing with feathers that perches up in the soul and sings a tune without words and never stops at all. - Emily Dickinson, 1891