I have been watching birds for several decades. As a bird-watcher, I have gotten much pleasure viewing brightly-colored warblers, raucous blue jays, and fearsome birds of prey.
Lately, I have been thinking about the lessons I have learned from some individual birds. Here is my attempt to pass those lessons along to you.

I love running in the rain. Especially a warm, summer rain. It energizes me and cools me off, true, but the biggest benefit is that it reminds me of being a kid, giving myself permission to splash in the puddles.
When my husband and I set out to run one morning a few weeks ago in a light drizzle, I knew it was going to be a good run, and I was right. We did an easy four miles.
Minutes after returning to our house, the drizzle turned into a downpour. While Bill showered, I stepped out on our porch to watch the rain falling.
As I was watching the rain, I noticed several Mourning Doves perched in the shelter of our crabapple tree.
Suddenly, one of the doves left his perch in the tree and settled in the street, exposing himself to the full force of the raindrops, and shaking like a wet dog. He was giving himself a bath and looked like he was enjoying himself.
After playing in the rain for a minute or so, the bird held first one wing, then the other up toward the sky, just like a person would do in the shower to wash under their arms.
The bird was washing his wingpits! I could almost see him grinning.
While the other doves cowered in the tree, this bird was having the time of his life.
The lesson I learned from this dove is to find joy in each moment. We never know how many more moments we have. If we can have some fun, we should do it.

I did a solo long run last weekend. I was running one of my favorite courses, out in farm country, when I saw an unremarkable group of Crows perched on some telephone wires.
Suddenly, one Crow left his perch, then others soon followed. I looked up to see a hawk landing on the wire where the birds had been perched. The remainder of the Crows lingered for a second, then hightailed it away from the hawk.
Red-tailed Hawks are common predators patrolling nearby fields, searching for mice and voles, which make up the majority of their diet.
Crows are typically not afraid of Red-tails. In fact, seeing Crows heckling or mobbing Red-tailed Hawks to drive them away from vulnerable nests is common.
The unusual behavior of the Crows, flying away from an approaching hawk rather than standing their ground and driving off the intruder, made me stop and remove my sunglasses for a closer look.
The hawk was not a Red-tail. With my sunglasses removed, I saw the banding on the tail and the much sleeker profile that identified the hawk as a Cooper’s Hawk.
I looked up and saw another Cooper’s Hawk swooping above the one perched on the wire, then another and another. I counted five Cooper’s Hawks circling overhead – a bonanza. More Cooper’s Hawks than I have ever seen together at one time.
No wonder the Crows hightailed it. While Red-tailed Hawks typically do not include other birds in their diet, birds make up the majority of Cooper’s Hawks’ menu.
I learned from the Cooper’s Hawks to not take anything for granted. To pay attention.
I could easily have assumed “Red-tail” and missed the whole show. Pennies from Heaven are tossed at us broadside by a generous hand, but we have to be willing to look closely to find them sometimes

Our county is overrun with invaders from China.
Not Mongol hordes, Spotted Lanternflies, an invasive insect species which causes millions of dollars worth of damage to crops.
They are everywhere. You can see them crawling up tree trunks by the hundreds.
In an effort to reduce their numbers, many homeowners, including our neighbors, have placed sticky tape around the trunks of their trees. The bugs crawl up the trunks and get caught on the tape.
Unfortunately, other wildlife gets caught on the tape too.
I was walking through our neighbor’s yard next to a small woodlot and noticed a lot of movement on the sticky tape they had placed on their tree.
Upon closer examination, I was horrified to discover a Downy Woodpecker stuck to the tape and flailing frantically to get loose.
I dashed to my garage to get a pair of work gloves (woodpeckers’ beaks are strong) and gently got him unstuck from the tape. He must not have been stuck for very long, because he looked like he was in good shape, although the day was hot and he was panting.
I decided he might have needed a drink, so I carefully carried him to the bank of a nearby spring and set him down next to the water.
The bird got a drink and splashed in the water for a few seconds.
What happened next took my breath away. The bird stood very still and looked me in the eye. It was almost as if he was saying “Thank you.”
Then he flitted to a nearby tree and was gone.
From this bird, I learned that gratitude is more important than I ever imagined. Even a small gesture of gratitude can leave the thanker and the thanked changed in significant ways. Now is the perfect time to express gratitude.
You can find the places I link up here.
Bird watching is really relaxing, what you did for that woodpecker was very kind.
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It IS relaxing. One of my favorite ways to spend a morning.
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Gratitude is one of those attitudes that can correct so many things. I thought I saw a couple of eagles flying over my house last Sunday, but I later decided they were just hawks instead. 🙂 We can learn so many things from birds! I’m thankful God created them (practicing my gratitude, ha).
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Good for you for practicing gratitude!
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I think nature has many messages to give, and I’m pleased to hear your messages from birds. ThNk you for rescuing the woodpecker!
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Nature does have many messages for us. I just have to remember to listen!
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Or observe! What a wonderful way to tune in to the natural world when you run!
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We have lots of birds around here. We live in a wooded area, so it stands to reason. I’ve never heard of putting sticky tape on trees like you mention. That sounds macabre to me. I’m glad you rescued the bird. People are awful sometimes.
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If you have never heard of sticky tape, you must not have spotted lanternflies in your area yet. Count your blessings! They are terrible!!!
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I don’t necessarily enjoy running in the rain and very rarely do it willingly. However, one year my sister and I did a race in Atlantic City and it rained the whole time and we had the most fun during that race! I guess you always have to find the positive in situations:)
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We love our birds here, too, Laurie, and feed them regularly. But your story of the downy woodpecker takes the cake! Even though he might have been fearful when you approached, somehow he knew you were there to help. Isn’t our marvelous Father so faithful to help us reconnect with His creation in such unexpected ways? What a gratifying, and might I venture, miraculous encounter you had. Thanks so much for sharing that here. Blessings!
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You are so right, Martha. God did help me connect with that woodpecker. He sent me past at just the right time! Blessings to you.
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That woodpecker was lucky you happened along at that time of peril. I am glad you were able to save it. Whew – close call. I have always enjoyed watching birds have an impromptu bath, whether it is in a puddle in the street after a rainfall, under the sprinkler – even in a gutter when a neighbor’s gutters needed cleaning. My canary would not go into his bathtub and I tried several styles, but he was delighted to dive into his water cup if I walked into the other room for a minute. 🙂 There is pure joy in bathing for birds. I love birds too, but not Cooper’s Hawks. Cooper’s Hawks have moved in/around Council Point Park and go after my squirrels. I almost lost Stubby (the squirrel missing half his tail) because I fed him and the hawk went after him. What really saddens me if my gray squirrels (Grady and his mate) and two other squirrels which I fed daily. My neighbor saw the Cooper’s Hawk watching them at my house eating peanuts in the feeder I had. I will always feel badly about that. We used to have Peregrine Falcons who nabbed birds in flight. The circle of life sometimes turns my stomach Laurie.
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Yes, that woodpecker definitely was lucky. I am so glad I got to him in time. I have never seen a bird take a bath in a sprinkler. That would be a sight! I can imagine you would not be a fan of Cooper’s Hawks. I don’t like to see it either but they have to eat too!
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The Robins especially love to take a bath in the sprinkler. I see them when I’m walking to the Park.
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If we pay attention, we can see so many amazing things around us and learn from them.
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Yes, I have to remind myself to keep my eyes open! 🙂
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👍👍
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What a delightful post Laurie! I love the lessons here!
You won’t believe it but it was only yesterday while I was out walking that I witnessed some amazing bird activity & thought what a good blog post that encounter would make! 😀
Blessings,
Jennifer
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Thank you, Jennifer. I look forward to reading that post! 🙂
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These are wise words beautifully written.
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Thank you, Anne.
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I love your bird observations and each one of those lessons, Laurie. And thank you for saving the woodpecker!
In the river next to our apartment in the city (!) we have two grey herons. They seem to stand perfectly still for hours until they pounce on some passing fish.
I learned that being patient is rewarding!
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Great lesson from the herons!
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Thank you for observing and sharing these life-scenes from nature.
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One of the things I most enjoy doing!
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What wonderful lessons!! I can’t believe there were 5 hawks together. I have never seen that many birds of prey together in any one area.
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I think they may have been a family.
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Stopped me in my tracks too. Amazing rescue and so much good bird observation, too. Thanks for this great post!
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One of my most favorite pastimes is observing the birds.
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What a wonderful experience with the woodpecker. I think animals do show gratitude.
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I like to think so too, Dan.
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You have some beautiful bird-life in your area! I didn’t know that was happening to your trees. In Jasper, AB, we have the pine beetle but no tape will work for them. So lovely how you received a nod of thanks. We really are in this altogether!
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The sticky tape that some people put up for the lanternflies is just black with bugs. Ugh! We certainly are all in this together.
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what a wonderful post. What lessons for us all. I love that the woodpecker thanked you, in it’s way, non verbal but distinct enough that you got the message. You also listened to the message it sent, which is more than most humans would do. That also says a lot
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Thank you! I certainly got the message of gratitude. I hope that’s what the woodpecker was trying to convey.
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Laurie, your downy woodpecker moment filled my eyes with tears. What beautiful observations you share here… I’m not sure which moved me more–the joy of the wingpit washing or the nonverbal gratitude! Thank you.
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I am glad you could find meaning in my little bird stories, Carolyn. Thank you for your kind comments.
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The woodpecker story was amazing! I know spotted lantern flies have reached York county, but I haven’t seen any here. I saw a lot on the trees at Tiny Estates in Etown and plenty smashed near the river trail in Columbia. Dad and I stomped as those we saw during our cooldown walk last Friday!
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Just wait, Tracy. A year ago, I hadn’t seen any either. Now they are everywhere!
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Loved this post. I tried commenting 3 x yesterday and kept getting kicked off. Didn’t want you to think I was too busy to read, lol. What an amazing gift you gave to the woodpecker a nd it gave back to you. Because you took the time to notice. Blessings, Michele
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Thank you for your persistence, Michele. My husband has been having trouble opening my site. It must be a WordPress thing. So sorry!I never thought about the woodpecker returning kindness but you are right! Blessings to you, too.
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Interesting lessons, and very well written 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
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Thank you for your comments! 🙂
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there are many lessons in the world around us and I think many animals thank their saviors when helped
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So many lessons if we pay attention!
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This year, more than ever I have also learned to appreciate the little things so much more
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Yes, this is a good year for learning lessons (the hard way).
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You are so right that we can learn a lot from nature, especially birds! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I enjoyed them so much 🙂
Feel free to share at My Corner of the World
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Thank you for the invitation. I will check it out!
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“Pennies from Heaven are tossed at us broadside by a generous hand, but we have to be willing to look closely to find them sometimes” – a great reminder. Thank you!
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Thank you for your comment!
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Laurie, isn’t it amazing what we can learn when we slow down long enough to actually watch? Such good lessons here …
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Nature certainly is amazing. I have to remember to pay attention.
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What neat encounters–and to have all of them occurring so close to each other is amazing. Thanks for sharing them with us. I’m still smiling over the dove taking a rain shower.
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I smile every time I think about that too!
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All interesting, Laurie. My first visit here. I, too, am interested in what birds teach us (they teach us tons). The first thing that comes to mind is patience and a bird like the Great Blue Heron, which will stand in place for hours, it seems, fixed on the water below. Keep up the good work!
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So glad you visited, Dave. I have learned a lot from the birds over the years. Patience is one of the things I aam still learning.
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