Natural History Journal

As those of us in the northern hemisphere enter into the season marked by the longest nights and shortest days of the year, I can't help but reflect on the pervasiveness of light in our lives, despite the seasonal rhythms of darkness in the natural world.   In spite of these short winter days, or perhaps because of the long hours of darkness, Christmas is the best season in which to celebrate light.  For, it is at Christmas that we celebrate that: The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in a land of deep darkness a light has dawned.  Isaiah 9:2 Ironically, it is during the depths of the northern winter that nature treats us to some of its most conspicuous and glorious displays of light.   In the winter, we enjoy late morning sunrises and early evening sunsets.  Though our nights are long and cold, in clear weather they are filled with the brilliance of starshine and moonlight.  For those in the far north, this is t...

Can anyone really argue that there is a more iconic bird of Christmas in North America than the strikingly scarlet Northern Cardinal?  With brilliant crimson plumage that both matches red holly berries and contrasts beautifully with evergreen foliage and white snow, the cardinal seems to embody everything in the natural world that is beautiful in wintertime - and by extension, Christmastime.  (Check out this article for more reasons why the Northern Cardinal is the ideal emblem of Christmas.)  But, there may be more than one iconic winter bird out there that deserves to grace wintery Christmas cards and the December page of the calendar.   Join me in a little festive bird-related fun as I muse over a few additional species that I wouldn't mind seeing crafted into Christmas tree ornaments, shaped into sugar cookies, and emblazoned on Christmas sweaters! A somewhat wintery Northern Cardinal... in Texas.  Hands down, the most iconic bird of Christmas in North...