On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
An Osprey in a Marsh Tree
Brent Eades/Flickr (CC BY NC 2.0)
(Unlike eagles or hawks, ospreys will always catch and hold its prey head-first to reduce wind resistance as they fly.)
On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
2 Mourning Doves
Mark Eden/Great Backyard Bird Count
(Mourning doves have been clocked at 55 mph.)
and an Osprey in a Marsh Tree
On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
3 House Wrens
Nick Shearman/Audubon Photography Awards
(House wrens will remove the eggs of other birds and take over their nests. Sounds like another green Christmas character down in Hooville that I’ve heard of.)
2 Mourning Doves
and an Osprey in a Marsh Tree
On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
4 Mocking Birds
Kimberly Thompson/Audubon Photography Awards
(Mockingbirds can learn over 200 different songs throughout the course of their lifetime.)
3 House Wrens
2 Mourning Doves
and an Osprey in a Marsh Tree
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
5 Golden Kings
Matthew Pimm/Audubon Photography Awards
(Kinglets’ golden crown feathers pop up when they are agitated.)
4 Mocking Birds
3 House Wrens
2 Mourning Doves
and an Osprey in a Marsh Tree
On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
6 Great Blue Herons
Christopher Grau/Audubon Photography Awards
(Great Blue Herons form rookeries with egrets, cormorants, and other herons, like at the wildlife overlook.)
5 Golden Kings
4 Mocking Birds
3 House Wrens
2 Mourning Doves
and an Osprey in a Marsh Tree
On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
7 Snowy Egrets
Mark Watts/Audubon Photography Awards
(In the 1880’s, these birds’ wispy plumes were literally worth their weight in gold.)
6 Great Blue Herons
5 Golden Kings
4 Mocking Birds
3 House Wrens
2 Mourning Doves
and an Osprey in a Marsh Tree
On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
8 Turkey Vultures
Michelle Maani/Audubon Photography Awards
(Turkey vultures don’t have any feathers on their head to help keep themselves clean when feeding.)
7 Snowy Egrets
6 Great Blue Herons
5 Golden Kings
4 Mocking Birds
3 House Wrens
2 Mourning Doves
and an Osprey in a Marsh Tree
On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
9 Northern Cardinals
Donald Wuori/Audubon Photography Awards
(In most North American species, only males sing, but female Cardinals break this rule.)
8 Turkey Vultures
7 Snowy Egrets
6 Great Blue Herons
5 Golden Kings
4 Mocking Birds
3 House Wrens
2 Mourning Doves
and an Osprey in a Marsh Tree
On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
10 Boat-tailed Grackles
Robert Amoruso/Audubon Photography Awards
(In winter, grackles can roost in late flocks that can include millions of individuals.)
9 Northern Cardinals
8 Turkey Vultures
7 Snowy Egrets
6 Great Blue Herons
5 Golden Kings
4 Mocking Birds
3 House Wrens
2 Mourning Doves
and an Osprey in a Marsh Tree
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
11 Piping Plovers
William Pully/Audubon Photography Awards
(Piping Plovers are a near threatened species that nest along the beaches of BHI and weigh the same as a AA battery.)
10 Boat-tailed Grackles
9 Northern Cardinals
8 Turkey Vultures
7 Snowy Egrets
6 Great Blue Herons
5 Golden Kings
4 Mocking Birds
3 House Wrens
2 Mourning Doves
and an Osprey in a Marsh Tree
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
12 Painted Buntings
Don Getty/Audubon Photography Awards
(Painted Buntings are considered to be one of the most colorfully diverse species in the world, not to mention a crowned jewel of BHI.)