When I was a tiny tot, one of my very favorite songs was Feed the Birds from Mary Poppins.
I still love the song for its gently compassionate message, the
beautiful cinematography that accompanies it and, of course, Julie
Andrews’ lovely singing voice. But when I hear the phrase “feed the
birds” nowadays, my thoughts don’t necessarily stray immediately to
British nannies and pigeons at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Thanks to the
memorable image on this poster, I’m just as likely to think of furry
marauders who, instead of giving to the birds, are stealing from them.
“Feed the Birds” is the message written on the piece of paper held up
by the conniving squirrel in this picture that has made its way onto
t-shirts, mugs, garden flags and all sorts of accessories for the
squirrel lover in need of a good laugh. This particular poster is 19 by
19 inches, a nice large size ideal for hanging in the living room near
your favorite squirrel-watching window or in your bedroom for a hearty
chuckle when you wake up in the morning.
I’ve always taken the
squirrel in question to be a gray squirrel, which is fairly prevalent
here in Pennsylvania. Certainly my experience with these squirrels has
led me to believe that wily trickery is fairly normal behavior for them.
This particular bandit seems to have a slight brownish tint, though, so
he could be a fox squirrel or perhaps a red squirrel. It’s hard to tell
since so much of him is covered up.
His front paws hold the
pleading sign, which, on its own, might be taken as an indication of the
squirrel’s generosity toward his fellow creatures. But no, that’s not
his intention. Instead, he has garbed himself with a magnificent pair of
blue jay wings, and in front of his face, attached with an elastic
band, is a large orange beak. Now, I’ve seen blue jays act just as
ruthless as squirrels when it comes to devouring food, so I’m not sure
if this is the likeliest of birds to elicit sympathy, but they are
handsome devils, and if nothing else I can’t think of too many common
birds that would create such a striking effect. Cardinal wings would
have been similarly arresting, I suppose, but blue and gray go together
much more naturally.
The basic premise behind the poster is,
of course, that most people welcome songbirds to their feeders but
discourage squirrels. That certainly isn’t the case for me; as much as I
love birds, I would rather see a squirrel munching on our birdseed than
any number of robins, chickadees and woodpeckers. Alas, I rarely see
them in our yard. The other notion being espoused here is that squirrels
are clever thieves, and to that I can attest, having seen them quarrel
over peanuts on many a trip to State College and watched the elaborate
lengths to which some of them will go to attain a tasty treat on the Backyard Bandits programs, which show squirrels navigating complex obstacle courses.
So maybe they’re not the most upright citizens of the animal world. I
adore squirrels, and I’m taking time out on Squirrel Appreciation Day to
shout it from the (virtual) rooftops. If that strikes you as a good use
of my time, chances are you can find a place in your home for a piece
of “Feed the Birds” paraphernalia.
No comments:
Post a Comment