Birds in Winter

Too chilly for me
to venture out to fill
empty bird feeder
angry jay squawks.
Red-tailed hawk
lifts and flies away
from faraway oak.
Puffed up feathered
quail family skitters
behind top-notched pop.

Mist seeps over ranch,
increases to rain so
cold it turns to snow.
Where are they now?
I hope warm at rest,
snug inside cozy nests.

Published in Winter Avocet 2021