Bye, bye, birdie

So I'm at the day job. There's a window behind my desk with a view of the tin roof. I see a dead bird and I am struck by its beauty. It is black with white stripes in its wings, a bright yellow belly and a red head.

Within minutes I tap into the vastness of the Internet and find out it is a yellow-bellied sapsucker, a kind of woodpecker. They tap in a distinctive rhythm, two or three series per minute, and they do not drum. Fascinating.

Then I look into the meaning of this bird. The woodpecker stands for change and persistence. And these: prophecy, magic, power, guardian of trees, heralds rain and storms.

Bless that little bird.