i gathered a cup of sunflower seeds

i gathered a cup of sunflower seeds
to feed the birds of February
and when i walked out back
to where the feeder hangs from the old pine tree
i noticed
there were two dead baby birds lying on the ground

i did not know birds had babies in winter
it was a shock to me
so i scooped them up
(after i filled the feeder with seed)
in the same cup
and threw them in the neighbor’s yard

something – or someone – will eat their tender bodies
and find it a delicacy

i didn’t know birds had babies in winter