Making and Photographing a Bird-Friendly Manger

The Inspiration Behind the Scene

As a little girl, I had two favorite Christmas carols. One of them was “The Friendly Beasts.” I’ve loved animals all my life and was intrigued by the way each animal helped. Most creches also depict the animals. In 2024, I wanted to create my own little manger scene with the wild birds in our backyard. For Brian and I, this honors the true meaning of Christmas.

Building a Manger for Our Feathered Friends

Most of the time I can buy vintage objects. While I did find a manger on Etsy made of twigs, it was a bit expensive, so Brian and I made our own. This way we could make it the perfect “bird-size.” Our woods has plenty of twigs. I had a small hay bale left over from a fall scene; this provided the straw.

While we usually see wooden mangers in creches, feeding troughs in Bible times were made of stone, clay mixed with straw, or carved rock. They were used in caves, stables, or even the lower level of a house where animals were kept. Our handmade version was a nod to traditional simplicity. It’s amazing to think that a feeding trough for animals was repurposed into a crib for the God of the universe! 

Creating a Shelter Under the Pines

To give the birds free access, our manger could not be in a stable. I did want to provide a bit of protection, so I recreated some slight shelter under a “pine tree.” Our woods birds relate to sheltering under evergreen boughs.  One of the magic parts of photography is that you see only part of the set-up; the “tree” stops above the photograph. A bough from one of our white pine trees was attached to the tree to create a perch for the birds as they waited to feed.

As I worked on these ‘behind the scenes’ details of the set, I couldn’t help but think deeper about the actual setting of that first Christmas night. Early Christian tradition (Justin Martyr, AD 150) located the virgin birth in a cave. St. Francis of Assisi even used a cave for the first living nativity in 1223 to make the story feel real. Eventually, Western European tradition shifted the scene to a barn or stable because caves weren’t common there. Culturally, people better related to a familiar context. For more interesting information, there’s an article called, “Where was Jesus Born: A Barn, Cave, or House”.

Baby Jesus was a soft piece of white cloth wrapped around a few twigs. Since his head is snuggled deep inside the swaddling clothes, you can’t see him. And of course, in AzarÉl style, there were black oil sunflower seeds, peanut chips, and suet crumbs tucked in the manger for the birds.

Above: Brian had the video camera set-up beside my Nikon camera. We captured this footage for you to enjoy!

A Pair of Doves

In “The Friendly Beasts,” there were a pair of doves that cooed baby Jesus to sleep. Doves in Jesus’ day were common, gentle birds—the “sheep of the bird world.” They were symbols of purity, peace, and the Spirit of God, noted for their lifelong devotion to their mates. Doves were the preferred bird for offerings and were often kept in dovecotes carved into underground limestone caves or built into towers.

While white doves are iconic in art, actual doves in biblical lands looked much like the ones we know today, ranging from dusty browns and grays to iridescent necks. Species like rock doves (pigeons) and the smaller turtle doves were a part of daily life. This video also offers some interesting facts about Mourning Doves: The Mourning Dove: A Gentle and Goofy Bird with a Famous Coo.

Many Guests at the Manger

Many of our woods’ birds visited the manger. I imagine the wren sang a lively song to entertain baby Jesus. The coos of the mourning doves soothed him to sleep. The chickadee, tufted titmouse, and a stripey winter finch made their visits in turn. Jesus welcomed all of them!

Above: One of the photos I took. This image and others in this blog may be requested. There are lots more photos at AzarElGreetings.com!

A Message of Welcome

And that’s the way it is today, too. Jesus welcomes all of us—the high achiever and the one struggling to get by; the lifelong believer and the one full of honest doubts. He welcomes the young family, the single person, and the elderly; the person who feels they have it all together and the one who feels completely broken.

Like the myth of the “perfect” stable in our holiday cards, it’s a mistake to wait until we feel “good enough” for Jesus. He welcomes us exactly as we are, right in the middle of our real, messy lives. But He also loves us too much to leave us there; He gently nurtures us and helps us grow into the people He intended us to be.

Jesus’ manger would lead to the cross about 30 years later. There he would die an awful death. Three days later he rose from the dead. Only an incredibly loving God would leave His splendor to become human, born to poor parents, and pay the penalty himself. He did what we could never do for ourselves. It is a matter of faith and humbly accepting His gracious gift. Don’t mistake this for “easy believe-ism” or a one-time recitation of a prayer. This kind of faith leads to a changed life where we desire and change to live as he would.

If you’d like more information, Brian and I would welcome a phone call so we can have an in-person conversation. There’s also more information at GotQuestions. May all of us humbly bow at the manger this year. Merry Christmas!