A Little Madness & Mess of Red-Winged Black Birds

The days are turning to vernal

there are tender, green buds

on the ash tree in my yard.

Inside my four walls, my secret garden

is covered with the curious mesquite tree,

twisted and gnarly, like an old man’s hands,

but soon I will awaken and open my eyes

to a soft velvet curtain of green,

as if God has finally cast his net of Springtime.

While we hold our breath for

Spring Migration

I found a flock of red wing black birds at my feeder today, I’ve truly never seen so many at one time.

Taken from Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

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A bird’s motives are sometimes hard to fathom. Is it breeding or is it feeding; is it feeling aggressive or playful? The male Red-winged Blackbird wears his feelings on his shoulder. The positions of his brilliant red epaulets reveal to us and other redwings whether he is looking for a mate or already has one; whether he is on his territory or is feeding socially. A flash of color, an angle of a shoulder, a thin line of yellow feathers: these things tell us so much.

Even during the height of the breeding season, Red-winged Blackbirds forage in flocks on neutral territory. In order to eat peacefully together while avoiding provoking aggressive responses, males hide their epaulets as much as possible, usually showing little more than a thin line of yellow.

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These guys were flashing there epaulets all over the place. It’s is now almost 5pm and they are still here.

And for anyone considering birding South Texas this spring

I checked Texbird this morning and some of the rarities that my guest in February came for are still loitering about. 

Here’s a report from March 3, 2011

• Mountain Plover
• Anna’s Hummingbird 
• DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER
• Gray Flycatcher
• WHITE-THROATED THRUSH
• RUFOUS-BACKED ROBIN
• Tropical Parula 
• Mangrove (Yellow) Warbler
• CRIMSON-COLLARED GROSBEAK
• BLACK-VENTED ORIOLE 
• Western Tanager
• BLUE BUNTING 
• Lazuli Bunting

And I still have a few openings in April and 

A little Madness in the Spring

Is wholesome even for the King.

by Elizabeth Browne

 

And finally, a not very well shot video, but video nonetheless.

A Classic and a Modern

Art by Guido Daniele

http://wordinfo.info/unit/3772/ip:1/il:H

 

A Bird

 

A bird came down the walk,

He did not know I saw;
He bit an angleworm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.

And then he drank a dew
From a convenient grass,
And then hopped sidewise to the wall
To let a beetle pass.

by Emily Dickinson

 

 

Never Claimed to be an Expert

It seems I’ve mis-IDed the Elf owl.  My experts say it’s most likely an immature screech owl, though oddly I have never hea

rd him screech and that’s a very distinct sound, right?

At any rate, I like him and he’s welcome to share my yard at any time.