Bird Behavior
Watching birds is normally not my thing, I focus instead on insects, small mammals, spiders, and things like that. Recently, however, I have just sort of observed birds more, just looking at the ones I happen to be near.
Today I was in my back yard doing some general chores on a very nice sunny and fairly warm day for late November. I heard chickadees and thought of the little birds up on Cape Cod. Then I noticed a pair of what I thought were sparrows, but not quite. One of them landed nearby on the ground near a bush, and as he started hopping along the ground he would kick back one foot, sort of like a dog does who is jazzed up and wants to make a point by flinging dirt behind him.
This bird was flicking leaves away with his foot not because he wanted to make any particular point, but so he could look underneath the leaf litter to find tasty treats! I think perhaps these birds were Carolina wrens or something similar. Fun to watch a bird version of the dog thing, but for a totally different purpose! :)
Later I went to visit my Mom's family grave in Kensico Cemetery to lay a holiday wreath on the headstone. As I drove up with my car window open to let in the nice Fall air, I hear a raucous gathering of birds. I look up and see them in two pin oak trees whose leaves have all fallen, decorating the ends of all the tiny upper branches like dark holiday bulb ornaments! They are all talking, and it sounds like the biggest bullshit session, where everyone is shooting the breeze or chewing the fat as they say. Then someone decides to move, and they all fall silent and fly away only to land on the next two trees over. The moment they land, the bs session starts right up, they have not lost a beat in their multitudinous discussions! :)
I watched them as I was standing at the grave, wondering what in the world they all had to talk about! ;)
Today I was in my back yard doing some general chores on a very nice sunny and fairly warm day for late November. I heard chickadees and thought of the little birds up on Cape Cod. Then I noticed a pair of what I thought were sparrows, but not quite. One of them landed nearby on the ground near a bush, and as he started hopping along the ground he would kick back one foot, sort of like a dog does who is jazzed up and wants to make a point by flinging dirt behind him.
This bird was flicking leaves away with his foot not because he wanted to make any particular point, but so he could look underneath the leaf litter to find tasty treats! I think perhaps these birds were Carolina wrens or something similar. Fun to watch a bird version of the dog thing, but for a totally different purpose! :)
Later I went to visit my Mom's family grave in Kensico Cemetery to lay a holiday wreath on the headstone. As I drove up with my car window open to let in the nice Fall air, I hear a raucous gathering of birds. I look up and see them in two pin oak trees whose leaves have all fallen, decorating the ends of all the tiny upper branches like dark holiday bulb ornaments! They are all talking, and it sounds like the biggest bullshit session, where everyone is shooting the breeze or chewing the fat as they say. Then someone decides to move, and they all fall silent and fly away only to land on the next two trees over. The moment they land, the bs session starts right up, they have not lost a beat in their multitudinous discussions! :)
I watched them as I was standing at the grave, wondering what in the world they all had to talk about! ;)