Joann Merritt's Essays
The Joys Of A Cold Weekend In February
February, 2006
I wish I knew some powerful expressive words so that you could realize what a wonderful, birdful three days I have experienced here at home, but you know I’m going to try anyway, don’t you? In no particular order these are some special sightings.
Several times a day the Hermit Thrush comes hopping in for a drink at the Heart Rock Café which is close enough that I can get a good look at him. At noon today the male Ladderbacked Woodpecker d-r-a-n-k from the same HR Café water source and each time he bent over, the crown of his head looked like red velvet against his black and white striped back. On the second cold day a subdued acting Mockingbird visited the Café, just thankful for a few beak(ers) of water, but it came back later to eat some fruit and while busily eating on a pear, a male House Finch perched on the thermometer above him and reached down to boldly peck him on the head - an action he quickly regretted!!
Mr. & Mrs. Cardinal feeding in the teacups that hold sunflower seeds make a heaping cupful of color. At the end of day when House Finches glean the last seeds from the bottom of the cups only a bit of their tails that extend above the rim are visible. A nephew made and gave us these cup-in-a-saucer-on-a-stick feeders that many birds as well as birders, enjoy. Thank you, Raymond!
Winter is the only time a female Bullock’s Oriole is special in Midland and the Merritts appreciate their cold weather visitor. This is the third straight winter she’s appeared in our yard, and I like to think she’s the same one even if I can’t prove it. Her diet consists of peanut butter mixture, pears, bananas and grape jelly which evidently is what she needs as she is getting more beautifully golden colored every day. The Verdin, a small gray bird with bright yellow face and red spot at the bend of its wing, also eats small portions of pear. When the pear gets overripe (O.K., then - rotten!) it is placed on our hanging saucer for a butterfly attractant.
The Roadrunner took advantage of a brief period of sunshine to spread-droop his wings and raise his outer feathers thus exposing the soft gray down on his back to the warm rays of the sun. Curve-billed Thrashers and Cactus Wrens vigorously thrash among the discarded pecan shells around the base of our elm tree. Inca, Mourning, White-winged and Eurasian Collared Doves add their soft gray presence to the scene.
Even before sunrise there are small birds moving on the ground under Don’s “Meals on Wheel” bicycle wheel bird feeder. Juncos flash V for Victory for successfully finding food for the day. The White-crowned Sparrows look like miners wearing headlamps while searching for the Mother Lode, in this instance, food. The sparrows style is to jump forward with both feet and scratch in the litter as they return to their original position. It seems they would expend more energy than they consume - quite the opposite of the white-crowned observers that dwell within the warm home!
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is also one of the early risers who comes for the peanut butter mixture - I think he is addicted to it while I am addicted to watching him. I hope he stays long enough to sing his loud happy spring song. I’ll certainly keep his peanut butter mixture available. One year a White-throated Sparrow who came daily to eat this mixture spent the winter and stayed long enough to sing his distinctive “Poor Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody,” spring melody. I’ll never forget it.
One afternoon at least 50 White-crowned Sparrows had come to Jesse’s Pond to drink and bathe when a Sharp-shinned Hawk zipped across the yard into the middle of the flock and came away empty-taloned. All the birds in the yard simply disappeared - they usually freeze in place, but I’m sure they were already in that condition so they just hid. The Sharpie was clearly agitated, he was going from tree to tree and twitching his tail. He finally settled for a drink of water and flew east. Immediately the White-crowns exploded from the vegetation behind Jesse’s Pond and headed for the pasture followed closely by the Sharpie in hot pursuit...he missed all of them again and returned to the yard. Finally giving up for the day, he got another drink of water and flew off with talons, beak and stomach registering empty.