Joann Merritt's Essays

Shopping is for the Birds
March, 2002

At Lowe’s Home Improvement Center Sara improved her bird list when she sighted a Say’s Phoebe as it flew behind the building. Her statement “Shopping is for the birds” is the basis for this story and holds true for several other MIDNATS.

Jan Wimberley of Rankin had driven to Midland to shop at Dillard’s Department Store. As she sat in her car eating a taco to sustain her energy level she spotted a like-minded individual, a Say’s Phoebe who was also sustaining its energy level by fly-catching from one of the few trees in the parking lot.

Earlier that very morning I was bemoaning the fact that the oak trees just south of Dillard’s near the Sears entrance had been pruned. I thought it was now unlikely that birds would visit these bare trees where we had seen Yellow-rumped and Orange-crowned Warblers as well as Ruby-crowned Kinglets - then Jan found the Phoebe “next-store”. Don and I go window shopping only, as stores in the mall aren’t open until 10 o’clock and we walk early.

Some years ago on a very cold morning Jim Henderson was entering a store in the Imperial Shopping Center when a small bird fell at his feet. He retrieved the seemingly lifeless bird and realized it was a Brown Creeper that had probably roosted under the overhanging roof vainly seeking a warm spot. Jim held it in one hand while driving the short distance to the Erskine’s, Midland’s bird rehabilitators. By the time he arrived at their residence the warmth from his hand had revived the creeper enough so that when he opened his hand the creeper promptly flew to a nearby shrub and started foraging.

Last September Don waited in the truck while I shopped in Mervyn’s. Just as I returned an Acorn Woodpecker flew to the trunk of an oak tree directly in front of us - this was a much better deal than the set of skillets I had purchased.

MIDNATS were amused by this unique situation: A daughter (Mimi) in Midland had phoned her Mother (Carolyne Stark) who lived in Pennsylvania and mentioned seeing an unusual hummingbird while shopping for flowers at Alldredge Gardens the previous day; in turn her Mother called a MIDNAT (Joann) to report this possible rare bird in a greenhouse in Midland. The MIDNAT’S Hotline calls resulted in several dedicated MIDNATS quickly responding to the message. Although we did not find the reported “large hummingbird with a blue throat” we did see a Black-chinned Hummer in the greenhouse.

Sara correctly stated “Shopping is for the birds!” I’d like to add “and for the birders!”