Roseate Spoonbill in Motion

 

My Neighborhood Predator

My Darling Starling

 

Posted on April 5, 2012by apronheadlilly

           

                                                       ROCK 'N ROLL STARLING

So misunderstood, an unwarranted
Tainted reputation—
At least tainted is what I got from my mother! But
Really, this tuxedo-winged,
Lofty wind-glider with its
Iridescent, green and purple wardrobe,
None could compare with your community free fall, your
Glorious murmuration, your choreographed aerial ballet.
Stellar! Stunning! But just stay away from my tomatoes.

ID Help

Posted on March 28, 2012by apronheadlilly

3 '12

I know most of you immediately thought I needed help with Intelligent Design info, but I really need help identifying this new bird that came to my feeder.

I do not see her in any of my bird books. Any ideas?

I witnessed a murder, and I’m complicit!
My majestic Cooper’s Hawk is much more admirable
sitting on my fence preening, posing, scanning—
scanning for an anonymous lunch.

But this lunch was screaming!

It was the screaming that got my attention—
little bird screaming,
blackbird screaming.
And not in the dead of night, but in the light,
on my lawn,
by my window.

I didn’t want to watch, but I couldn’t break away.

I squinted.

He held him down with those talons, those strong wiry talons,
so much more picturesque gripping my fence.
This gripping was a National Geographic tooth and claw kind of gripping.
He pecked with hooked beak—all that power,
planting in flesh in flesh in flesh,
in the writhing, screaming flesh.

He spread his wings, he flapped and gripped and grabbed
while blackbird, my well-fed blackbird, my backyard fed blackbird
screamed.

It made me shutter, but I dared not look away.

I felt guilt and contemplated becoming a vegan,
but it was amazing and strangely beautiful,
this carnage in my backyard.

I fatten his prey with my feeders.

I lure him here with my camera and admiration.

And I know he, too, must eat—it is the way of things.
But it was that screaming,
that blackbird screaming,
that backyard screaming . . .

I witnessed a murder today, and I am complicit.

Must be worms . . .

Posted on March 20, 2012by apronheadlilly

 

Must be worms there after our
rain, hail, and snow storm
over the weekend because there’s a lot of pecking going on.
Now see this was just a sentence before,
but if I put it on separate lines,
it
becomes
profound poetry . . .
or not! (What would life be without emoticons!)

Bits of Spring

Posted on March 15, 2012by apronheadlilly

. . . whispers of life
stirring,
breaking out,
and bits of spring,
sneaking,
tentative forays,
but I’m still hoping for one last snow . . .

I'm playing catch up again posting on both blogs. Life gets busy!!!

Whoa, Steller, Dude! :-)

Posted on March 4, 2012by apronheadlilly

Sorry--child of the 60s.

Bird Talk

Posted on March 3, 2012by apronheadlilly

“Alice, stop. Stand still . . . There she is again with that black thing stuck in her face! Think branch; be the branch, be the branch . . . Can’t you suck it in? I told you to go easy on the sunflower seeds!”
“Be the branch, my foot! Look who’s talking, Mr. Cocky! You think she’s not going to notice your fat red belly in this barren brown tree? Be the branch! How about be the trunk!”
“Stop moving your beak, Alice. She’ll see us. Be still as a twig. . . . Okay, a chubby twig. Maybe she won’t notice us.”
“Maybe there’s nothing to fear. She must be friends with the food gods because every time when she leaves, the feeders are always full. I think you’re overreacting.”
“Don’t fool yourself. They only wait till she’s gone before they bless us with their goodies. Okay . . . don’t breathe. She’s almost inside. Whew, that was a close one. And see . . . there are the seeds. If she didn’t leave, we’d never get to eat!”
“But I can still see her through the glass. Do you think it’s safe? And what is wrong with her face? She always has that big, round black thing stuck to her eyes.”
“It’s probably one of those marks of Cain so we can easily identify her as a threat. But when she’s behind the glass I’ve heard we are safe; it’s some sort of force field, like in that Starling Wars movie. Eat up, Alice! You never know when she’ll invade out turf again!”

Political Opinion Polls

Life is for the Birds #2

Here are some more birdie pictures.

I'm really confused about the next one that I'm seeing from my clean bird-viewing window.  All I know is that it must be a predator because it chased all my other birds away.  Any help naming?

Solar Sparrow maybe?

Robin

Cooper's Hawk (or Chicken Hawk)

Life is for the Birds!



Seagulls


Here are some favorite bird pictures.  I will try and identify, but my field guides are . . . well, for the birds!  Don't be afraid to contribute.

Mourning doves:  They mate for life.

Housefinch

House Sparrows

Sandpipers

Cactus Wren

Black or Heermann's Seagull