Nevermore!

Ok, so Edgar Allan Poe was writing about the lost love of Lenore and was supposedly talking to a raven but the word rather fit the photographs of today. Maybe not though, since this was redwing blackbirds, not ravens and there was not a dearly departed Lenore. But somehow, the scene reminded me of Poe's poem..odd? Yes, but the fact remains that it did and I have been reciting the poem in my head since this morning..

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary. Over many quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore. While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping. As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. 'Tis some visitor', I muttered, 'tapping at my chamber door-only this and nothing more.' "

This has been going through my head all day..I do not ever remember actually having to learn the poem..it is just one of those weird things that pops in the head and is impossible to shake out! I do know that it is not exactly a poem that I would recite at Christmastime..Halloween, maybe..but Christmas?

I had just filled the feeders for the birds this morning and set a few pans of seed on the ground for the doves, when I heard the fluttering of wings. I was happy to think that the doves were already settling in for breakfast before I had even reached the house. I turned to look at the feeders...whoa! Not doves but blackbirds.. redwinged blackbirds.. everywhere! There was probably a good twenty-five or thirty of the ebony birds happily devouring every seed in sight. I stood watching them, snapping a few pictures.. so that is who has been stealing the birdseed before my doves could eat! A never-ending stream of blackbirds was fluttering out of the marsh.. all straight for my feeders. Then suddenly.. none.. they had made a hasty retreat to the oak trees. Confused by this behavior, I watched. What had happened? They were eating so happily one minute and the next they were sitting silently in the branches. Thinking maybe Ms Put had made an appearance or perhaps a raccoon wandered in, I peered through the rose bushes. I saw nothing..still the birds did not return. Then the shadow..ahh..that question was

answered! Just above the trees, a hawk circled round and round the feeders. It was hunting breakfast, too! The buffet had been set with blackbirds for a few minutes but was now bare. I stood admiring the hawk until it soared off over the Bayou searching for some other prey. It had missed its chance at the "Blackbird Buffet". As soon as it was "All Clear" the blackbirds were back with a vengeance! They stayed until all the feeders were empty and then back to the marsh! My poor doves had waited patiently but to their disappointment, nothing was left for them. I hastily refilled the feeders and pans and scooted back indoors as I was quickly getting chilled.

It was cold this morning, I have to admit that. The trek to the pier was one of frost and ice. All along the marsh edge was a thin layer of ice. Again, the north wind had pushed the tide out well past the pier leaving little frozen tide pools on the mudflats. Out on the flats, searching for their breakfast were several Killdeers. These small birds were running about screeching at each other and any other intruder..me! I have been hearing them at night doing the same screeching..it seems they never sleep! (Nor do they want me to sleep!) I like these little birds but I do wonder about their name..Killdeer. Hopefully, they are named after some guy that discovered them and not for some bizarre habit they have of going around killing hapless deer! Some cold, rainy day, that might be a good research project..find out how they got their names! Killdeer...hmmph!