A Hundred or So Visitors

   The day passed quite uneventful other that a few hundred visitors that came to the Bayou.  Son was just coming back up the hill from working on the pier when I decided to bring him a glass of lemonade.  We sat in the Small Gardens to chat while he refreshed.  Suddenly, there was a rush of wings and lots of squeaky calls.  Looking up, we saw hundreds of cedar waxwings filling the sky!  Every bare tree in the front yard soon became a perching spot for the birds.  The birds called to each other but stayed put for the rest of the morning.  Then, they dispersed in search of food which they found on the yaupon trees, mistletoe clumps and nandina bushes.  It was quite cheery to hear the birds!

  Mid afternoon saw the birds regrouping in the treetops.  There, they will spend the night then most likely take flight again on their way northward.  Their "pitstop" on the Bayou has become a yearly event and one that will never cease to leave me in awe.  These beautiful birds are always welcome to come "cleanup" the berries still on the bushes.  Happiness comes when least expected.  Travel safe, my friends!  See you next year!

The Feast Of The Mistletoe

  Mother Nature has thrown the Bayou plants for a loop.  For the past few years, we have had no winter, to speak of, so plants have no idea when to grow, when to blossom or when to produce.  The flora around here just sort of haphazardly throws blossoms out there in hopes that the weather is kind.  Some plants just give up hopes of having a normal life and don't produce at all since they have no idea when to do so.  The yaupon and other hollies did not produce more than a handful of berries which is sort of sad for the fauna of the area.  Come on, flora, get your act together!  Fauna depends on you!

  The lack of yaupon and other berries presented a problem for a flock of birds today.   While Son and I were out working on yard projects, I noticed forty or fifty birds fly into the yard.  Ahh, the cedar waxwings were making their annual appearance on the Bayou.  They come in droves to feast upon the many berries but, this year, they found scarce pickings.  After inspecting the area, the birds finally chose to fly to the tiptops of the white oaks.  There, among the bare limbs, the birds found their sustanence.  Mistletoe fills the tops of these trees and, obviously, this was a good bearing year for those plants.  The cedar waxwings feasted upon the pearly white mistletoe berries.

  Within the next twenty minutes, two more flocks came to the Bayou and were in search of food.  They promptly got word that there was nothing but the mistletoe berries so they, too, flew to the tops of the mistletoe laden oak trees.  The soft tweets were our music for the day!  After two or three hours, the birds moved northward.  They obviously believe spring is on its way and they need to head back home to nest.  Goodbye until next year, sweet friends.  Hopefully, we will have more to offer then.

By the Tips of Their Tails!

  Recently I have been bemoaning the fact that the Cedar Waxwings have not made their yearly appearance on the Bayou.  I worried about them.  Usually, by this time of year, the birds have come and devoured every berry in sight and have filled the treetops with their whistling calls.  I have missed them.  But, then again, perhaps I am pushing the seasons once again and perhaps the birds are on time....I am not.  But I do not think so.  If I remember rightly, January is the month for these birds to grace the Bayou with their presence.  It is now late February and they are finally here.  This morning as I waited on Mark to join me for our morning hike, I heard the familiar calls high in the oak tree near the pier. Hundreds of the birds were filling every branch of the tall tree.  I had to sit right down and listen to them for a while.  It made me smile.  Having old friends return is good for the soul.

  Here's one for you!  A bit of bird trivia to lighten and brighten your day can be found right here! The Cedar Waxwings that were visiting today had yellow tips on their tails.  While there is nothing unusual about the yellow tips (Cedar Waxwings have yellow tipped tails), some birds have been seen with darker orange tips.  It seems that the change coloring is somewhat recent (in the study of ornithology anyway) appearing during the 1960s.  Scientists have discovered that the orange tips are a result of the birds eating red berries of a certain honeysuckle that was introduced to the United States during that time.  If a bird eats the berries while growing tail feathers, the feathers are tipped in orange.  Eating red berries changed their tail colors!  Imagine that!  I wonder if I ate those berries, it would cover some of the gray in my hair??  Maybe??

  Another bit of trivia....since the Cedar Waxwings are fruit eaters, they sometimes get into a batch of overripe berries.  This is not good. Overripe berries have a tendency to be fermenting thus creating alcohol. Let a flock of Cedar Waxwings devour a bunch of alcohol laden berries and you have drunk birds.  While that may not seem too very drastic, it can be. Some birds die from ingesting the rotten, fermenting berries.  

  The thought of intoxicated birds brings back a memory from my childhood on the farm.  Back behind Pop's big shed there was a huge mulberry tree.  My brother and I used to climb the tree to pick the berries for Mom.  One day while sitting in the tree, we noticed that the chickens below us were acting a mite strange.  They were wobbling and falling and clucking their fool heads off like a bunch of crazy birds.  Pop explained to us that the chickens were all drunk from eating the rotten mulberries that had fallen to the ground and we were warned never to eat any that "tasted strange" or we might act just like those drunk chickens.  That terrified me!  I did not want to go around falling and clucking.  Nope...no rotten mulberries for me!

  Back to the Cedar Waxwings....I am sure glad that they made an appearance on the Bayou.  It is only a matter of time before they will strip every berry dangling on any vine and then be off on their journey homeward to nest.  Thanks for stopping by, Birds! Safe travels!

They did not come!

  Something strange occurred to me today as I was out meandering about the hillside.  A slight drizzly rain tried to keep me inside but I was having no part of that.  I had to escape even if it was just to hike a bit in the yard.  My startling revelation?  They did not come.  They being the birds.  Normally at this time of year, the yard is filled with Indigo Buntings, Painted Buntings, Rosebreasted Grosbeaks, American Goldfinches and Cedar Waxwings.  Nary a one has made the stopover on their migration flight.  I had noticed that the feeders seemed a tad empty but the fact hit me when I noticed that the Nandina bushes were still holding their berries.  Any other year, these berries would have already been stripped from the bushes.  When they make their appearance, the Cedar Waxwings devour every berry in sight.  The Nandinas, Yaupons, and Black Gums never stand a chance!

  The lack of birds made me a bit sad.  I pondered if the ice storms had caught them unawares and did great damage to the flocks.  Perhaps the birds could not handle the frigid weather that hit all the way to the Coast. Then, again, perhaps they sensed the coming weather and flew further southward.  (I hope.)  If that is the case, then maybe, just maybe, the birds are behind schedule a bit and will be here in a few weeks.  I miss seeing their bright colors and hearing their calls.  Last year, a huge flock of Cedar Waxwings visited the Bayou and made quick work of every berry in sight!  The picture below shows a portion of the flock in the Black Gum tree.  An early morning fog nearly obscured them from my vision!

  Other than the missing migratory birds, the Bayou is alive with birds.  A goodly number are already nesting which assures me that spring is not far.  I found two Mourning Dove nests, the European Starling nest and an Eastern Bluebird nest as I ambled about the yard.  I am sure there are more that I did not discover since another rainstorm chases me indoors before I could search the entire area.  It seems that things are well on their way of being restored after the cold, cold winter.

The Feast of Berries!

Whoosh! Something passed over our heads as Mark and I were out refilling the bird feeders. The heavy fog layer almost blocked out any view of what flew just feet above us. I looked up to see a flock of birds doing loops and curves in and amongst the trees. Swallows! I knew that there was a flock of Tree Swallows around somewhere and I was nearly certain that this was them. They were probably a bit disoriented with the thick fog and had veered off their usual flight pattern over the Bay. I watched as they lit into the Black Gum Tree. Then these birds did something that was far out of character for Tree Swallows..they started stripping the tree of its remaining berries.

Flock of Cedar Waxwings in the Black Gum Tree. The heavy fog makes them hard to identify!

Ahhh! These were not Tree Swallows at all! Even though the fog obscured any recognizable traits, the eating habits of the birds told me without a doubt that these were Cedar Waxwings! This flock had swooped in to denude the yard and Bayou area of any remaining berries. Their high-pitched calls soon filled the yard and I knew that by mid-afternoon..no berries would be found.

Berries of the Yaupon Tree..a favorite meal of the Cedar Waxwings.

Sure enough, later in the day, the Cedar Waxwings had just about finished off all of the Yaupon berries and had even attacked the Nandina bushes. Both of these were filled with the shiny red berries but now were sort of drab-looking. Not that I minded..grant you, I would always give up these and the holly berries so the Waxwings could have a good meal. I only wish their timing had been a bit better..the fog left photographs in want. I am hoping that tomorrow the birds will still be hanging around and a few clear pictures can be obtained. They are only here with their Winter migration and will be gone from the area as soon as the food supply is depleted. Since berries and fruit make up most of their diet, once an area has been gleaned, they move on to find new sources.

Nandina Berries..another treat for the Cedar Waxwings.

This is an inspiration for me to plant more of the Yaupon Bushes and Holly Trees. Perhaps if the dinner table is set with more inviting dishes, the Cedar Waxwings will stay a bit longer. At least neither of these are fruits that are destined for jellies and jams for my shelves! Feast on..bird friends..feast on..fill your tummies!