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!

More Useless Knowledge

  Here are some questions for you!  How do you tell a male Belted Kingfisher from a female?  Where do Belted Kingfishers nest?   If these kingfishers were ever in a group, what would that group be called?  Any ideas?  If you know all of the answers, there is probably not a lot of reason to keep reading but for those who are in the dark, proceed!  

  First, the easiest way to tell the difference between male and female is their markings.  A male Belted Kingfisher has a single band (belt) of blue across his chest whereas the female has this band but also a band of rust color.  These colors are bright enough that the birds can be distinguished from one another even in flight.  It seems that the sole kingfisher on the Bayou is male.

  Now as to where the kingfishers nest, this is something that a lot of folks do not know.  While most birds nest in trees, on ledges or even on the ground, Belted Kingfishers make a burrow.  They tunnel in soft dirt near or over water.  These tunnels are sometimes shared with swallows. The swallows will dig small cavities in the sides of the Kingfishers' tunnels.  This works well for both bird families as they are protected from most predators.

  While Belted Kingfishers are notably solitary birds, they occasionally will be in small groups.  The name for the group comes from the sound of their call.  A "Rattle" of kingfishers do, indeed, rattle a good bit!

  So, there you have a good bit of useless information!

A True Lady

  Mark and I were out back inspecting the plum trees when a tiny red dot caught my attention.  Scurrying about on the plum leaves was a pretty little Ladybug.  My first thought was...does it have an "M"?  I sure hoped this was a Ladybug and not an Asian Beetle.  I did not need more critters munching away on my plants.  Back a year or so ago, I searched for a telltale sign that would assure me as to which beetle was which.  I found that Asian Beetles have a whitish spot between their back and head.  On this splotch there is an "M" (or a "W" depending on which way you are looking at the beetle.  True Ladybugs do not bear this brand.  A quick check of Mrs. Bug's back made me breath a sigh of relief.  There was no letter at all!  This one was a true Ladybug.

  Ladybugs are not bugs at all but rather are beetles.  With that thought, perhaps we should call them Lady Beetles but, then again, not all are ladies, therefore, that would be erroneous as well.  Plus, since the name has been around for hundreds of years, I doubt too many folks would change anyway. The name came about during the Middle Ages.  Legend has it that a hoard of aphids were eating all the crops causing the farmers much dismay.  They prayed to the Virgin Mary to send help.  No sooner had they prayed than a swarm of beetles came and started eating the aphids.  These bright red beetles saved the crops and, thus, saved many farmers.  The grateful farmers, once again, prayed and thanked the Lady Mary for sending the beetles.  The Farmers named the beetles "Our Lady's Beetles" and over time the name was shortened to Ladybugs.  

  My little Ladybug went flying away as I was photographing her.  I suppose she was a bit camera shy but the beetle's action made me think of my grandmother.  When I was small she would point out Ladybugs on the flowers.  She would gingerly pick up one and say..

 "Ladybug, Ladybug, flyaway home!  

Your house is on fire and your children are gone, 

All except one and that's Little Ann, 

For she crept under the frying pan!"

  Now when you think about that rhyme, it does not seem to be a delightful little ditty to be singing to wee tots.  In reality, it is rather frightening.  Poor Little Ann!  In truth, most nursery rhymes were not too very pleasant.  Again, legend has it that this one started as a warning cry during the time when Catholics were prohibited from celebrating Mass over in England during the late 1500's to mid 1600's. Catholic priests took to holding Mass in open fields but were often executed for doing so.  The rhyme became a sort of warning when the authorities were near. One never knows just what is behind these rhymes we sing!  

  Still, I was happy to find the little Ladybug flitting about the fruit trees and I am in hopes that many more will be spied in the gardens soon. Where there is one, there has to be more!  And, perhaps, then more and more of the friendly little beetles instead of so many aphids!  So, Ladybug, do NOT flyaway home! Stay here!