On life and death

It is the new year (in my book), a time of renewal and rebirth. Bees are in a frenzy, trying to visit many flowers as they possibly can. Pollen is falling in lazy drifts from the pine trees. Lawn mowers are clogging the air with the sounds of their motors.

DEATH
Spring is not a time you expect death but it was at my doorstep yesterday afternoon. It is the second songbird that has fallen prey to my windows. The first was a Yellow-Rumped Warbler. This time, one of my beloved Cedar Waxwings.
They have been devouring the berries off of the Eleagnus growing along the woodline over the last few days.

After admiring her beauty, I gave her a proper burial and said a little prayer.
I love that yellow color of their underbellies.

LIFE
On a brighter note (literally), I have a Painted Bunting frequenting my feeder. Amazing.

Butterbutt

A small dead bird was on my door mat this afternoon, presented almost as if it was a gift. I had hoped she was still alive when I picked her up, but her eyes were lifeless and her feet were curled up towards her heels.

I took her inside to check her out. While I don't know for sure, I think she died from flying into one of my windows.

She was about the size of a wren or chickadee, but I didn't know what kind of bird I was holding. Her colors were muted, dominated by browns and blacks, so I assumed it was a female. The most telling mark was a bright gold patch at the base of her body, right above her tail. This yellow dollop made her really easy to identify (with help from Peterson's Guide Book)- Yellow-Rumped Warbler. Birders call them "Butterbutts."Later in the day, I peeked out my kitchen window into the Weeping Yaupon Holly and saw her lonely mate. I wonder if he knew what happened to her. Or if he thought she was just off on a short trip. It broke my heart to see him waiting patiently for her to return. It must be hard to lose your mate.

Birds & Squirrels

The Cedar Waxwings are back!!! I just saw a flock of them in my leafless River Birch (Betula nigra) by the creek. I hope they find the Yaupon Holly that's just outside my office window again this year. It was an amazing sight with all of those birds covering the tree. And loud!

It was this time last year that a Waxwing got intoxicated and passed out on my porch. I loved her.

Later today, when I went outside to see if they were still around, I saw that the squirrel is back into my bird food.In his defense, one of my feeders is just an old harrowing disk from a tractor that is nailed to the railing. The cardinals and some of the larger birds seem to prefer this to the feeder.

But dammit, bird seed is expensive and I'm not interested in feeding greedy squirrels!

So I went outside and dumped ground red pepper all over the seed again to keep him out of it.I did this for the first time last week and it works great. I watched from the window as the squirrel began to gorge on seeds (I'm pretty sure I was wringing my hands with anticipation as I did this). The heat from the pepper hit him all at once and he straightened up like he had been hit by lightning. Then he let out a yelp and scurried away in a zigzag pattern....it was great.

Now I know you are thinking I am mean. But really it's no worse than eating some spicy buffalo wings to you or me.

As for the birds, they don't even notice. They don't have the neural receptors that recognize the heat from peppers. In fact, birds have co-evolved with peppers to eat the fruit and spread the seed! And if you don't want to use up your kitchen spices, you can always buy seed that is pre-coated with red pepper.

It's nicer than a pellet gun, right?

Stay warm!
Kari

"At the end of life, our questions are very simple: Did I live fully? Did I love well?" -Jack Kornfield

I have a not-so-secret desire to imprint a songbird. I know better than to actually do it, but it doesn't quell the want. Is the underlying reason that I was initially attracted to horticulture actually a quest to control nature?

This little wren flew into my window and knocked herself out. I didn't cage her; She flew away shortly after I took this picture.

Pelican Rescue and the Center for Birds of Prey

It's been cold here. So cold that for the first time since I have lived in Charleston, there was ice on the marsh. So cold that the windowboxes, hanging baskets and citrus trees in the downtown gardens have been covered with trash bags and blankets for weeks.

So cold that Pelicans are getting frostbite.

Last weekend, I was at Garris Landing (where the ferry leaves for Bull Island) in Awendaw. As it turns out, it was so cold that the ferry didn't run that day.

Before we left, we came across a Brown Pelican along the edge of the Marsh; she had ice on her beak and was dormant.
The naturalists from Coastal Expeditions called the Center for Birds of Prey and they instructed us to bring her in to the medical center. Chris Crolley and Ian Sanchez were able to easily drape her in a towel and pick her up for transport to the center. The medical team checked in our poor Pelican and told us that they would contact us in a few days to tell us her prognosis. So far, they've brought in at least six pelicans during this cold spell!

From there, we went to the exhibit area and went on a tour with Steven and Monty. We saw several species of owls, buzzards, vultures. Amazing!

Following the tour, they did a flight demonstration with a Swallowtail Kite, Eurasian Owl, and Common Buzzard.
All in all, a great day. If you've never been to the Center for Birds of Prey, you must go. It's only $12 dollars and they do flight demonstrations twice a day (Thursday-Saturday).

My tipsy bird

Last winter, I came home one day to what I thought was a dead bird on my deck. It was so sad.

I picked her up so that I could bury her.....and I felt her heart beating slowly. And then her eyes opened. She was okay!
What was so amazing was that she didn't seem nervous at all that I was holding her. I have held other birds (including a couple that have accidentally flown into my house) and their hearts would always beat rapidly. But this bird was content being held.

I placed her on my leg and took a few pictures- and she willingly obliged. Such a beauty!

Then I filled a dish with water and perched her on the edge. By this time, I had come to the conclusion that this wild bird was destined to be my pet. She would make a great companion, I decided. She'd travel with me to scout nurseries and gardens......Have I mentioned that I am completely delusional?

As I held my new found friend, I expanded her wings, checking to see if she was injured. That's when I noticed the red wax-like tips on her wing feathers. A Cedar Waxwing!

I found my bird field guide to make sure I had identified her correctly (I know, I am such a dork). That's when I realized what was really wrong with my bird....she was drunk.

I learned that Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) are fruit eaters. In the late winter, many of the berries they feast upon have fermented. As they gorge themselves on these fruits, they can become drunk and disoriented. Consequently, they accidentally fly into windows and buildings. Once they sleep off their buzz, they rejoin the flock (if they aren't devoured by a cat first).

Heartbroken that she wasn't going to be my pet, I made her a drunk tank and set her in it.
An hour or so later, she flew off and seemed fully recovered.

The berries on the Weeping Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria 'Pendula') tree by my office window are starting to ripen- Cedar Waxwings love this plant. Seeing the reddening fruit reminded me of my inebriated bird. You think she remembers her afternoon with me?