Along with summer here, I missed the “baby bird” season, at least the early part of it in July. Caught the tail end of “begging food from parents” season, a truly precious time of year. In August, though, the babies are grown enough to come to the feeder by themselves, and we see hordes of young scrub jays, finches, baby towhees, even doves looking for food. The parents almost seem to have disappeared, but perhaps we aren’t looking closely enough to distinguish them from their nearly-grown offspring.
The scrub jays are hoarding, not eating, and would empty the sunflower seed feeder several times a day if I refilled it. Many years ago, observing our scrub jays this time of year, I put their story into limericks. Can this be a more effective way to do environmental education? Painless, even? It’s certainly more fun!
The Circle of Life
A garrulous bird is the Scrub Jay
He sits and he cackles all day
For sunflower seeds
To meet his winter needs
Then hides them wherever he may.
From sunflower seeds put away
By Scrub Jays against a cold day
And never recovered
My yard is now smothered
With sunflower plants gone astray.
If Scrub Jays could plan while they play
I’m sure they’d be happy to say
These sunflowers reseeding
Are going for feeding
A new crop of Scrub Jays next May.
Scrub Jays were an early topic of this blog, when I started it in March. For photos, see Lining up for breakfast, and for a jay adventure, see A Scrub Jay in the Hand.
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3 comments:
I don't know, Dave, I really like the "rock opera" idea. You just need a "score" guy to do the music part while you do the lyrics!
The Lorax, yes, exactly what I was going for... (grin) Hmmm... a whole book, eh?
Thanks for stopping by...
p.s. Are you old enough to remember a little film called "3000 years of art in 3 minutes"? Maybe your world history epic could be something like that. Think I'd set aside a little more than one weekend tho!
Okay, now I'm going to have to READ the Lorax... I do get the point of the story, tho.
Probably would have helped if I'd given you the full title: God is Dog Spelled Backwards, or 300/0 years of art in 3 minutes. The link gives you a tiny preview, click "back" for more on the filmmaker. OR, if you search on "God is Dog..." you may find more on it. Good luck!
p.s. Where's the haiku??
Several Scrub Jays come for breakfast each morning and one will even perch on the screen guard of the door that leads out to the back of our place.
We have a large stand of Scrub Oak, in which they live and from which they nag me for peanuts.
There are two, now who will take the nuts directly from my hands while the shy ones hang back and wait for me to toss them.
You're right, this time of year they begin to stash them, and I swear they hear my coffe grinder each morning, and know that it is breakfast time.
Cheers, from another Front Range gal.
Jane
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