Awww ... Urban Wildlife Watching

A couple years ago, construction workers converted 

a ditch near work into a marshy retention pond.

It's meant to hold overflow rainwater from surrounding

neighborhoods, preventing homes from flooding.

Last summer it seemed to be a wasted effort

because we had so little rain, but this year 

the reeds and cattails are happily standing in water, 

providing shelter for redwing blackbirds,

mallard ducks, and Canada geese.

A couple weeks ago, I noticed this goose roosting 

on a spot not ten feet from the road.

Last week I took another look and saw that

she had little bits of yellow fluff peeping from

beneath her own gray feathers.

Babies! She'd hatched her little goslings!

I could only see four.

A few days later, I saw she had gone.

I figured she's taken her babies to another, safer spot,

away from the dangers and distractions of human

intervention and annoyances.

Another coworker went closer to the nest 

and saw there were eggs.

Would she have just abandoned her eggs

or had she realized they weren't going to hatch

and taken her little family to a new home?

The Eagle and the Sparrow

While waiting for a bus home late Wednesday 

afternoon, a flock of sparrows flew to my feet. 

Cold and hungry, they didn't startle easily, 

but waited in anticipation of any crumbs that might

fall from my hand to their anxious beaks.

Unfortunately, I didn't have anything to offer them.

Another commuter approached,

startling the flock into flight, up onto the base

of a light stanchion just behind me.

While most of them huddled at the feet of cast iron 

eagles, one of them perched on the head

of one of the fierce-looking raptors,

making it look as though it was wearing

a big fluffy hat.

Winter's Banquet

I forget that the year-round birds need to eat, too, when winter comes.

So I was startled when I turned a corner near home 

to see this tree full of berries, it's complementary colors of red 

and green glowing brightly in the sun.

Later, after the leaves have dropped away, the berries

will turn brown, providing a food source

for robins when the winter temperatures drive bugs 

and worms deeper underground.

Meanwhile ...

 ... Back at the Zoo, the beautiful birds in the aviary 

perched and fed among the branches 

as members of the smooshy, pink

two-legged species wandered and gawked 

along the paths of their enclosure.

Budgies!

Of course, there are all kinds of birds at the Indianapolis Zoo,

 including this aviary full of budgeriars.

Visitors enter the little birds' home via an anteroom,

where they are greeted by the exhibit's attendant.

On this day, she was carrying a 3-foot length of dowel rod

as she emerged from the aviary through a curtain made from

floor-length pieces of five-eighths inch diameter

braided rope. The rod was used to herd any escapees

back through the rope curtain.

The trees and branches inside were covered with the multi-colored 

chattering budgies, who darted back and forth between 

the perches stationed throughout the airy house.

They often flew very close to the visitors; I could feel

the beating of their wings as they flew overhead.

Visitors could obtain sticks with dabs of bird food 

on the end to feed to their hungry hosts. A little girl 

about four years old was holding one of the sticks 

for the dining pleasure of a little blue budgie.

Boo-fay!

As I walked up to the bus stop near the Federal Court House, 

I saw a flock of sparrows worrying a stale dinner roll.

Together they nipped at the roll, bit by bit, rolling and turning

it around the courthouse lawn.

Not long after my arrival, the pigeons flew in to claim

a share of the roll, driving the sparrows away.

The smaller birds attempted to reclaim their prize, but only

got as far as an occasional nip at the bread; while the sparrows

fed en mass, the pigeons did not share. One cock expressed

his claim by turning in circles, looking like a body builder

striking poses, flexing his shoulders to dominate

the little birds. As the cock circled, one of the sparrows

would dart in behind him to steal a bite off the roll, 

and the pigeon was none the wiser.

Twelve Down, Seventy-eight to Go ...

... Until the first day of Spring.

I don't understand why people look for robins as a sign of approaching Spring. 

Ours never leave. At least, they never seem to go anywhere. 

Maybe our robins just migrate a few hundred miles south, 

to be replaced by robins from Michigan,

who think our winter tropical compared to theirs.

At any rate, this fella had all the berries to himself, and danced

from branch to branch, sometimes hanging nearly 

upside down to reach for an isolated bit of fruit that had

been missed by earlier scavengers.

I have seen robins gathered at the base of a berry tree

during a snowy January, eating berries until they

were so full they could not fly. There were

at least fifty of them, nearly equidistant apart,

exercising some sort of "professional courtesy" that allowed

them to let each other feed at the tree without

interference from that lousy territorial imperative thingy.

If birds can do it over berries, why can't Congress?  

Textured Tuesday: Little Brown Birds

Little sparrows live year-round in the trees at the Speedway Shopping Center.

When the trees are bare, their brown coloring makes them look

as though they are leaves, clinging to the branches in one last, defiant

stand against winter. Here, I want to reach through the rough twigs to stroke

their downy breasts.

October Theme: Silhouette

The crow in the top picture was calling to his buddies, 

"I'm over here!" even as his hunched shoulders 

and leaf cover say, "Can't see me!"

Meanwhile the little sparrow perched

 against the white background to eat the berries, 

"Nom-nom-nom! Look what I found!"

Calling His Friends

A few days ago (and it seems like a century) the weather was cold, 

but the sky was clear and sunny. I went out for a walk and 

a cafe mocha, reveling in the sunlight. I saw this crow, 

calling his friends to tell them ... something. I dunno.

Maybe he knew of a nearby field that could be gleaned 

for seeds, or he saw a trash tip behind a restaurant

that could be raided for the discarded fries.

A few feet farther on, this abandoned nest is isolated, 

its inhabitant having flown away to a warmer place

in search of food. Obviously, the berries were not to her

taste, but they will provide nice meals for different birds

 later in winter, when other food is harder to find.