Reeling about, singing off-key, swarming from one watering hole to another to get completely smashed. It’s a thing of beauty and exhilaration.
I’m speaking of the return of the Bohemian Waxwings. Huge flocks of these social critters come here each winter to feed on the fermented mountain ash berries, and party down. I think the comb gives them a punk air.
Hoards of what?
Pretty boids!
I was watching a flock of Idunnowhats reeling about in the parking lot outside a restaurant yesterday. One flew up to the window and performed a solo dance for me and my kid, then flew off to catch up with the others, who were arranging and rearranging themselves in the branches of a tree not big enough to hold 'em all.
Damn homophones.
I knew what ChefGuy meant. Hordes.
Heh. I like that name. Somewhat related to the LBJ (or Elbee Jay) - the Little Brown Jobbie. As opposed to the LGJ (or Elgee Jay) - Little Green Jobbie. Neither of which need be actual members of the Jay family.
Drunken and reeling birds are such a hoot to watch. The ones that stand up and immediately fall over are the best. Especially watching them trying to open the tiny packages of Alka-Seltzer without the use of opposible thumbs.
screech (pass the binoculars) -owl
Well, for you bird people, a stir has been created here in Topeka, Kansas, with the arrival of a trumpeter swan at Lake Shawnee, in the eastern part of town. It’s a tagged bird, out of Michigan, #347. Kansas is WAY far to the south of either it’s winter or summer range, so it was front page news in the Capital-Journal yesterday. Lots of people are going out to the lake for a view, and I just got back from there, with my sister. She saw it fly yesterday. Because some microcephalic yahoos in a power boat caught sight of it and thought it would be fun to charge it. Grrrrr! :mad:
Yeah, them. Too many berries for me.
We saw so many types of antelope on African safaris that we started calling them ‘DLTs’, for Deer-Like Things.
I have a mulberry tree in my backyard that I’d prefer not be there. During mulberry season we have to be very careful not to track squished mulberries into the house (light tan carpet, eek), and then soon enough they start fermenting, and we get a mess of drunk squirrels and drunk birds chattering away outside.
Y’see, that’s the problem with them Bohemian Waxwings. Now, if you had the Beatnik Waxwings, they’d just drink lots of coffee and chirp quietly amongst themselves.
You’re forgetting about the Beatnik attempts at jazz. Seeing a waxwing try to keep a beat is just really sad. Poor things wouldn’t know 4/4 time if it hit them on the head. At least the drunk Bohemian ones are falling over too much to even try.
With that comb, a 4/4 time would end up 2/4 if it hit one on the head.
I’m firmiliar w/Cedar Waxwings…beautiful birds
I don’t believe I have ever seen a Bohemian Waxwing.
I’m on the West Coast, Where are they indiginous to?
It appears that my link no longer works. Try this one.
I really do miss the Northern Mockingbird that used to sing at 2 am in the tree outside my window. Of course he was a lonely single male trying to impress the ladies with his virility, “Lookit me! I’m strong enough to sing in the middle of the Ogforesaken night!” Absolutely gorgeous.
Of course our @$$hole neighbors cut the tree down, then had the balls to wonder A) where the birds went, and B) why their A/C bill went through the roof (mebee cause the tree was shading the house?). Perfectly healthy tree. Just cause one bird would sing in it at 2 am, they cut down the whole tree.