December 4, 2010

What kind of bird is this?

Recently, I mentioned the blue birds that feed with my wild friend Crow and his family. This is a photo of one of them. I took it through the glass yesterday morning. Isn't that shadow weird? It's like Gary Oldman's shadow in the Francis Ford Coppola version of "Dracula". I loved how that shadow wandered. Now that was excellent horror.

As for this photo, how does that shadow make sense? Is it a Peter Pan bird who is in the process of re-hooking his shadow to his feet, but he's not quite done yet? Aren't those body parts in the shadow in extremely odd positions? Isn't the angle of the shadow itself completely impossible? And last but not least, doesn't the shadow look like predator about to pounce on the real bird? Or am I just off my meds again?

I searched the web to find out what kind of bird it is but had no luck. If there is a way to search from image to information, I don't know about it. Whatever kind of bird it is, these guys are now legion at feeding time and they're seriously cutting into Crow's meals. Plus they snatch peanuts out of each other's mouths -- no manners at all.

Do you think if I threw wild seed out for them, they would leave Crow's peanuts alone? I was surprised when they first started eating the peanuts because they seemed too big for their mouths. Not so. They love them.

Whatever they are, they're the sort that fight for their food. I can live with this. My pal Crow is a predator and I don't hold it against him. (However, I want to see how they treat their familes before I decide to give them my official Keith-in-the-Woods Seal of Approval.) For now, I just need to figure out a way to handle their presence at feeding time. 

An aside about crows: I was at the gym a few years ago in an exercise room on a second floor, with floor-to-ceiling windows all around. When I looked up after a set, I saw two crows in the air outside -- and they were pulling a little bird apart between them, each holding a wing. Eegah!  

It really doesn't freak me out, though. I know that evolution gave these birds their way of life. It's worked for them for ages and there's no reason for them to change. Aggression puts food on the table, bottom line. Same for the blue birds: they're pushy; it works for them. That's just the way they are. But jeez, aren't they beautiful?

Can anyone tell me what kind of bird it is? I'd appreciate it.

1 comment:

writenow said...

Yay! I found a photo of this bird on the web. It's a bluejay, of all things. My sister suggested the idea yesterday. Thanks, Maria. Such a mundane name for a beautiful bird.