Feathers and Fuzz

one woman's cure for the empty-nester blues

Feathers

Grackles Have Babies – Caught Unaware

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I stopped dead in my tracks when there appeared, before my startled eyes, the obvious:  Grackles Have Babies.  There are simply no words to describe my dismay.  A recurring black bear, an olympic-qualified climbing snake, and a FLOCK of Grackles isn’t enough distress?  Really?  Grackles have to have babies, too?!  Yes, they do.  That’s where flocks come from, MoJo.

Grackles not only have babies, they have BIG, HUNGRY babies — PLURAL.  I’m trying really hard NOT to find them cute.  This might be apparent in the music accompanying the video.  Definitely tongue-in-cheek!

 

 

Black Bears – Black Birds – Oy Vey!

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I can still picture a childhood friend’s mother with her head in her hands as she muttered: Oy Vey!  It’s a Yiddish expression indicating dismay or grief.  If only I could be satisfied with putting my head in my hands and muttering.  Oh no … no simple approach for me.  I have to go to war.

So, when the Black Birds landed on the nerves frayed by the Black Bear, out came the walkie talkies.  I broadcast my frustration over the airwaves.  This went on for a couple days until I had a headache and Drake was hoarse.  Drake came to associate the click of the walkie talkie mic with me being in peril (why else would I be freaking out!).  He was determined to bark-away the threat.  Pretty soon I quit yelling at the birds, and just held the walkie talkie up to Drake’s mouth.  He performed beautifully … until he lost his voice.

Next I got out the plastic-pellet gun, but it was only going to be a matter of time before I hit a Hummingbird.  FINALLY, I put my head in my hands and muttered:  Oy Vey!  All the implements of destruction were put away and construction began.  I was determined the “nice birds” were going to eat … and the black birds were not.  I started having fun … quite a lot of fun, actually.  The black birds?  They’re singing Oy Vey!

 

In the upcoming post, I will show you how the “nice birds” responded to the new look of the feeders.  Their song may be more like:  Folsom Prison Blues.