A sudden gust of wind forced one of the warblers to make an emergency landing on the fence this morning. He stayed there a while, fluffing his feathers and preening. His behavior reminded me of our cats, who cover any awkward step or fall with a bout of elaborate grooming, as if to say, “I meant to do that. Now, a little privacy? As you can see, I’m bathing…”
Most of the yard is following the normal routine of preparing for winter, but the Yellow-rumped Warblers seem to feel that winter has already arrived.
In previous years, the wax myrtles’ abundant berries have lasted well into spring. Other birds refuse to eat the berries, and the Yellow-rumped Warblers are rarely numerous enough or hungry enough to need the entire crop. But this year, the branches may be bare as early as Christmas.
I’m a bit worried about what will happen to my favorite warblers, once their food supply runs out.
The yard seems eerily still this afternoon. Nothing stirs, other than the occasional flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers foraging in the wax myrtle.
They chirp softly to each other as they feed, and their muffled voices make me feel as if I should speak in a whisper.
It’s a perfect afternoon to crawl under a warm blanket, call the cats to join me, and lose myself in a new book.
It appears that Hurricane Sandy might delay my return plans, which means I might have a few more days to visit family and chase birds…
The weather turned cold, cloudy, and windy today, just in time for the Jack Daniel’s 2012 World Championship Invitational Barbeque. I enjoyed wandering through the tents and shops with one of my dearest friends, who didn’t mind waiting while I photographed some of the 4-H club’s petting zoo animals and a bluebird foraging in a nearby field.
Our return trip wandered through the center of Fayetteville and along many of the back roads I knew by heart when I was younger.
Rae Spencer 