Carolina wren, via Unsplash.
By Raleigh Perry
AUG. 11, 2023 | The other day, I just saw my first black and white warbler. It came to a perch not two feet away from me, like it wanted to talk. It is an incredibly beautiful bird. Where I live, it is a migratory bird, so I will not see many of them.
Perry
I took an online test about birds and got nine out of ten questions right. I missed the European Starling, which is one bird that does not make my yard as part of their habitat.
Red-breasted grosbeak
Being a migratory bird basically means that they are not a year-round in attendance, but that they go from one place to another, depending on the seasons and just chanced upon my feeder. Some fly great distances in a year, migrating from South America to the Arctic. The black and white warbler has a territory that goes from pretty far north of and then all the way to Peru.
My favorite bird is the Carolina Wren. It is your basic brown, but it is small, spunky, gutsy, afraid of nothing and will nest in about anything where it can find a spot. Unlike most birds, it sings all year and is an all-year bird here in Gwinnett. It is very friendly bird. It will sit on a fence post near where I am and sing its heart out. It has a strong voice and warbles many songs.
Black-and-white warbler
Watching it on the fence post, it will sing its song of the day first in one direction, then change direction, then change direction yet again, singing all the time. It is very tame: it will eat out of your hand.
The secret of watching birds is to sit in one place, and simply be quiet. There is one place in my yard where I smoke my pipe and watch them all. You hardly ever see Carolina Wren when their tail is not up. The Carolina Wren can be a hundred yards away, yet it will sound like it is right in front to you. So far, I did not mention several bird species. Coming into my yard, I have blue birds, gold finches, house finches, purple finches, and it seems like a zillion more named birds.
Bald-headed cardinal
The birds are molting out of their mating colors as I write. I have a bald-headed Cardinal and another cardinal whose feathers look like he has been in a fight with a cat and won. My Goldfinches are changing color and soon you will not be able to tell the males from the females. I always look forward to the males molting for mating.
I get a kick out of the man who writes about birds in the AJC. We have different experiences. I am not a bird watcher per se, I enjoy watching them to find out their natures.
Think about the birds and the butterflies. Sit in your own yard, or in a park, and you will see plenty of birds and butterflies. Study their habits and migratory patterns. They take my mind off politics. While the black and white warbler has a huge migratory territory, so do the butterflies and they take treks of thousands of miles twice a year.
Sit still and be quiet. You will enjoy and be amazed at what you see and hear from the birds.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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