It Has Begun

This is a TDB Special Report and I'm your serious doggie commentator Chester L. W. Spaniel.

Last evening we spied a garrulous gang of greasy grackles in the top branches of our silver maple tree. They were screeching loudly and showing off their shiny feathers to each other in the golden light of the setting sun. It seems their northern migration has begun!

While some may consider them a wonderful sign of Spring, long-time readers will remember our annual rants about the infamous Great Flying Grackle PTA (Poop Tosser Association.) They have the musical aptitude of fingernails on a blackboard! They bully the smaller birdies, build their nests in every near-by bush or tree, dive-bomb anyone who comes near, and drop big globs of slimy poop on our cars. They are very vainglorious and give their offspring pompous and pretentious names. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's the big grackle boss, Effluvium Scatterstool trying to get seeds out of the birdie feeder here. (On the ground is a red-winged blackbird. They sometimes travel with the flocks of grackles during migration times.) 

Fortunately, this particular feeder closes it's ports when a heavy birdie (or squirrel) sits on it. I've been watching carefully, and I recognized Poopsie Sournote, Shiny Crappenheimer, and Screech Dungflinger so far. They haven't gotten together into breeding pairs yet. I'll do my best to bark at them and try to stop them from choosing our tall arbor vitae bushes as their real estate endeavors.

What's more is, this morning I saw no sign of the little tiny chickadees and nuthatches who were happily eating seeds from our birdie feeders a couple days ago. They were probably hiding today. I haven't seen a single junco either. I think maybe Coach Gordy Whitebeak took his team of juncos back to Canada after seeing those belligerent grackles.

Mr Seedcruncher, the CEO of Sparrows Inc. wasn't very pleased either. I saw him and his family siting in the pear tree chattering impatiently while they waited for a chance to eat their dinner from the birdie feeders. 

On a positive note, the sun has been shining for the last couple days, and it's been warm and windy. There were a few more signs of Spring here. The Stodgy Robin Society has been spotted in the hawthorn tree, and we've heard them singing this evening. Dad found a woolly bear caterpillar.

There was a beautiful sunset. Flocks of geese have been flying overhead all day.

Hey, after watching the local weather report I can say that those grackles are in for a big surprise! It's supposed to snow later this week. I hope they brought their winter coats!

The moon has been coming up early, and the sky is actually clear enough for me to see it!

Time for some howling! Hi Princess!