Tuesday, February 27, 2018

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!

10 comments:

  1. We saw a whole bunch of robins today, and our hyacinths are poking their heads through the ground. Isn't it still February???

    Woos - Lightning, Misty, and Timber

    ReplyDelete
  2. We've been loving this warm, dry weather Chester. We got to spend some time out in the yard today and it felt great!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Robins are here too. And a red winged blackbird was with the icky starlings earlier this week. Those birds decimate the suet cakes, so they will have to come down soon...poor woodpeckers must hate them all too...
    Dalton is getting really interested in chasing the tree rats outta our yard now! Phew, Angel MJF must have wondered if he was evfur going to learn, BOL!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. We hear the birds singing happy songs every single morning on our walk. They sure bring smiles to our faces☺

    ReplyDelete
  5. You've been very dutiful in caring for your charges.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Darn grackles!! Luckily we don't have very many of them here...it looks like you have the situation under control and we hope the snow drives these poopers away!
    xoxo,
    Arty, Jakey and Rosy

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hey Chester ooooooh we love to see baby buds on trees.
    Love that sunset
    Hugs madi your bfff

    ReplyDelete
  8. We had a yard full of birds that poop everywhere, we were wondering if they were grackles.
    We are getting more snow too
    hugs
    Hazel & Mabel

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dear Chester,

    If you Bark loudly enough, maybe you can drown out those grackles? Although I am sure you are fierce enough that you will scare them away and they will not stay! Did you eat the caterpillar? They're a bit fuzzy for me, but Ojo likes them!

    Licks,
    Cobi

    ReplyDelete
  10. We found a dead bird hanging out of our bird house this morning. Did you have anything to do with it?

    ReplyDelete