'Flock together’ is the end of that old saying. However, in my little 1,000-square-foot back yard those birds are all over the place: cardinals, robins, brown thrashers, etc. 

Courtship and mating season; so, they are flying all over the place, very fast, daredevil twists and turns, zipping by. They speed by so fast I have to quickly bend down as they streak by. They are hot on- the- tail- trail, chasing each other from branch to branch. This dance has been going on in my yard for a few days now. Oh, and the all- day- long singing!!!!! lip-smacking sound (brown thrasher) “cheer-cheer- cheer” (cardinal ),“chore-REET” ( Eastern towhee), “tscheh -tsche-tsche” ( house wren), and so forth… making a loud orchestra all day long.

Did you know that the most popular new pastime during the Covid lockdown was birdwatching ? People were stuck home and looked out their window more. In a 2022 survey, 96 million people in the U.S. are birdwatchers. Hobbyists are called ‘birders’, while professionals are ornithologists. In addition, I have heard it said, “You old people, you just sit around watchin’ birds. That’s a sure-fire sign that you are officially old!” Well, I have the garden variety of local birds...cardinals, robins, doves [I love to see them walk], wrens, brown thrashers, woodpeckers. 

SO, when a different type shows up, an ‘outsider’, it’s fun to watch. The catbird, red-wing blackbird, grackle, bluejay, goldfinch, crow etc. are some occasional visitors and I wonder if my ‘regulars’ are friendly to them? It’s a rare treat to see a bluebird, but they have never nested, only shopped and left. I did see an aerial battle between a bluebird and a sparrow over the birdhouse. I was cheering on the bluebird, but the sparrow won, darn-dang-damn.

But the most unusual bird I have ever seen in my yard…only once, about eight years ago, was the rose-breasted grosbeak. Look up a picture of them...very unique. 

The most unusual feature is their beak , that’s why they are called gros [large] beaks. Their beak does not look like a regular bird’s...it’s not small, black and pointy; it’s a large white parrot -type beak! 

I was looking at the birds on feeder one, when this incredible-looking bird was there. I was studying it intensely, and called my arborist- brother at work and described it to him, yet he had no clue. Maybe I googled it to find out? They are from Michigan and migrate to Florida; had stopped down in my yard for fuel. They stayed a day or two, then took off. Days later I saw them in Jasper County. It’s a very good omen to see one, with their heart-shaped red breast.

Have you ever seen a murmuration? You will never forget it! A group of birds, particularly starlings fly in a group formation. Thousands of them, even hundreds of thousands; with rapid turns, 100% synchronized movement, they dip and swirl, change direction. It is an aerial ballet and also moving sculpture. Google it to see examples of this phenomenon, which scientists cannot fully explain. It is like abstract art which morphs into a new shape every few seconds.

Of course I have two feeders, two suets, two birdbaths and two birdhouses. My hobby and a bird sanctuary. I know the type of birdfeed they love, black oil sunflower seeds. I believe that Ukraine is the largest sunflower producer, and with the Russian invasion, the price of it has doubled. My birds consume a LOT of it, and if the feeders are empty, they squawk !

A few years ago, we had a substantial snowfall. Looked out the window next morning at a quiet winter wonderland. On the white-covered back yard, there must have been 50 robins pecking, scurrying, dancing all over a small square of blanketed lawn; having a ‘Woodstock’ of a worm fest; cause they were singing like crazy. Their russet/red coloring against the stark white resembled a moving quilt. Why SO many at once? Did they send out a PSA “come and get it?”

The funniest scene I ever saw was one spring, mating season. I was gardening when I heard a bird conversational argument between two mockingbirds. I crept close to where they were, about eight feet away, and at eight-foot height, on a nice -sized limb devoid of branches on a four-foot span. Around this fat tightrope was greenery framing them in an oval opening. A cameo with two vaudeville -actor-birds. They were so intense in their dialogue that they totally ignored me. I watched as they stood facing each other on the limb…chatter. I assumed that they were arguing about the details of the mating agreement. (ya know…how many times a day,??etc....) He marched toward her; she turned her back on him. He stomped off to the right. She turned around, marched over and chirped at his back yakkety-yak. As he turned to speak to her, she turned on her heel, and marched left to her “spot”. Then he marched over to her post. This went on back-and forth for five minutes, then I silently motioned for my friend Casey who was here; to come look. He tip-toed over and the two of us stood there, voyeuristically watching this comedy for several minutes. The birds were completely oblivious to us, even as an audience!

Carol Veliotis is a local columnist for The Covington News. She can be reached at carol.veliotis@gmail.com.