Rocking Robin

Outside my window in the snowy winter world that I call home, there is a bird feeder. Once upon a time it was new and lovely, painted yellow and white to match the house in the background, but in recent years it has rather fallen into disrepair. Of the four sides it used to have, it now sports only two.

However, the bottom is still in tact and it holds a moderate amount of bird seed to feed my feathered friends outside. Of course, the little birds tend to kick the seed all over the place, making it fall on the snow below.

One might think that they're just being messy... but no, if you watch long enough, you will find a method to their manner.

You see, it's all about the beak.

I see many different kinds of birds at the feeder. Some are beautiful, others are cute, some are charming and some are... well, just downright obnoxious. Despite their differences, they're all still entertaining in their own way.

My all time favorites are the Mountain Bluebirds, because (of course) they're my favorite color - BLUE. One need only look as far as a Shirley Temple movie to know that if you want to be truly happy, then you must possess a "Bluebird of Happiness". This frankly proves that Bluebirds are truly the best bird in the whole world.

I also like Indigo Buntings, which are actually (supposedly) black, only refracting a blue light off their feathers... but you'll never convince me of this idea. They always appear far too beautiful a shade of blue to be anything but just that.

The Mountain Bluebird's cousin, the Eastern Bluebird, abounds here in Missouri. In fact, they're the official state bird. If there aren't any of the first two kinds of blue birds around, then I will condescend to acknowledge the state bird as well, but it's not my favorite. That red patch on it's breast just kind of ruins the whole effect.

Chickadees are cute enough and so plentiful in the winter, as well as the female Cardinals with their bright orange beaks and muted colors. Their husbands, the red cardinals are hanging around too, but are a bit too ostentatious to really appreciate. Other winter birds include various types of Woodpeckers, Blue jays and far too many sparrows to count.

Summertime brings a whole slew of new varieties to the yard. The lovely Dickicissels, Meadowlarks and Brown Headed Cowbirds are always fun to see. There are Orioles with their beautiful songs and dollop nests hanging precariously from the tips of trees. Goldfinches are not uncommon, as are tri-colored Blackbirds and Robins.

The saying goes that Robins are the first sign of spring. Others claim they are here all year long, but turn gray, so we don't notice them. All I know is that they tend to show up around February, by flocks in the thousands, heading straight for my crabapple tree. Here, they merrily feast to their heart's content before heading onto their further migrations. To those who say they're "around" all winter long... I say, you must be living in California.

The Red Wing and Tri-Color Blackbirds tend to come this way too... by flocks of hundreds and thousands at a time, passing through the yard, searching for whatever they can to refuel and be on their way. It is all enough to thrill the heart and gladden the soul.

The real sign of spring, in my opinion, comes in the arrival of the swallows. These wonderful little creatures show up on April 1st and eat something like 7 times their body weight in flying insects each day. Living in the Midwest is enough to make anyone appreciate that little bit of trivia. A single Barn Swallow can consume nearly a thousand insects a day, or several times their own weight worth. Bless their little hearts!

Everybody knows from Monty Python that swallows fly south to warmer climes and amazingly, the little 5 oz birds bring back coconuts, straddled between them. Wondrous little creatures!

But, back to my humble bird feeder. There is a hierarchy out there in the cold and snow.

The Chickadees are clearly at the bottom.

It's a pecking order, very literally... one of those situations where our agrarian colloquialisms translate to a truth. The Chickadees have the smallest beaks, so that even the scrawny sparrows boss them around. They are cool, tame little birds... or fearless. They land on the bird feeder and peck at the food... until another bird comes along... at which point they kick a bunch of seed to the snow and fly down to eat below. You can walk up to put more seed in the feeder and they'll scarcely bat an eye at you. And, for some reason, the cats leave them alone.

After the Sparrows, the Cardinals rule the roost. Grackles and Starlings reign over those and the Blue Jay is boss of them all... almost.

Blue Jays are particularly beautiful birds, but far too obnoxious to ever truly love. Their reign of aggressive tyranny at the feeder alone is enough to dislike them forever, but to know they also rob young from the nests of other birds is the real nail in the coffin of their popularity contest.

So, this morning, as I was watching the birds at the feeder outside my window, a particularly bossy Blue jay appeared on the scene, chasing all the other birds away. No one was willing to attempt a challenge on his maleficent beak... until, moments later, a Woodpecker landed on the edge! Mr. Blue jay jutted his weapon toward the adversary and flared his wings, trying to look (literally) larger than life.

Mr. Woodpecker didn't buy it. He poked his long sharp nose only slightly in the direction of his foe, and the Blue jay abandoned the battle, hightailing away, squawking all the way to the trees!

Woodpecker 1... Blue jay 0.

Ha!

They will continue this contest of dominance all day long... or until the feed runs out. At which point I'll pour fresh seed back out onto the dilapidated stand, drawing them all back in for round 2... or 10... or whatever.

It's really too much entertainment to miss.

In conclusion... if I were a bird, I would want to be a Bluebird (the mountain kind) which rank somewhere down near the chickadee, thanks to their very small beaks. They are beautiful, curious, and lack the hostility of their larger rivals, willing to take the lower ground in order to survive and still keep the peace.

In the end, they are just gentle on the eye and the soul.

And what could be better than that?