Bay Island Nature

Cedar Waxwing with its favorite winter food, berries. ( Cheapshot/Wikimedia ) by Sharol Nelson-Embry As I was out walking the dog just before another big rainstorm hit our Island City the other day, I noticed large flocks of birds in the bare tree branches. As I paused and my bird dog lifted her head in interest, I thought they were probably ordinary, non-native starlings. After parsing out their calls, though, I was excited to find it was actually two separate flocks — one of robins and one of cedar waxwings!   The waxwings are one of my favorite birds and among the first I could readily identify in my college ornithology class. I was so excited about them, that I showed them to my husband when we were dating. He was later able to point them out on campus to another pair of students that were interested in them. He told them the birds name and let them know how special they were. That was his first time as a “bird whisperer.” He’s never forgotten it. Notice t...

From my humble, suburban backyard I get a nightly serenade from a rock star. He's amazing -- colorful, flamboyant, pipes out quite a tune, and keeps me anticipating his next performance. He started showing up at least 5 years ago, probably drawn to the area by the tall palm trees (also fine nesting for the local barn owls from whom I occasionally collect pellets ). Once in a while I spy his mate, much drabber than his schoolbus yellow with inky black throat and black & white streaked back. This hooded oriole pair comes from southern Mexico every spring to set up house. Their nest, not seen by me, is woven suspended from a branch of a palm or other tree somewhere nearby. They glean the trees and bushes for insects and I just saw the male piercing our neighbors passion flowers for nectar. I can only imagine the stir this bird creates among our much more sedate residents. The towhees scuffling on the ground probably hunch a little lower and trill a little softer. "Th...