Stealthily, quietly, they creep in.
They Sit.
They Wait.
They Watch.
Then there is carnage.
The damage
the carnage
If you have berry trees, you know what I’m talking about. I have some beautiful Serviceberry trees, and every year it’s the same thing.
I get a bumper crop happening…
And they move in…
Yeah, I’m looking at you, Masked Bandit!
Today I counted almost a dozen Cedar Waxwings invading my trees. They were frantically gorging themselves just out of reach, knowing that the bounty would be very short-lived. Indeed, the heavy branches will be much lighter in only a few days, plucked clean by not only the waxwings, but an abundance of these…
The baby robins are easily as big as their mothers, yet they sit there shrieking as she practically kills herself stuffing berries down their throats. No wonder they kick them to the curb so quickly!
As one, they laughed in the face of danger.
Wait a second here… what is that on his lip?! Has Floyd been stealing from me too?!
Other visitors on this day were the usual critters…
One of them managed to get a few berries…
In return she picked me a flower…
And then ate her spoils…
We decided to leave the rest for the birds.
I know they are being rotten little birds, but they are so dang cute. I’ve never seen one of those before…
Actually, I really don’t mind that they take the berries – they’re edible but not spectacular. It’s the mess they leave behind that annoys me to no end :) They are a striking bird, aren’t they? After the berries are done they’ll head off and I won’t see them again until next summer around this time.
I have a sorta like/hate relationship with most birds – they are fascinating to look at but in the end their sneakiness & dirty habits send me over the edge…So sorry you have such a tempting tree!
The girl & domesticated animals, though, seem quite tolerable :D
I’ve never heard of, let alone tasted, Serviceberries. But they sure make a beautiful tree.
That’s more than depressing… the birds need to eat too but I would really want to make some jam or at the very least have some dessert ;)
Steph => I’m in TOTAL agreement with you. Beautiful creatures to look at but not my favourite thing in the animal kingdom by any stretch. In fact there’s a mourning dove that sits in the trees outside our bedroom and starts cooing between 4:30 and 5am that I could cheerfully throttle.
Doc => Service berries are semi-sweet, and have a bit of a grainy texture. Some people make jam with them, and probably they’ve been included in pies or whatever. They’re a pain to pick because they’re so small and ripen at different times, so we’re ok if all we get is a handful each year. It satisfies the “gatherer” urge in our hunter/gatherer nature ;)
Saucy => If you’re in the Toronto area next year this time, come for a BBQ and I will totally take the time to pick them for you and make you a pie.
These are SUCH Superior Snaps! Have you tried a plastic owl? You can find them in the local garden store. They work like a scarecrow, and I’ve had some success. I guess the birdies aren’t afraid of that beautiful black cat, are they? They’re pretty fearless. Hope you and yours Have the Happiest of 4ths!
Melissa => Floyd isn’t there as a deterrent, he was just too cute to put away after Hallowe’en so he lives in our trees year-round ;) Service berry trees have very slender trunks – they’re more of a cluster of sapling type trunks rather than a single tree. Fixing an owl would be tough too, as there aren’t any horizontal branches big enough that I can see! (I’m peering out the office window at them as I write this) Besides, I’m not so sure the birds wouldn’t still risk it to get the berries! At least it only lasts a week or so, then it’s over until next summer.
Your post made me laugh – well done! Love the segments of the “bandit!” LOL