Birdwatching

In the morning thread, I mentioned an epic three-way battle between three male Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds for control of a feeder we recently placed off the front porch. I know it was three males only because at one point two were on opposite sides of the feeder, and a third zoomed in to chase them off.

Here’s a stealth claimant for that same feeder: a female hummingbird who’s been zooming in when the boys are elsewhere.

Check out this thirsty girl! #hummingbirds

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— Betty Cracker of Florida (@bettycrackerfl.bsky.social) April 8, 2025 at 4:38 PM

In the clip, she looks up frequently to make sure no rivals or other dangers from above are approaching. She’s smart to do so; if you listen with the sound up, you can hear the record-scratch vocalizations of nearby males fighting over other feeders or flowering plants.

It’s close enough to 5 PM where I am, so I think I’ll head outside with a glass of red zin, station myself near the firepit and stake out the feeder from that angle. I don’t know anything about birds, but I suspect this feisty lady may have a nest nearby, so I’ll watch her comings and goings to see if I can figure out where it is.

The world is too awful to contemplate right now, if you’re looking at news and politics. But nature is hanging in there so far. We seem to have a bumper crop of hummingbirds this season, judging by the volume at which they’re consuming the nectar.

Could be the flood last fall wiped out some of the blooming plants they used to count on. Bill has planted new flowering bushes in our yard and revived some of the flood-damaged ones, but maybe that’s why they’re all over the feeders this year.

Anyhoo, y’all feel free to discuss anything you want in this thread, including The Horrors. Or birds, if you’d like.

Open thread.

So Thirsty! (Open Thread)Post + Comments (80)

I witnessed an epic though ultimately pointless battle between two Common Gallinules (aka mud hens, moorhens or swamp chickens) yesterday afternoon. It went on for 15 – 20 minutes or so. I posted a shorter clip of it on Bluesky yesterday. Here’s a minute-long view of the fracas, which I filmed toward the end of the fight, when both birds were tired:

A few things to note: The fight looks pretty fierce, especially when the birds are exhaustedly smacking each other in the face with their weird feet, but no bird was seriously harmed (at least not physically).

I think the combatants pictured are males. There was a third, smaller bird present when it broke out. I figure she was the female they are fighting over, and she wandered off.

The handsome Tri-Colored Heron who appears in the frame toward the end intervened in the fight twice. In the clip on Bluesky, he ran the fighting gallinules off with a flap of his wings, probably because they were disturbing his fishing hole.

***

I thought of the bird fight when reading toward the end of the morning thread. It kind of reminded me of some of the long-running disputes around here — fierce and exhausting at times, but ultimately pointless, with no serious physical harm. (I guess the heron is Cole in this scenario.)

Also, are we really going to argue that “our side” isn’t scoldy? As a much better president than the one we have now once said, “Come on, man.”

I’ll admit it! I am scoldy sometimes! Not now, though.

Open thread!

Down in the Mud (Open Thread)Post + Comments (69)

Filmed this Wood Stork couple the other day. I see a dancer-like grace in their movements.

I also find that species beautiful, scaley, vulture-like heads and all. Possibly I’m nuts.

Open thread.

Grace of the Storks (Open Thread)Post + Comments (117)

I’m not the one who’s busy; I’ve got a nasty case of writer’s block. I’m referring to this busy Limpkin, which I shared on Bluesky a short while ago:

Limpkin: Mmm, snail GOOD! Ooooo, a BIGGER one! #birds

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— Betty Cracker of Florida (@bettycrackerfl.bsky.social) March 5, 2025 at 3:13 PM

I hope y’all can see that clip without having to sign in. I don’t protect my “skeets” or whatever they’re called. It’s easier to share short clips using the Bluesky embed than it is to upload them to YouTube.

Here’s a still of the same busy bird.

I like Limpkins despite the fact that they scream their heads off all night long this time of year. Marjorie Keenan Rawlings (The Yearling, Cross Creek), who lived not far from here in a similar setting, disliked Limpkins. In one of her books, she even provided a recipe to cook them!

Rawlings grew up in D.C. and came to Florida in her 30s. That may explain some odd attitudes she held about the local wildlife. For example, she described alligators as “gentle” in one piece, a sure sign that she was Not From Around Here.

Anyhoo, Limpkins: when they raise chicks, they’re careful parents, both male and female. They walk their fluffy offspring around the swamp to show them how to find snails. When they see a gator, they raise their wings and make a clucking sound to warn the brood to step carefully.

Here’s a shot of a parent and two chicks from the spring before last (I think).

That’s all I’ve got to say about that. Open thread for discussion of any topic you choose.

Busy, Busy (Open Thread)Post + Comments (100)