could have sworn i saw something resembling that riding my bicycle up a fie=
ld road huffin and puffin last saturday afternoon in Beltsville Agricultura=
l Research Center ( BARC ) near Greenbelt, MD.
yeah, they were starlings in numbers on the left side of the road on a fenc=
e and cowbirds posse on a fence and field on the right facing each other ac=
ross the road. with some mixing, and dancing of both in the middle. i think=
. maybe, it seemed, just right then, i mean i thought that's what i saw.
Jets vs. Sharks?
seemed like a gang turf face off to me, could have sworn i saw some posturi=
ng goin on, you know?
course, my reality view is a little bulbous, goouey these days. plus its wa=
y hot, humid in washington dc this july.
i'm sure they all went off to the watering hole together after but i did se=
e or stay for that.
starlings vs. cowbirds. who would you root for? ( invasive vs. parasitic )
the cowbirds wouldn't have a chance. starlings are street tough, and take n=
o prisoners!
and the grackles just hang back looking over in the trees and cacklin. grac=
kle cackle, look at those visigoths, bird barbarians over there down in the=
hot road wasting energy. plus we deeply-hued grackles shine like no other =
black bird. so we're super special.
In US, invasive starlings have displaced 20+ species, and native US cowbird=
babies knock other species babies out of the nest when placed there by mom=
ma cowbird.
well, if it one thing we've learned as we've gotten older. just what is nor=
mal anyway?
rip lyttle. back to the field!
takoma park, md
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