Bedazzled by the variety
At this time of year, we have a lot of small birds around the yard. In the trees. On the feeders. Flitting back and forth, from dawn to dusk. And there’s one detail that leaves me wanting to know more. The coloration.
I was under the impression that smaller birds used a camouflage strategy. Brown, to be les noticed by predators. The blue jays are big enough to fight back, but the average sparrow doesn’t have much to brag about. And then we have to move on to another class of visitor. The warblers. Especially the ones in bright yellow. Flashier than canaries, I find.
How on earth can you hide from your enemies when you’re dressed to dance? Obviously the color show is all for their own kind. I want to know how they stay alive in this world of “who wants to feast on me”. I did a quick check to see if anyone marketed coloring books on the subject, and there are many versions of “color my warblers” out there. It seems like a fun game, if you have photos to study. Just going by what you saw on a bird that seems to be in motion (a lot), it might be hard to get the details right.
We’re early in the season, and although I won’t be keeping a list, others do. I came to the area under the misconception that this was a world of jays and robins. I couldn’t have been farther from the reality. I haven’t got enough names memorized to converse with anyone else, but maybe by next year.
