On the Grapes

   I saw a female Northern Cardinal trying to nibble a grape with her seed-cracking beak. I got a photograph of the ripening grapes.

Grapes

   It's that time of year.

Robert

photo courtesy of rfowler

The Mighty Hunter

   I was eating lunch at Panera and sat right next to the window. What caught my eye was a male English Sparrow (Passer domesticus) which landed on the patio next to my window but then quickly changed its position. It jumped immediately to the right... then made a big hop to the left. I've never seen a more frenetic Passer domesticus.

   The English Sparrow has a thick beak ideal for breaking open seeds. At times, I have seen this bird use that large beak to peck at a cylinder full of stale bread. It is a nutcracker type of beak and really not suited to hunting prey. But today there was an insect on the menu.

   The intrepid sparrow leaped down to the pavement and stabbed once at the bug. The frightened bug ran to the left. The bird jumped once and stabbed again at the bug. The fleeing bug squirted away under a chair. The hungry bird pounced one last time, hopping directly on top of the bug and tweezering it in his beak at last.

   Another sparrow flew down next to him, to see what he had captured. The mighty hunter adjusted the bug in his beak and flew off to enjoy his lunch under a nearby bush. I went back to enjoying my own repast. I have a photo of neither bird nor bug because I was eating lunch at the time.

Robert