Singing praises of the bountiful birds of Georgia
Whenever I am in one of those long stretches of highway and cell coverage is spotty, my mind often takes to rambling. Recently, on a drive a couple hours south on U.S. 441, I kept noticing the variety of birds that seem to saunter about on both sides of the highway.
Crows are the easiest to identify. They always seem to be in abundance, which makes you aware, “if you look it up,” that crows can be found on every continent except South America and Antarctica.
Most any time of the year you can see doves or blackbirds perched on utility power lines. And, on occasion, there may be a hawk taking respite on Georgia Power’s property. Somewhere on a back road in McIntosh County, I once spotted an eagle perched on a power pole. You can find a number of eagle nests in the state’s six coastal counties.
Also, you can find the bald eagle along Interstate 85 near the South Carolina border and in Hall and Rabun counties. The bald eagle is no longer an endangered species, but the law protects both the bald and golden eagles. We can all be proud of this comforting legislation.
Even though none other than Ben Franklin denigrated the bald eagle, who out there cannot appreciate this regal bird with cunning eyes, viselike talons and soaring ability that takes them into the wild blue yonder.
When you slow down as you enter a small town, you may spot a blue bird or red bird. Ah, the handsome cardinal. I will forever be enraptured by the redbirds in our world.
A gleaming cardinal that comes into your sphere — your patio, your back porch or your brick wall — forever makes your day; especially on Saturday morning when the world is at parade rest and you take respite with that uplifting cup of coffee and the newspaper within arms-length of a cardinal.
While I have multiple loyalties when it comes to sports teams, I have always been a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals because of their mascot. Cardinals perched on a baseball bat. Is there a prettier uniform? My loyalty to the Braves and Red Sox is unswerving, but taking in a Cardinal game in St. Louis is a heady experience.
You don’t see quail when you drive across our state but you know they are there, which makes you reflect on the fall hunting season when the temperatures require a long sleeve, the atmosphere is crisp and bird dogs are on a point.
Your mind’s eye is overwhelmed when you recall these real-life scenes, which offer a spiritual-like cleansing, knowing you are immersed in nature’s bountiful landscape.
While on my recent drive, I thought about our state bird, the brown thrasher. Have you ever seen our state bird? Do you know of any Georgian who has seen this inconspicuous, territorial bird?
I remember seeing a brown thrasher once, back on the farm, when I walked by a bush with long hanging limbs. He made a big fuss and thrashed about the dried leaves, hopping into the clear and flying away posthaste. It was not a bird with which I was familiar. When I described the bird I had discovered to my grandfather, he immediately suggested that I probably had come upon the brown thrasher.
I am sure I have often heard the brown thrasher, since it is noted for having “over 1,000 song types and the largest song repertoire of birds.”
You don’t often see the brown thrasher, which is about a foot long, at your back porch, your patio or your bird feeder. You learn with a modicum of online research that the brown thrasher “is bright reddishbrown above with thin, dark streaks on its buffy underparts. It has a whitish-colored chest with distinguished teardrop-shaped markings on its chest. Its long, rufous tail is rounded with paler corners, and eyes are a brilliant yellow. Its bill is burnish, long and curves downward. Both male and females are similar in appearance.”
Sounds like it should be easy to spot a brown thrasher, but if you happen upon one before Christmas, let me know. I’d like to give you a couple of Atlanta Thrasher tickets.