Naturally Al Batt

Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie

Naturally

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but if I did, it would be to continue to be excited about every bird I see from my window. How much is that birdie in the window? It’s priceless.

Lots of birds showed up at the feeders, bringing squirrels with them. If I made New Year’s resolutions, I’d resolve to enjoy the company of squirrels.

While doing a Christmas Bird Count, I happened upon a mixed flock of birds busily foraging. There were black-capped chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches and downy woodpeckers in the group. The chickadees were leading the tiny, feathered wagon train. More eyes detect more predators and find more food. These three species feed in unique ways, so they don’t get in one another’s way.

I saw a turkey chasing a crow. The turkey extended its neck and charged like a bull after a matador. The crow appeared to rejoice in the activity. It nimbly avoided the attacks while gleefully taunting its attacker. I don’t know what was going on, but I suspect bourbon drinking might have been involved—specifically Wild Turkey and Old Crow brands.

Snow had kissed the earth, making subnivean life possible. That’s life below the snow. Above the snow, mice, with their long tails, leave tail drag marks between the tracks of their feet, while voles and shrews don’t.

I watched a rough-legged hawk hunt by hovering or kiting in place, facing into the wind to spot prey like voles and mice in an open field. This raptor’s remarkable aerial ability allows it to scan a vast area, a unique adaptation for its treeless Arctic breeding grounds and wintering fields. It’s as if the raptor were using an invisible treadmill. An American kestrel also forages in open areas with short vegetation. It’s primarily a sit-and-wait, elevated perch-hunter. Its hovering flight is a less frequently used hunting method, often used where perches are lacking.

Q&A

“What is the bright glow on the snow called?” Albedo is a measurement of how much a surface reflects solar energy. Snow and ice have a high albedo. Ice reflects 50-70% of sunlight, and snow bounces back as much as 90% of solar radiation. Moonlight produces a lower albedo, and winter nights with a snowpack on the ground can be bright, especially under a full moon.

“Are cats native to this country?” Domestic cats aren’t native to North America. European colonists introduced them to control rodent populations on ships and in settlements, and cats became a widespread invasive species. This continent is home to several native wild cat species like the bobcat, lynx, puma (cougar, mountain lion, catamount, panther, painter), jaguar, ocelot, jaguarundi and the rare margay. Wild cats have been popular names for automobiles: Jaguar, Buick Wildcat, Mercury Cougar, Ford Puma, Mercury Bobcat, Sunbeam Tiger and Chevrolet Tiger.

“Is a flock of cowbirds called a herd?” If not, it should be, right? A herd is a collective noun for cowbirds, as is a flock, corral and mob.

“Are wild turkeys found in every state?” Wild turkeys are found in every U.S. state except Alaska. Contrary to popular myth, Benjamin Franklin never proposed the wild turkey as our national symbol, but he praised the species in a letter to his daughter, calling it “a much more respectable bird” than the bald eagle. Ben considered the bald eagle a bird of bad character because of its habit of stealing the prey of other birds. The wild turkey is named after the nation of Turkey. Here’s what the good folks at Merriam-Webster have to say about that: “When the new-world turkey was introduced to Europe by the Spanish in the 16th century, English speakers gave credit to the Turks: the Ottoman Empire was at its peak, and the English were in the habit of calling all sorts of things “Turkish.” Maize was called “Turkish wheat,” pumpkins were referred to as “Turkish cucumbers,” and Meleagris gallopavo was a “turkey-cock,” and, eventually, a plain old turkey.”

“What were the four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie?” In the nursery rhyme “Sing a Song of Sixpence” there is this line, “Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye, four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.” In the Tudor period, cooks tried to impress with their exciting presentations of food because they couldn’t run a TV commercial during halftime of the Super Bowl. They needed to please the king and his official royal food taster, who tested food for the monarch. You dared not plop a bowl on the table and declare it the slop of the day. That could lead to a beheading or worse. They baked an empty pie crust and put live blackbirds inside the crust. “When the pie was opened the birds began to sing, oh wasn’t that a dainty dish to set before the king?” The pie was placed in front of the king, and the blackbirds flew out in a spectacular display. Afterward, a real pie was brought out. The 24 blackbirds in the nursery rhyme were likely Eurasian blackbirds, a common thrush species related to the American robin.

Thanks for stopping by

“Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.”—Camille Pissarro.

“Snowflakes are one of nature’s most fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together.”—Vesta M. Kelly.

Do good.

©️Al Batt 2025

Friends gave me this fetching cap for Christmas. It’s making me more chirpful. Seeing a cardinal symbolizes spiritual messengers, lost loved ones visiting, hope, love, vitality, joy and renewal. Cardinals appear when angels are near. The redbird is a bright spot in winter. Put out sugar cookies to attract someone wearing this cap.