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February 3, 2010

By Karen Middleton The News Courier Wed Feb 03, 2010, 12:35 PM CST

ATHENS — Do birds of a feather really flock together?

Well, it depends. As with many issues, gender might be the deciding factor.

During the recent cold snap as the wind-chill factor hovered near zero, I worked on my computer in my home office.

This afforded me a great view of my wooded back yard in the Elkmont Rural Village. I saw beautiful red cardinals hovering around my birdfeeder, but they fluttered up to nearby branches, not staying long to feed.

Knowing that birds need to eat more in frigid temperatures to maintain their energy and body heat, I was somewhat concerned. But not enough to stop what I was doing, put on a coat and go out to inspect the feeder.

Then I heard sharp chirping and I saw a brown bird with a dull red head on the porch railing outside my window. It was Mrs. Cardinal.

I never thought too much about whether birds make eye contact. I had seen on Animal Planet that among animals, making eye contact is a sign of aggression and might provoke a fight.

In this case, Mrs. Cardinal wasn’t saying anything, but she was takin’ care of business. I swear that bird looked me straight in the eye. Next, she ruffled and puffed out her feathers as if to demonstrate, “Hey, sista, it’s cold out here, ya know?’

Meanwhile, the source of the commotion, Mr. Pretty Boy, in all his resplendent red, calendar-perfect glory, perched on a branch above the bird feeder doing nothing in particular but loudly complaining to whomever that he had a problem and someone better fix it, and right now.

I reluctantly braved the cold to find that the feeders were nearly empty, and the remaining seed was frozen solid. I tapped and scraped out the frozen seed and refilled the feeders.

Blue jays and a redheaded woodpecker showed up and the banquet reconvened with Mr. Cardinal humbly accepting accolades for his exemplary leadership skills in bringing the world’s attention to impending famine and securing foreign aid to avert mass starvation and resulting warfare.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Cardinal waited her turn.

News Courier reporter Karen Middleton can be reached at (256) 232-2720, ext. 111.

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