Desert Messenger

August 12, 2015 www.DesertMessenger.com 17 First locally-owned and operated music station in Quartzsite, Arizona. Proudly serving the communities of Quartzsite, Bouse, Brenda, Rainbow Acres, La Paz Valley and beyond, since 1988. Quartzsite Radio • Quartzsite's Favorite "CLASSIC HITS" • Local Information • Weather • 24 Hours Day / 7 Days Week! KBUX 94.3 FM 928-927-5111 http://kbuxradio.com Traveling with Gypsy Jane by Jane Finley writer * artist * teacher (stretching, exercise, relaxation, meditation) BIRDOLOGY Quartzsite, AZ 6/6/15 Is BIRDOLOGY even a word? I may have just made it up. The defi nition to me is: The observa- tion of birds in Quartzsite. (Yeah, I know the real study of birds is or- nithology, but HEY, it's Quartzsite. Everything is a bit "off" here....) "BIRDOLOGY" is a continuation of my story "Leaving Q (NOT)" which got all out of hand because of the large amount of wildlife that visits my front yard. When writ- ing that story, I decided to save birds until last because there are so many kinds, and I had so much to say about them....too much for that story. Then I decided birds were a whole story in itself. So, let's start with my favorite Quartzsite bird: The elusive road- runner (which, come to think of it, I haven't seen this year). Be- cause a sighting is rare, seeing a roadrunner is a special treat! They run extremely fast. Seeming to be late for its next appointment, it stops for only seconds, just long enough to see what's going on and to raise and lower its long tail, which it always does when it stops. Actually it's that splendid tail that makes them so unique. (Wouldn't you know it? Before fi nishing this story, a roadrunner visited my yard -- twice!) Quail: I love quail, especially this time of year (late spring) when they appear with their babies, the babies traveling almost too fast to count. While the adult males have beautiful coats (the females less so), the babies are the exact color of the earth -- so tiny one could swear they have just hatched. How can they be so small and move so fast -- just a tiny blur on legs. Quail travel in pairs or as a family group with their babies. I've counted up to a dozen tiny, speeding fl uff balls. They are the only birds that share a piece of bread with another quail. They are not aggressive, but I notice other birds move out of their way when they approach, probably because of their size and speed. Quail are one of the two kinds of birds smart enough to take a piece of bread and move away from the crowd to eat it. Quail are one of the few birds I've learned to recognize by their distinctive voice. House wrens? I'm not sure. They might be sparrows. Every spring, they build their nests in my porch rafters; the same nest is used each year. This morning I could hear the multi-voiced chirp- ing of their young. When I fi rst moved into my house, there were foam cutouts plugging the eaves to keep the birds from nesting there. Those were the fi rst things I removed. So what if there's a bit of bird doo on my deck? The company of the wrens is well worth it. Most often, instead of walking up to a lone bread crumb, they like to approach a quail, steal its bread, then fl y quickly away with it. The quail looks puzzled for a minute, then moves away in search of an- other crumb. Doves: There are SO many doves! Within minutes of throwing bread into my yard, the fi rst dove appears followed by many others. They seem to know my schedule, and they're often waiting for me, perched on my porch railing or strolling back and forth on my deck. They are greedy creatures, never sharing their meal. One or two are very aggressive, chasing away other doves that get anywhere near. They have a way of fl ashing their wings with a loud snap which is very effective in scaring away other birds....sometimes chasing them right out of the yard. I have learned to recognize their sooth- ing coo-coo-coo. Pigeons: These kind of look like doves but are larger. They seem more docile and easy going than doves though. Woodpeckers: I have to remind myself that these are protected because even though I am a paci- fi st, I'd like to.....because of the perfectly round holes they have pecked into my new siding! I nailed the tops of tin cans over the holes and painted them the house color, and that works pretty well. Each year I check for new holes in my siding, and there are fewer lately. In spite of the damage they do to my house, I must admit that the males are really beautiful: a gray coat with a touch of white and a bright red stripe. It's call is loud, distinctive, and easy to recognize. I see various other birds (crows, hawks, etc.) enjoying the sky above my home, but those I view from afar because they don't come into my yard. Birds (and the copious other wildlife) are one of the main reasons I LOVE it in Quartzsite and call it my desert paradise! *~*~* "My heart is like a singing bird." ~Christina Rossetti *~*~* Jane's book is WANDERINGS: Living the Ordinary Extraordinari- ly (Stories from the Road). For an update on my travels and writing, visit my website (janefi nley.com) and/or read "Traveling with Gypsy Jane" and "Poems from the Road" in The Desert Messenger (desert- messenger.com)beginning March 5, 2014.

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