“Good morning, Squeaky,“ said Momanita as she tugged off the blue cover on my rolly home.
“It IS a good morning. It’s a good NOT EARLY morning.”
To other hootmans this sounded like squeals and whistles, but not to Momanita. She MOSTLY understood cockatiel speak. I MOSTLY understood hootman talk.
“I’m late because Red needed sunflower seeds and Woody needed peanuts and Violet needed safflower,” said Momanita. “I filled the birdfeeders.”
Momanita fed my outside bird friends, Red the cardinal and Woody the red headed woodpecker and Violet the purple finch, and now she fed me oats and my favorite millet.
“I don’t understand,” said Momanita as she stared out the window. “I filled all the feeders yesterday.”
Momanita filled my small seed dish daily. The food in the large feeders usually lasted a few days for my pals.
“So THAT’s why!” shrieked Momanita.
I followed Momanita’s gaze. A flock of black spotted birds perched on all the feeders eating Red’s sunflower seeds, Woody’s peanuts, and flinging Violet’s safflower. My friends perched high above watching their food disappear.
“It’s a starling invasion!” said Momanita.
I stretched my wing over my food dish in case the starlings got any ideas.
“I don’t know much about starlings other than they don’t share the feeders,” said Momanita. “I wonder where they came from.”
When Momanita wondered, she thought of questions.
When she thought of questions, she looked for answers.
When she looked for answers, she needed my help.
I climbed out of my rolly home into my writing nest. Momanita climbed the stairs to HER writing nest. She scooted her chair to the computer and tapped the keyboard. I perched on top the writing nest and listened while Momanita talked and tapped.
Ruling The Roost
“Starling flocks swoop into yards and empty feeders often driving other birds away,” said Momanita. “They’re invasive birds that can become a nuisance. Invasive means that they came from another place. They’re not native.”
I thought of the starlings chasing away Red, Woody, and Violet.
“European starlings live in Eurasia and North Africa. Many years ago, a fellow named Eugene Schiefflin brought them to America because Shakespeare mentioned them in his plays. Eugene liked Shakespeare. Now starlings are everywhere in the United States. Starlings cause disease among cattle and eat our grape, cherry, and berry crops.”
“I wished Shakespeare wrote about cardinals and woodpeckers and purple finches.”
“There are invasive plants, too,” said Momanita.
(Not) Nipped In The Bud
“Purple loosestrife hitched a ride on European ships about 200 years ago. When the ships landed on the East Coast in the United States it spread in all directions,” said Momanita.
Loosestrife grows quickly and changes to adapt to different climates.”
“At least loosestrife can’t eat from Red’s birdfeeder.”
“That’s true, but loosestrife harms wildlife in a different way. It grows where native plants grew. When those native plants disappear then the wildlife suffers.”
I hoped my millet was safe.
“There are invasive insects, too,” said Momanita.
Not A Gem
“We lost three ash trees because of the emerald ash borer,” said Momanita.
“The Ash Borer killed the trees where Cardy perched? How could something so small, kill something so large?”
“The Emerald Ash Borer sneaked into America from China on packing crates. The insects feed on the inner bark of ash trees. Water and nutrients, food, can’t flow so the tree dies,” explained Momanita.
“Invasive birds, invasive plants, invasive bugs! I wish they’d all leave!”
Eye Opener
“There are some invasive species that you wouldn’t want to leave,” said Momanita.
“But they don’t belong here!”
“We may be stuck with starlings, but we have cattle egrets. Cattle egrets flew here from Africa about 125 years ago. There’s a million of them here now. They walk along with cattle and eat flies and ticks,” said Momanita.
“That’s a lot of pesty flies and ticks!”
“The California ridgeway rail appreciates the invasive saltwater cord grass,” said Momanita. “This tall grass provides shelter and nesting materials for these birds.”
“Maybe we can grow millet in my rolly home. That would be handy.”
“Then there are the honeybees,” said Momanita. “English settlers brought bees to America in the 1600’s for wax and for honey.”
“Without honeybees, I wouldn’t have my Honey Nut Cheerios. By the way, I haven’t had that treat in a while.”
“I learned a lot about invasive species,” said Momanita. “Maybe we should write about them so others will know.”
“Maybe we should write about the importance of being helpful like cattle egrets and cord grass and honeybees.”
To other hootmans this sounded like squeals and whistles, but not to Momanita. She MOSTLY understood cockatiel speak. I MOSTLY understood hootman talk.
Check out Momanita’s book OPERATION HOPPER.
Momanita and I read about INVASIVE SPECIES. You might want to read about them, too.
Anita Borgo 