Thread:Goathouse/@comment-29082502-20170926210350

Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, are migrating through east Texas. They follow the tilting planet and head toward SW Mexico and the Pacific slope of Central America, where they will find Spring in the southern hemisphere. They travel in groups of up to 1,000 individuals, and the young that were born in Texas make the migration for the first time.

This feisty little bird is quite territorial during breeding season, and is brave enough to chase Hawks, Owls, and Crows to protect it's nesting area. And though it's brain is no larger than a pecan, it is able to join together with other Scissor-tails in the long journey that migration is. Nature's patterns are so amazing...and so complicated and intricately interwoven. Perhaps having a bird brain is a good thing!



Those beautiful tail feathers are shared by both sexes and enable the manueverability of flight; sharp twists and turns are needed to live on a diet of insects. They also perform spectacular courtship displays, such as this 'mirroring' dance. Backwards somersaults in midair are a very artistic way to catch the eye of your desire.

I am a bird oriented person, as you all may have noticed. I find such beauty, such purpose behind Nature, in all it's complexity. I trust that natural cycles will endure man's perturbations, so the Scissor-tails can return here next February, to nest safely and raise their young. I welcome them here. Take some time to notice all the lovely creatures in your life today! 