Mockingbird Empties the Ballast Chamber
Mockingbirds are human seekers. They live where we live. They are resilient to all sorts of ecologic perturbation. Like Red Fox, starlings, daffodils, lantern flies, and garlic mustard they follow the human footprint. An although a native species, this bird has figured out how to adapt to anthropogenic change. Ecologists call these species "urban-positive species". Urban environments are more predictable and if you can take advantage of elements within these landscapes you have an advantage over your forest dwelling compatriots that don't have the tools in the shed to deal with a fast-paced, every changing environment.
The image presented here was taken this past weekend while watching the bird in nice late-afternoon light. As soon as its tail started to lift, I knew it was about to empty the ballast chamber. Sure, enough two little red pellets expunged effortlessly from its cloaca (a bird's common duct for both urea and solids - aka guano).
The cool thing is when I brought the image on my commuter screen up to 300%, I quickly recognized the distinctive seeds within the scarlet red pellets to be that of oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), a non-native, highly invasive vine. Aaaaah, so that's one of the culprits - mockingbirds! A native North American helping spread an invasive Asiatic around the countryside. Of course, lots of native birds do this - Robins with Honeysuckle, Hermit Thrush with Russian Olive - why should mockingbirds be any different.
What did Dylan say, "The Times they are a Changing", and so to the landscape - with a little help from the mockingbird.
