They call them Cattle Egrets for a reason. They are attracted to cattle, and the cows (or in this case, bulls) tolerate them because they pick bugs off their backs.
You could probably just as easily call them Mower Egrets because it is almost impossible in this part of the world to see a tractor mowing a field without a flock of Egrets in its wake.
Today, while mowing my yard here at the Boggy Thicket, I attracted a couple dozen. They cover the newly mown area grabbing up the bounty (bugs, frogs, snakes, etc.) uncovered by the mower. It's a great example of symbiosis between man and bird.
There is that one bird, though - not the sharpest blade in the drawer - that consistently lands in the unmown grass about 30 feet in front of the mower. He has just enough time to land, react to the mower moving toward him and take off again. Then, on the next pass, he does it again. I can't decide if he is playing a game or just that dumb.
No comments:
Post a Comment