Birds of the Day

[eppur_se_muova]

2. Yellow-shafted Northern flicker, or "yellowhammer", is AL's state bird. We used to see them all the time in our yard.

Haven't seen one in a few years, and that one was the first in a few years. Apparently our city's Code Enforcement is so Hell-bent on cutting down any tree that looks even remotely unhealthy that they've wiped out woodpeckers in the local area. We used to see them in mating pairs (including adorable little Downy Wookpeckers in a mating dance/flight) -- Red-headed, Red-bellied, Hairy, Downy, Yellowhammers -- everything but the Great Pileated for some reason. I could find as many as four yellowhammers perching on the rim of our birdbath or exploring the ground (the only woodpeckers that do so), and could spot males and females of all five species regularly (yes, you can tell by the mustaches). After a few years, they were all gone. About twice a year I hear a woodpecker attacking out house, but can barely catch sight of it occasionally. Probably didn't help any that a local church cleared a bunch of forested land to build a "multi-use center" that gets used maybe twice a week.

We now see only the most very common birds in our yard -- robins, bluejays, cardinals, occasionally a mockingbird. I really hate our Code Enforcement Fascists. They only care about their sacred "property values", and couldn't possibly care less about the environment. Sterile, monoclonal grass lawns are the only allowable living things, in their view.