Pretty Bird

Venus perched in the morning sun and admired her reflection.  Since this year’s molt, she was brighter and gleaming with sharp contrasting colors. Crisp cyan, black, ivory…Oh Mammacita!  Tres belle! What a fabulously fluffy bird!  Magnifique! That’s right, pretty passerine… “You sweeeetie sweet sweet.” A whisper song rose softly to her own shining corvid face. Venus enjoyed her own company and was not often publicly vain but there was nothing wrong with being a big beautiful Blue Jay, was there? She turned ninety degrees then smoothed and preened her “lesser” side.  Hmm… That is much better.  The woman would be serving the peanuts soon. 

The elderly garage door creaked as it opened slightly more than halfway.  There was a dry hollow rustling of peanut shells as they tumbled into the plastic quart pitcher. The woman shuffled towards the weathered feeder and distributed her goodies. Venus bobbed in appreciation. “Squeaky gate…Squeaky gate!” Venus called her family. The woman proceeded to her front porch step. She squinted in the direction of the bird.  “PEANUT, Venus? You ARE the prettiest of them all. AND you know it!” The woman loved these spunky Jays. She still enjoyed mornings because of them.

Venus cast an impressive shadow as she glided into the feeder and began to make her selections carefully. Tap, tap, tap, shake, shake. She would choose four or five delicious peanuts in the shell during the course of the morning. It was important to determine which shells contained the best nuts. They must be heavy and not rattle overly much when she tapped them. Venus would cache three and consume two more before the other young females could partake. This was, after all, HER territory. Venus was the reigning Alpha now. Her own mother and father were free to feed at any time. 

The Flock containing her family began to arrive in the cover tree named Birdadette, as Venus completed her cache. Yes, they appeared to be all present and accounted for. The younger females dipped their heads when she addressed them. Things were good with this Flock. She felt true affection from these birds and towards them as well. They had chosen her unanimously just last season after her Mother had decided to step down. She resembled Mother and was quick to aid the sickly and fight fiercely against predators. She had never lost a battle...although she chose them all very carefully. Venus was well beloved by the old, the young and even the adolescent males…even if they tended to gawk at her stunning good looks and fly awkwardly into tree branches if she smiled at them. Yes, things were quite good for Venus although her slightly older mate, Juup, had been acting strangely the past few days and she attributed this to a possible minor injury he had sustained while defending the family from a passing hawk. A redtail had been circling and came to perch on the branch of maple tree near a nest momentarily when WHOOSH…Juup pierced him from behind. The hawk left in a hurry but Juup had been unable to turn his head comfortably since the impact.

The next morning was cloudy and markedly cooler. Venus took to her perch near the window and once again spent time with her increasingly lovely self. The wind started to pick up. A squirrel scampered across the porch and broke her narcissistic reverie. Venus was quite looking forward to the morning peanuts and she heard Mother call in the distance. The garage door had not opened. 

Three days later Venus watched as the woman left with two men and another woman. They moved very slowly and spoke in hushed tones. 

Venus told Mother about the woman’s departure.  Many of the Family and Jays from the surrounding area had been asking Venus when the peanuts would be served again. Of course, Venus had no answers. She was new to leading the Flock and could not have imagined a time without the woman. Mother sat quietly for a long time. “Venus, sometimes, things change.” 

The woman never returned. The peanut feeder remained empty. The days grew shorter and Juup was always hungry. He had consumed all the nuts that Venus had cached, and it was barely October. One afternoon, Venus followed him to the edge of the lake. Juup was joined by five other male Jays and they engaged in what appeared to be a very odd ritual. The six would fly up, up, up until they were nearly out of sight for several minutes over the lake and then return. Well, no wonder Juup was so hungry! Why were they doing this??? 

Later that day, Venus and Juup had settled in to preen. “Venus, I found quite a few ants near the old oak tree today.” “Really? Fat ones?” Venus replied, trying to appear interested and to figure out how to approach a discussion of the flying over the lake. “Small, but not too bad.” “Did you clean them first? Why are you so hungry lately?” Juup stretched his wings, then his legs. “Sweetheart, I’m just not getting enough to eat. None of us are these days.” He refused to meet her eyes. “Juup, I saw you at the lake today. What were you doing flying straight up and down like that? Bugs? Fighting? Showing off for some new female???” Venus tried extremely hard but unsuccessfully to keep her tone level, but she was sure he was burning calories unnecessarily because of these antics. Juup’s crest stood erect and he backed away. “Venus, we need to take the Flock South. I mean, YOU need to lead the Flock South. We depended on nuts for at least half of our food and I don’t think the woman is... Winter is coming and it’s pretty unlikely that we will all be able to make it.” Venus’ beak dropped open and she let out a barely audible squawk. “What? Why are you changing the subject?” “I’m not changing the subject. We were practicing for longer flights.” 

All the shine of the day faded quickly as the realities settled on Venus. Juup was hungry because he had been training to migrate. Without more food this winter, the Flock could starve. The woman was not going to return. 

Venus loved her mate dearly. He was strong and wise. There were times she believed that he was the True leader of the Flock, but the Law forbade males to hold the Alpha status. This was because since only a female could produce eggs, it stood to reason that females were more trusted by The Great Spirit. Females would, of course, be superior leaders. Juup had migrated before which had brought him to this Flock. This had not won favor with Mother. She had previously called Blue Jays who migrated “transients.” They were usually youngish smallish birds from unknown families. They sometimes carried mites and built inferior nests that were not designed to withstand winters. But Juup was different and had proven his mettle many times over. His keen hearing had saved the Flock from many attacks both from the air and land predators. He had once sent, Kathy, a large black and white cat running for shelter with a small gash to the back of her head when she was spotted just feet from Mother herself. 

Mother. Since her retirement, Mother had slowed down. She had never migrated and did not recall a time without the woman. Mother told Venus of days when she and the woman spent many hours together. The woman would throw peanuts and Mother would retrieve them. The woman would also create suet, seed, and mealworm treats in the very cold weather. Would Mother be able to fly a long distance now at her advanced age??? Would Venus be able to keep the Flock together safely? Where should they go? Maybe they could find the woman somehow.

The woman. She had named all Mother’s babies after planets the year Venus was born. The year prior, Mother’s chicks were named after mountain ranges. The year before that, FISH! Yes, Venus had an older brother named Flounder!  In her day, the woman had quite a sense of humor and could tell all the Jays apart. Those were the days of her good eyesight and her even better husband. The man. He built many bird feeders and planted oak trees so there would be acorns for Blue Jays. But Mother was right when she said that sometimes things do change. 

“Mother?” Venus snuggled close to the older bird. “I know why you are here.” Mother said firmly. Her daughter was going to have to make some difficult decisions for the welfare of the Flock. “Mother, we need to get ready to leave soon. A week from tomorrow, to be exact.” Venus did not enjoy this part of the job. How could she have this discussion with any of the older birds, much less her own mother? “I will do my best.” Mother replied. “And so will your father.”

Venus divided the Flock into two groups. Group One was called the Scouts and Group Two was called the Core. The Scouts consisted mostly of the younger Jays, those who were notably strong fliers and good providers. The Scouts would set out at the crack of dawn, determine the best route, and create safe overnight accommodations and meals. The Core group would travel more slowly with frequent rests. Local aviary guides would provide help as needed. This was the first migration in Venus’ memory for her Flock, but she had provided much assistance for other migrants. It was a humbling experience, nonetheless. She heard Mother’s dirty word, TRANSIENTS, ring in her ears. She recalled the migrants she had seen with their torn and tattered feathers, droopy, uneven wings, and scaly feet. And now she was about to become one of them. Venus missed the woman and the warm mornings gazing in the window. Would she ever be beautiful again? Would they find food and a new home? Deep in her heart she could feel the woman smiling at her. 

Yes, Mother, it IS time to go.