The "Birdman of the Caribbean" Story
It was an ordinary day. Just finished pounding on some sugar cubes to break them apart so I could put them on the picnic table for the sugar birds. Carol and I have called these little dark-gray, yellow bellied birds with white stripes on their heads and red on the side of their bill, sugar birds for years and years. They are actually Bananaquit birds, but that's too hard to say. Seems that no matter which island we visit in the Caribbean, we encounter a few. Our latest trip was no different. When we arrived at Villa Bonita in the hills overlooking Orient Bay in St. Martin, we saw them again. We also saw a small bird house on the overhang of our po
rch which had activity in it. Carol said, "I can hear a baby bird in the house." Sure enough, in a day or two we could see the mother feeding the young one. Feeding it sugar! The sugar bird has a slender, curved bill, adapted to takingnectar from flowers. It sometimes pierces flowers from the side, in order to take the nectar. It cannot hover like a hummingbird, and m
ust always perch while feeding. It will also eat fruit and insects. We call it the sugarbird, since it likes to feed on granular sugar. And, it can become very tame. I would often sit at the table, reading or typing on my computer and the birds would be feeding on the sugar just a few feet away. As the days went by they became more accustomed to having us visit with the
m. They awaited the sugar supply in the morning and attacked it as soon as we put it on the table or a porch support nearby. Feeding these beautiful birds is one of the many highlights of our trips to the Caribbean. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - pixs from the top: one of my friends waiting on the shrubs while I get the sugar ready in the morning, a few sugar birds arriving close
by for some sugar, mother sugar bird feeding her young one in the birdhouse above our porch, the "lineup", the Birdman of the Caribbean" enjoying the view while the birds sit on the end of the table.
It was an ordinary day. Just finished pounding on some sugar cubes to break them apart so I could put them on the picnic table for the sugar birds. Carol and I have called these little dark-gray, yellow bellied birds with white stripes on their heads and red on the side of their bill, sugar birds for years and years. They are actually Bananaquit birds, but that's too hard to say. Seems that no matter which island we visit in the Caribbean, we encounter a few. Our latest trip was no different. When we arrived at Villa Bonita in the hills overlooking Orient Bay in St. Martin, we saw them again. We also saw a small bird house on the overhang of our po
This is not a good sign, LDub. You're beginning to repeat yourself!! By the way, did we tell you that Jim isn't working anymore? :-) JS
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