Friday, January 23, 2015

Corralitas Drive: Birds Getting Drunk, Crashing Into Windows

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 11, 2014.  Cedar Waxwings flock noisily around Corralitas Drive, getting drunk on rubber tree fruit & other berries.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Yesterday, a Corralitas neighbor reported via email, "A bunch of birds flew fast & hard into one of the big living room windows. The hits were so hard and so loud, I jumped and thought the window was going to break!"  The neighbor continues, "Many were stunned, staggered about after a bit and took off. Five were either knocked out or dead." 

After herding the 2 cats into the house before they could discover the dead birds, the neighbor cleaned up the carnage.  Later, she discovered not all the birds survived the crash.  

"Apparently several of the birds that took off, didn't make it. How do I know?  Well, lets see, there were two corpses in the paper bag that the kitties play with in the living room, one under my bed and one I had to wrestle out of [one cat's] mouth. I may have them all. I may not. I'm paying very close attention to the little fur beasts who think dead birds are indoor toys!"

Searching the internet to ID the birds, the neighbor believes they were Cedar Waxings, who do get drunk on berries & rubber tree fruit in the yard. While the rubber trees are not in fruit, the date palms are. Cedar Waxwings are also known for flying drunk & crashing into windows in Los Angeles.