There was a sudden commotion at our hummingbird feeder this afternoon - not the customary bullying of the Rufous (the true Trump of hummingbirds), but something much larger. It was this Scott's Oriole - which likes nectar, apparently (and so my bird books confirm) - though I've never seen one there before. Apropos yesterday's post, apparently it also likes to feed on yuccas. Later in the afternoon, it was having fun in one of the bird baths, although I'd probably have done a better job in capturing it if the rather grubby window in my study didn't interfere with focusing.
Apparently it's called after General Winfield Scott - who had a fascinating and long career (Wikipedia tells me), though was very involved in the removals of Native peoples, especially Seminole and Cherokee. So I think I'll stick to calling it Icterus parisorum, or Bolsero Tunero, in Spanish (given is role in the Mexican-American war, that feels like a form of reappropriation). Or maybe I'll rename it Maria's Oriole, since his wife Maria barely lived with him at all, but was mainly in Europe, especially Rome "for health reasons." I'm sure there's a story there ...
No comments:
Post a Comment