Killdeer Pond is not always so quiet . Especially on those mornings the water level goes down , and the fishing is good we can have what I like to call a “ White Bird Attack ,” a combination of mostly white birds — great egrets , snowy egrets , tri-colored herons , wood storks , white ibis and gulls — that descend on the pond en masse and terrorize the little fish that have no place to go to escape the feeding frenzy that is underway .
I don ’ t want you to think that white birds devouring fish are the only “ attacks ” staged by the wildlife here on Kiawah . There are others . In the late winter or early spring , there are attacks by none other than American robins . Some mornings the robins assemble in large flocks to eat the overripe wax myrtle berries . The interesting thing , however , is that the berries are fermented and contain alcohol , so by afternoon the robins actually get drunk from eating the berries . It is quite a sight to see them staggering around , but I think they like it .
The robins are not the only birds that gather in flocks and attack the shrubbery . Cedar waxwings are famous for the way they can devour all the berries on a bush in a matter of a couple of minutes . On the left is a flock of perhaps 50 eating holly berries — one of their favorites .
There are also flocks of bluebirds . Who knows what they are “ flocking ” about since they eat mostly insects . These I observed on my back porch birdbath one afternoon . Maybe they are just thirsty .
WINTER / SPRING 2017 • VOLUME 37
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