I was working on the Sunday Times Acrostic the other day (don’t be too impressed…I use a pencil, and cheat a lot). Anyway, one of the clues read “It may be bay-headed, beryl-spangled, scarlet-rumped or saffron-crowned”. Now, this HAD to be a bird, but nothing sprang readily to mind that would span all those traits. So, I pulled out my field guide and started perusing the index. I had never realized how descriptive many birds’ names are. There was page after page of “yellow-beaked”, “rose/orange/red-breasted”, “black/brown-capped/crested”…well, you get the idea. The professional bird-namers have been very considerate to us. By color, song or behavior they have made it easier for us to spot or hear our feathered friends. I mean, what could be any clearer than “red-winged blackbirds”?

So, this set me to wondering if avian society has some sort of system for identifying us! Do they tuck little books under their wings that classify and simplify the diversity of humankind? And what, then, am I?

Perhaps, like bluebirds, yellow-bellied sapsuckers or indigo buntings, I am known for my colorful features. Am I a “blue-eyed blonde-crested coot”? Perhaps like a grosbeak, am I named for a facial feature. Would that make me a “pug nose”? Or, how about behavior? We have flycatchers, woodpeckers, and swifts. Could I be a “two-fisted seed-provider”? The possibilities are endless.

So, the other morning, while I’m out refilling the feeders, and contemplating this, I spot my little friend Chuck E. Dee, perched on a nearby branch. He often does this, waiting patiently for the safflower seeds he dearly loves. He likes them so much, in fact, that he has on occasion eaten them right from my hand. On this particular morning, I had this B.B.King song running through my head. You know how that happens. Of course it’s usually some obnoxious commercial jingle, but this time it was one of B.B.’s greatest hits. Now, I noticed that Chuck E. was kind of bobbing up and down, as if he were keeping time to the tune. Suddenly, I realized I had been singing out loud. Here was one possibility I had not considered. Could it be that, like a warbler or a bobolink, I am known for my singing voice? How cool would that be?! Being a happy camper by nature, and being far away from any neighbors with sensitive hearing, I do tend to serenade the local wildlife while I work in the garden. I often put on my headphones, and sing along uninhibitedly. So, that’s it, then. It’s settled!

I’m a “buff-bellied blues belter”!