After months of gossip and speculation, Chickadena has officially come out of the closet as a rooster. I was making the bed the other morning when a strange noise grabbed my attention. Chickadena was the only bird to be seen in the yard. Apparently emboldened by his solitude, he shook his head, fluffed up his neck feathers, and let out a scratchy, muted cough..I mean crow. He indulged in his new found hobby for several minutes until the rest of the flock wandered back into the yard, at which point he returned to his unassuming ways. I don't think Reynaldo has any worries about reigning supreme, at least for the moment. I know you're probably wondering whether or not we would be so backward as to continue calling a rooster Chickadena, and the answer is yes. We have tried on several occasions to switch his name to Chickadude, but it just never stuck.

Other news on the bird front - the hummingbirds are back! Joe called me at work yesterday to tell me that the hummingbirds were not very happy to have made such a long trip only to find their feeder empty, a problem I have since remedied. Now we just need to get the other hammock hung up so we can have front row seats at the hummingbird feeder show.

A photo from a recent visit to the botanical gardens at NC State.