Padre - I have a huge Pyracantha and made some jelly from the fruit for the first time this year. The Pyracantha in my side garden was claimed by a mated pair of Northern Mockingbirds about 7 years ago and every spring they raise a baby or two in it. They are generous with the fruit at other times of the year but when they have an egg or a hatchling in there - whew! Watch-out!

I used to loathe Mockingbirds because of the bachelor males that used to camp out in trees that line our streets and sing like drunken sailors from sundown to sunup. We tried everything from tossing rocks at them to turning the hose on them and those pesky unattached males just kept hollerin' all night long. It was the tremendous devotion as parents that changed my mind about Mockingbirds. I grew to love the pair in my Firethorn and named them. I look forward every year to their new baby or babies as the case may be.

They had one baby that was afflicted with that mysterious bird pox that causes those bulbous tumors to grow on their face and feet. We called him Quaisimoto. I saved him from a cat attack and doctored him a few times when the tumor on his foot threatened to keep him from latching unto branches. I foolishly thought I could help him. He had a great deal of trouble learning to fly any distances but the stubborn little mutant survived almost a year with the tender care of his aprents and my putting apple halves out for him and his family. He had to stay close to our house because he was blind in one eye from the pox and had a weak wing from the cat attack but he seemed happy. One day he flew nearly all the way down the street and I never saw him again. I'd like to think he just shuffled off to new hunting grounds but I think it's a safe bet that our local Red-Shouldered Hawk ate him. She ate his brother the year before.

THis past spring, Quasimoto's parents had twins who did very well. I named them Dean and Trixie in honor of Dean Koontz and his now dear departed golden retriever, Trixie. Now that the twins are fully grown, I can't really tell them from the other mickingbirds but their parents still come to my front yard every morning to hunt insects and to eat apple chunks from ther apple halves I put out for them.

On Christmas day this year, we had the biggest surprise of all - 4 wild green parrots (conures) came and visited for some time. Having seen the film and read the book The Wild Parrots of telegraph Hill, it was so exciting! I've seen wild parrots in other parts of Los Angeles before but never as far south as I am. They came back on the 26th and I'm so hoping that this is part of a new territory for a group of them. They're noisy but so much fun to watch!

I got some digital photos of the parrots as well as of Dean and trixie and Quasimot & family. I'll try and get them up over the weekend and psot some links.