Speed Bump by Dave Coverly for April 17, 2020

A couple of love birds having a little spat.

Birds sing to locate mates, to mark their territory, and sometimes for invitations to a snack or to warn of a predator. When they’re contesting territory, they can sound pretty loud.

Since you don’t understand their language, you can interpret it any way you choose.

Northern flicker nearby announces his presents by pecking on the metal downspouts. Riveting rat-tat-tat…..

We have Asian Geese that fly by here several times a day, always in pairs, always making constant noise when they fly. We have speculated often about why they make so much noise. We have several preferred ideas:- fighting about which way to go- fighting about any other topic- loudly grunting with every flap of the wing, similar to tennis players, because it takes so much effort.My wife is certain it is the first answer.

ROFL! I would not be surprised at all if this was spot-on true!

Actually, they are giving precise directions to the french fries in the Burger King drive-thru on the frontage road … sort of like the bee’s dance.

I am glad that we can’t understand animals. It is a shame sometimes that we can understand people.

Time for a Devore between the two love birds

“Mocking”birds mock eachother

We live on a small, wooded lake. It gets really noisy here starting even before dawn.

We also have geese who make a lot of noise. Stealthy is not an adjective often used with geese. I don’t know whether they are fighting for nesting sites or mating, I can’t tell unless I see her swimming out from behind the weeds with a cigarette in her mouth.

They picked up a few choice words from the squirrels, too!

Typical on-line tweet exchange

The songs are about territory, this is my spot, stay away.

Cursing in a foreign language.. that you do not understand.. always sounds melodious.

Mockingbird singing class: saw a Mockingbird on one side of the road singing to three others side by side on a branch on the opposite side of the road. The lone bird would sing and then the three would reply. Well they have to learn all that improvisation somewhere, right?

yeah, probably better we don’t know what they’re saying

Your taste in music sucks.

You can usually tell the difference.

I love this.

“Hey, I’m chirpin’ here!”

I’ll never get that song out of my head.

I hear the bird near my yard. I picture them saying, “I’m here you stay away from me.”“No, I’m here YOU stay away from me.”etc. etc. as the practice social distancing.