THE FEAST OF ELM FRUIT SEASON

For those who are familiar with Columba Livia, the Pied Pigeon in the foreground might look like she has her resonating sac expanded and is involved in typical coo and spin behavior. Not so. This is a bird with an extremely full crop. The Pied is so full she has her tail tipped down to balance her crop so she doesn't fall forward from the weight of her meal.

Note the round beige spots on the ground. Those are the wings of the Elm fruit. These paper thin wings, after sailing the fruit through the air on the breeze, when dried, and brushed against the earth or park paths, wear away, and the small seed is left "unwrapped" on the ground. Currently they are everywhere. Piled alongside the paths, in drifts in gutters, heaped in any lee of the wind, waiting for Pigeons and Sparrows, Bobwhite and Grouse, Gray Squirrels and if we had any, Prairie Chickens and Opossum.