This greeting, with the bird and the champagne bottle, reminded me of a very hilarious scene that was played out on the deck of my St. Clair River home each year.
There was a large choke cherry tree growing in a well in the deck. These cherries would fall on the deck - lie in the sunlight - and ferment.
The big-rosy-chested doves were well aware of the feast that awaited them. Each year they would show up to gorge themselves on the fermented fruit. They would scurry around the deck, in a drunken stupor, falling over, bumping into walls and each other, and they were just a hoot to watch. They must have communicated to their brethren about the alcoholic feast that lay awaiting them, because each year more and more of them would show up to partake.
If I hadn't observed it with my own eyes, I would never have believed how they reveled in the debauchery of their drunken states. They put on this performance outside of my window every year, without fail.
It made me realize that humans, also, could make fools of themselves with the heady stuff. We don't often attribute such behavior to birds. But, I often witnessed it with sea gulls - in another manner. When the winter ice would break up and come swiftly down the fast current of the St. Clair River, the sea gulls would hitch a ride on a big hunk of floating ice - ride down the river for a couple miles - and then fly upstream to find another ice berg for a free ride. They were, very obviously, enjoying the experience.
I send my best wishes to all of you for a happy, healthy and prosperous new year - and, most of all, I wish for peace on earth.
