Dick's Hideaway

Shameless showoffs

Dick MacKenzie

The Whiskeyjacks are superb entertainers.

Their flair and fun flappings bring a hint of dinner theatre to a lazy afternoon.

I thought I was alone today, tucked away into a delightful bird world, loving the acrobatics, cherishing the moments, admiring the showings off of three big gray jays pecking suet balls while hanging upside down furiously slapping their flaps to maintain an equilibrium known only to themselves.

In a while, though, I noticed other observers keeping keen eyes on nature's basket dancers, too. Blue Jays, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Redpolls, Pine Siskens, Pine Grosbeaks all gazed at the antics from their formal upright postures while pitting and spitting seeds.

Even without applause, the Whiskeyjacks returned all afternoon for encore after encore. They are delightful, but absolutely shameless, show offs.