Piggy Pops they’re not
Phil Taunton
Friday, April 27, 2007
Alfred, Lord Tennyson once wrote, “In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.”
Such thoughts might have held true back in 1842, or as late as 1969 as far as I know. But that was before I got married and now turned onto spring fishing opportunities, morel mushrooms and wild turkey hunts.
Canada geese are in pairs and, to the dismay of park and golf course managers, some are nesting. Starlings and house sparrows also are building nests in my bluebird and martin houses.
Our “war of wills” has been escalating and will turn into a sordid, nasty affair lasting all summer. These birds are opportunists like the geese, but they have other places to nest. I check on the martin houses every opportunity and remove these unwanted pesky species. The martins don’t seem to mind and appreciate a good landlord.
Snakes take advantage of a free meal and eat eggs and young nestlings, so a bit of caution, especially if you need to stand on a ladder to inspect and clean out the martin house. Snakes have been found in these nesting boxes. I have known them to climb as high as 14 feet up the metal poles supporting the house. Wasps also might build in the houses.
Martin houses need to be monitored if you are to keep a successful colony year after year. Tall trees now growing close to where you might once have had a successful martin colony might be another reason for abandonment. I cut down and pruned several trees to reestablish my colony.
Every spring, bird watchers eagerly await the return of their purple martins, and devotees run to their windows and doors at the very hint of each and every new arrival’s joyous greeting. I now count 18 martins, give or take a couple. Previous experience tells me to expect new arrivals until the first of June.
Families and friends often wage bets as to who will see the first martin and who will have the most birds take residence and raise the most young. Those blessed with just one pair will enjoy the purple martin’s song, friendship and delightful antics in flight from sunrise to sunset, day after day, during their short procreating visit to the northland.
One such bet always comes to mind and, believe me, when Wifeus lost this bet, the whole family paid the price. My father, who was from the South and had some 12 or 13 brothers and sisters, had a terrible hankering for chitterlings. I had heard a lot about this delicacy from him and also wanted to try them.
Chitlins, as in “I’m going to lay your chitlins out, Phillip, if you don’t straighten up,” are what he called them. Chitterlings are made from the small intestines of young pigs. You can bet with such a large family and living on a farm, Grandma Taunton cooked everything she could muster from the critter except the squeal.
My betrothed also had a terrible hankering and a sweet tooth to boot. And she isn’t opposed to making a wager or two. Wifeus fancied a dozen of Pop’s patented homemade cream puffs. The bet was on. Myrna said we would have martins back to our colony by March 31 and Herman said, because of cold, damp weather, it would be much later.
Two pounds of fried chitterlings was on the line pitted against a dozen cream puffs. Let me tell you, Myrna was all eyes and ears around the house, but come evening on the last day, she was still martinless and admitted defeat.
As my poor dear was cooking chitterlings and turnips the very next day with all the windows and doors open and a handkerchief tied around her face resembling some sort of bandito, who would show up bursting with joy and landing on the birdhouse, but the martins. The wife wasn’t a happy camper, and I never had the heart to tell her they were on the back side of the house the day before but were silent and inactive, conserving their energy due to the cold weather.
Texas Hold ’Em poker players have never had such a bad beat.
I tried the chitlins. Only once in this lifetime, I “garontee” you! What a malodorous affair and definitely not for me. I can only surmise I had them confused with cracklings or a staple most outdoor people are addicted to known as skins or bacon rinds. Piggy Pops, they’re not!
Camp Alexandercould use your old martin house
Camp Alexander is a great outdoor wildlife learning site. It offers day camps for youngsters and scouts during the summer and also is enrolled with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks as a Community Fisheries Assistance Program (CFAP). This means anyone can fish the two ponds and the Neosho River from Camp grounds at any time.
Camp Alexander also is interested in your old martin house. If you wish to donate your abandoned house to use on these grounds, or for more information about activities at Camp Alexander, please call the Camp office at 342-1386.