Dear Tweeters,

I found another interesting selection in Bent, this one in his discussion of
the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker:

Major Bendire (1895), half in jest, we may presume, brings an accusation of
inebriety against the sapsucker in these words:

"That it should be fond of the sweet sap of trees does not surprise me, as
this contains considerable nourishment, and likewise attracts a good many
insects, which the birds eat; but it is not so easy to account for its
especial predilection for the sap of the mountain ash, which has a decidedly
bitter taste, and I believe possesses intoxicating properties, unless it be
taken for the latter purpose; and the fact that after drinking freely of the
sap of this tree it may often be seen clinging to the trunk for hours at a
time, as if stupefied, seems to confirm this view. It is well known that
some of our birds indulge in such disreputable practices, and possibly this
species must be included in the number, as there are sots among birds as
well as among the genus Homo."

Well, I guess that gives us something else to watch for on the mountain ash!
Of course, we will avoid anthropomorphic interpretation of the behavior,
purists that we are. True, Bent and Bendire may have had more fun.

Darrel Whipple
Rainier, Oregon
dwhipple at columbia-center.org