A grind of blackbirds

The Brewer's blackbirds were having a convention down at Tyee Spit. A noisy, chattering bunch, all very busy with their convention duties.

Euphagus cyanocephalus, male. The scrap of paper is a cigarette label; I didn't see it at the time. The legend reads: "Fumee du tabac est toxique". (Tobacco smoke is poisonous: obligatory warning on all tobacco products in Canada.)

The female is a plain, greyish brown, sometimes with dark eyes, sometimes with a bit of yellow.

Part of his workout routine?

Reception commitee. Not exactly welcoming.

In the distance, a work crew, 32 females.

Looking grumpy; it's that yellow eye that does it.

(The collective noun for a flock of blackbirds, including the Brewer's, is a cloud or a grind.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Los tordos de Brewer se habían reunido para un congreso en Tyee Spit. Era un grupo muy activo, pájaros todos intentos en su tarea, pero sin dejar de platicar.

1. Euphagus cyanocephalus, macho. El papel es parte de la etiqueta de un cigarrillo; el aviso dice, "Fumee du tabac est toxique". (El humo de tabaco es tóxico: advertencia obligatoria en cada producto que contiene tabaco en Canadá.)
2. La hembra se viste de color pardo; a veces tiene ojos oscuros, a veces con amarillo.
3. ¿Parte de su programa de ejercicios?
4. El comité de recepción. No tiene aspecto muy hospitalario.
5. En la distancia, un grupo (32) hembras, muy ocupadas.
6. Los machos tienen una mirada al parecer malhumorada; debido, creo, a ese ojo amarillo.

A rapport* of hermits

Hermit crabs are absurdly misnamed. Here's what Dictionary.com says about "hermit":

her·mit  [hur-mit]
noun
1. a person who has withdrawn to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
2. any person living in seclusion; recluse.
3. Zoology . an animal of solitary habits.

#1 is irrelevant; as far as I can tell, hermit crabs are not religious. #2 refers to humans, but the idea of seclusion is there. #3 would be the definition applied. But hermit crabs are anything but reclusive; "solitary habits" do not suit their lifestyle. They're gregarious, love company, and do not do well alone. One website even mentions that they appreciate a mirror for added company; I will have to supply mine with one.

When we find them on the beach, it is usually in a crowd, sometimes of a hundred or more, including several distinct species; they do not seem to have any tribal leanings.

To stock my tank, I brought home several handfuls of hermits; now there are about 16 hermits, hairy hermits, grainy hand hermits, and greenmarks**, living in the aquarium. (There may be more; every now and then a shell like a grain of rice starts walking about; it's been borrowed by a hermit so small I didn't realize it was there.)

Stacked hermits

These are four of the larger ones, hanging out together. When I first saw them, all three smaller ones were piled on top of the weight lifter in the big whelk shell. He is a grainy hand hermit, recognizable by the red antennae, and the bluish legs. The other three are hairies (dotted-line antennae, possibly blue knees); greenmarks have red antennae and orange stripes on the legs, and are much smaller.

The shore crabs, now; they are the true hermits. Each one lives alone in his little hideaway; coming face to face with another, they raise their pincers in a challenge: "Back off!"

* A collective noun for a group of crabs is "cast"; a cast of crabs. I couldn't find one for hermits, so I've invented one.

**Hairy hermits are Pagurus hirsutiusculus; Grainy hands, Pagurus granosimanus; Greenmarks, Pagurus caurinus.