Bee Minus

It was a feast day at Bonelli when I visited last Wednesday. Ripe berries attracted American Robins and Cedar Waxwings. Even Western Bluebirds momentarily ceased chasing insects to join in the berry-eating frenzy. All that commotion resulted in partly eaten fruits, juices oozing tantalizingly attracting myriads of bees.

Which in turn got the attention of bee-eating birds. I watched the amazing providence of nature unfold before me and noticed something interesting: birds that prey on bees do so by catching the insects at their behinds - where the stingers are - and not grabbing them by the head as I expected. Which brought about even more questions to ponder...Wouldn't it be a quicker death to the bee if the birds bit the head? Isn't the sting of the bees poisonous..wouldn't that hurt the tongue of the bird?

Answers, anyone?

Black Phoebe

Cassin's Kingbird

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