Thout I Thaw a Cicada

I did, I did see a cicada last Friday at the Triangle Restaurant in Grayslake. I was having breakfast with Kip and looked out the window. I saw a sparrow chasing a good-sized bug around.

It got closer to the window and I could see that it was a cicada. The sparrow kept grabbing it and vigorously shaking it back and forth. Either it would let it go or it would escape and the whole process would be repeated. Finally, the sparrow managed to get both wings off and the cicada ceased moving. Evidently, sparrows do not like the wings. The sparrow then grabbed it and flew away for a hard-won meal.

I understand the birds are gorging themselves in the older suburbs of Chicago. However, I have yet to see one or hear one out in Spring Grove. I don't expect to see any around here because the subdivision was only started in 1992, and this brood of 17 year cicadas were born in 1990. If you disturb the soil, it kills them. Plus, our house was a farmer's field back in 1990.

Wondering Where the Cicadas Are. --RoadDog