This morning brought an onslaught of robins to the juniper tree outside my office window. I thought that an onslaught last fall had eaten all the berries, but no. The robins are incredibly messy.
They were here yesterday, but today they brought friends – cedar waxwings, the loveliest birds ever!
A white-crowned sparrow got into the mix, but left too quickly for me to get a good photo.
Great way to start the morning!
arrieve
Beautiful birds. I love cedar waxwings, and occasionally see them in Central Park, but it’s rare. Robins, on the other hand, have occasionally kept me sane during this long dark locked-in winter. They are one of the few birds I can identify by sound, and they have such a beautiful song — it always made me smile.
Damien
Apologies for stomping COVID into a nice bird-related open thread, but I missed the last vax thread, so I wanted to put this out here and ask if anyone has had any similar experiences. Basically, I got my first dose on Sunday morning and by 4:30am Monday I was in the ER with excruciating back and leg pain, and a headache that managed to pound its way through every painkiller they threw at me up through IV dilaudid.
After contrast CT scans of my head and chest, every blood test under the sun, and getting blasted with steroids and magnesium, I finally walked out of the ER thirteen hours later with no answer as to what might have caused this. I honestly can’t think of what else could have conceivably led to this reaction, but everything I’ve read says the first Pfizer shot isn’t too bad, but the second one is an ass kicker.
Has anyone else here gotten stomped like this by the first go? I still haven’t 100% gotten out of brain fog today, and I’m really worried that getting the second one is going to straight up kill me!
Reassurances or ill-wishes equally appreciated.
dww44
@Damien: I’ve had both the Pfizer shots and no reaction like that at all. Sore joints and swollen lymph nodes, although those aftereffects are still with me to a lesser degree more than a month since the 2nd shot on February 17.
Wapiti
We have a cotoneaster tree over the front steps. The berries ripen into the winter, big clusters of red berries. When the weather gets cold, or just before it gets really cold for a few days, the robins appear. There’ll be 30 birds in the tree at a time, and they swoop in, eat a dozen berries and fly back out (anti-predator behavior?) to the surrounding conifers. There might be a couple hundred robins cycling in to get berries. And yes, they’re messy; I sweep up the fallen berries every few days so I don’t get little volunteer cotoneasters come spring.
The cotoneaster is also a good bee tree; it’s got thousands of small blossoms in season and the thing will be abuzz.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Damien: Wow. I’m glad you’re feeling better. (You are, right?) I hope someone can be reassuring
Betty Cracker
@Damien: No anecdata to add except everyone I know who’s had the Pfizer shots tolerated them well. I’m sorry you had such a hard time! That must have been scary and awful.
@arrieve: Robins are so cheery.
dww44
Cedar Waxwings are indeed gorgeous, as are your photos. I’ve only ever had them come through my yard once and that was late in the winter/early early spring passing through. Scoping for berries.
Right behind them are the red headed woodpecker and the Northern Flicker. All of them because of the exactness of the colors and their infrequent visits to my yard and neighboring woods. Almost as if they were part of a paint by number set and there was absolutely no smudging outside the lines.
zhena gogolia
@Damien:
Oh, I’m sorry. No, I had almost no reaction to the first Pfizer. I had the second one yesterday, and I’m very fatigued but that’s about it so far.
TaMara (HFG)
Oh, lovely bird photos! Spring is in the air.
The ducklings got a little bit of outdoor time yesterday. (I’ll do a full post on them later, but in case you needed your fix).
zhena gogolia
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cedar waxwing in person. That and the roseate spoonbill are on my bucket list, but it probably won’t happen. At least the spoonbill won’t because I’m not going to Florida.
zhena gogolia
@TaMara (HFG):
Cool! They are so white now!
dww44
@zhena gogolia: Not going because it’s too hot or the politics is too crazy?
Jharp
Agree with you on the cedar waxwings. So cool.
I haven’t seen them very many times but the few times I have I always see lots of them.
Kelly
@Damien: I had my first Pfitzer shot Monday. Sore arm for about a day and a half. Soreness cleared up Wednesday and I spent three hours paddling my kayak. Mrs Kelly had a shot Monday similar sore arm. My Mom has had both Pfitzer shots with minimal ill effects.
zhena gogolia
@dww44: All of the above. It just doesn’t appeal to me in any way.
Mike in NC
@Damien: Wife and I have had both shots with no side effects at all, FWIW…
Kelly
I also think Cedar Waxwings are the most handsome bird. They show up around here in summer when the wild chokecherries are ripe.
Jharp
@Damien:
I heard the same about the 2nd Moderna vaccine and it came true. I did not end up in the hospital but got as sick as I’ve ever been. The 1st shot gave me flu symptoms for one night. #2 was awful and lasted nearly a week.
WereBear
@Damien: Can’t reassure, but may the second one not even be noticed.
In my case, arm sore second day… fuzzy head and exhaustion but that’s my NEW normal…
VeniceRiley
@Damien: That’s awful. Hm. UK is trialing mixed dosing right now. It might be something to look into or ask your provider about if you’re still up for a second shot. If not, you’re still at 85% or so from one shot.
lee
@Damien:
My Dad is in a senior living apartment complex. If I remember correctly, there was a person that had a similar reaction back when they all got vaccinated.
WhatsMyNym
@Damien: I’m sorry to hear that, hope you feeling better soon. My 90+ mother had no problems with the 1st shot and just swelling/soreness on her arm for the the 2nd.
More likely to be a reaction to one of the additives in the shot, you really need to follow up with somebody before having the second. A have a friend who has problems with vaccines, and she had the Moderna. At least she was prepared for it.
I get my 1st Moderna shot this morning.
NeenerNeener
@zhena gogolia: And they’ve gotten so big!
Ken
Do juniper berries ferment over the winter? Some birds are notorious for waiting until the fruits are more than a little past their peak.
Another Scott
One for the shutterbugs – ScienceMag:
DragonflyTelescope.org:
Neato.
Cheers,
Scott.
Sister Golden Bear
@Damien: Honestly that sounds like something to talk with your doctor about, and get their opinion about whether you should get the second shot. The good news is that even the first shot provides 80% immunity, although I don’t know if it lasts as long.
Hope you feel better soon.
Jeffery
@Damien: I know someone who had a bad reaction to the first shot. Chills, fever, achiness. She is preparing for the same with the second shot.
I had both shots. The first hurt some but I think it was more the kid doing the shot. He moved the needle once it was in my arm. The second dose I didn’t realize had been given until the kid doing it was putting a bandaid on me. That had no reaction.
Talk to the people handling the shot. They want to know about bad reactions. See if they say get the second one or not. You do have some protection having had the first shot.
Damien
Thanks for the kind words everybody. I had been taking a course of steroids right before getting my shot, so that may have contributed as well, but I honestly have no idea. Everything I had heard about Pfizer was that it was overall the milder of the two double-dose, so I was really knocked off kilter when it was such a strong reaction.
Oh well, doing my part to end this pandemic.
@WhatsMyNym: I will check into the additives, that’s a really good idea. Thank you.
@lee: Glad to know I’m not a total medical anomaly, but since I’m only in my mid-30s I’m worried that I’m having the same reaction as a senior!
Ken
@Another Scott: Zoom — and enhance!
Eunicecycle
@Damien: I’ve also heard if you had Covid, the first vaccination will kick your butt. If you don’t think you had it, maybe you were asymptomatic. Definitely talk to your primary care doctor and report it to the CDC.
WaterGirl
@Damien: Sorry… that all sounds awful.
I have heard speculation that really strong first-shot reactions can be related to having had COVID. Is it possible that you had COVID previously
edit: comment written before seeing #30!
Elizabelle
@Damien: Sounds like you might be crazy allergic to one of the vaccine components?
Did you report your experience on v-safe? I would guess Pfizer/the CDC might want to follow up with you. Your experience is an outlier, for sure.
Are you going to get the second shot? In all honesty, you might be one of the people who just can’t take it, and why those of us who can need to be vaccinated.
Another Scott
@Ken: Indeed.
Relatedly, see #15 in the thread just below. Just astounding.
Cheers,
Scott.
Eunicecycle
@WaterGirl: Great minds!
zhena gogolia
Great video of Daveed Diggs’s house with his lovely partner Emmy Raver-Lampman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKUyX7cjum4
WereBear
I do. Steroids shut off the immune system; that’s what they are for; to knock down inflammatory response. That’s why they are the first response to dampen autoimmune issues, etc.
So if the shot kicked the immune system back into overdrive, that could explain a lot. See if you can’t discuss that with someone? Because I can’t believe it didn’t have something to do with it.
StringOnAStick
@Damien: The steroids very likely contributed to your reaction; talk to your doctor about it for sure.
lowtechcyclist
In terms of looks, my favorite local (southern Maryland) bird is the indigo bunting, which laughs at the notion that some other bird is called the ‘bluebird.’
Jackie
@Damien: My worst reaction was with Pfizer #1. I was prepared to have worse side effects with #2, but other than a sore arm, nothing.
Did the ER docs say anything about getting your follow-up 2nd vaccination?
J R in WV
@Damien:
After my second Moderna shot I was really sleepy, 12-14 hours plus a big nap for three days. Then not long after that ended up, I have been dealing with muscle cramps in all new places, and moving around some. I suffer from muscle spasms in my lower back chronically, and take hydro-codone from time to time. The cramps are like a charley-horse, but in my back, and they pinch nerves causing pain down my legs. No fun.
But since my second injection I have been using heating pads, liniment, and hydro-codone to fight muscle spasms in all new places. Stretching and walking helps a little, and I have been able to quit taking the pain meds in the daytime, but still need it at night, when I tend to cramp up from being still while asleep.
Sounds like we have had at least similar experiences, though I haven’t needed IV dilaudid, thankfully! I’m glad to hear someone else has had this kind of reaction, it makes me feel I’m not crazy to think the vaccination is related to the pain and cramping.
I still would take the vaccination again in a heartbeat!! Not dying or fearing death or disability is better than the alternative!
Back on topic, Cheryl, we have eastern juniper trees, which everyone here calls cedars, and there is a large one down by the old house site where we lived the first 15 years on the farm. We had a big sliding door out of the kitchen with a view of the big old tree.
One day while doing coffee and breakfast, we looked out and thought we were tripping because the tree was moving… it was a huge flock of cedar waxwings swarming on the tree, devouring the berries on their way through. We typically have a handful around the farm, but that was the most we’ve every seen, hundreds of them, and at first we only saw the tree moving, then catching on to the flock of beautiful birbs. They are amazing, those little pin stripes in red and yellow… thanks for taking time to photo and share!!!
ChuckInAustin
10-12 cedar waxwings were in a tree in my yard a couple of weeks ago. They must have flown north, I haven’t seen them again.
I have a couple of crows (maybe?) nesting nearby. They are very loud and I know why a group is called a murder of crows, because that’s what I want to do with them. :)
J R in WV
@J R in WV:
No steroids for me, am 70, so older. And Moderna, but same style of vaccine — mRNA. Again, glad to hear that other people have had similar reactions, not crazy yet.
Arthritis, muscle spasms, have had shoulder replacements, will eventually need more replacements, but they can’t replace all the painful joints, can they?
Nor would you want all that surgery!
You all take care, keep in touch.
Betsy
A white-crowned sparrow! Oh, I want to see one.
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
@TaMara (HFG): Wow. They’ve gotten so big! They must grow as fast as kittens :-). Thanks for the duckling fix.
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
Cedar Waxwings would come through Ukiah when the berries on the Chinese Pistache trees downtown were ripe. I first noticed them by looking up to find the source of the high whistling noise (their call) I heard. Lovely birds. They were smaller than I had imagined. I had expected them to be the size of Robins, for some reason
ETA: Great photos, BTW!
WaterGirl
@TaMara (HFG): Just like puppies… their feet look so big!
Adorable, thanks for the photos at the link.
bluefoot
@Damien:
It’s possible that you had an previous asymptomatic case of COVID. That would explain the serious reaction. You may also be allergic to one of the components. You should ask your doctor if she/he thinks you should get the second shot. (My guess is no.)
And report your reaction to Pfizer or directly to the FDA. (Anything reported to Pfizer will be forwarded to the FDA. It’s required under the EUA and normal vaccine safety surveillance rules.) There’s a page on the Pfizer website, or you can go to http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.