Why a Scissortail?
By: Heather
People have asked us, “Why do you call yourself the Scissortail Squad”? Believe me…it was not easy coming up with our blog name. Trying to get 5 different people, with different opinions, life stories, thoughts, likes and dislikes to agree on a name was HARD, to say the least. Decisions in our group do not always come easy, in fact we struggle to get on the same page quite often. BUT that is what makes life fun and interesting. The important thing is that everyone in our Squad gets a voice and an opinion and the opportunity to share it.
The Scissortail:
Many years ago, the 5 of us got matching Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher tattoos. They were designed and drawn by the amazing and talented Sarah N. For us, this was a sign of friendship and a way to bond ourselves to each other. It is a memory I will never forget and each time I see my tattoo I’m reminded of my amazing friends and it helps me to remember to pray for them and reach out to them.
The Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher is the Oklahoma’s state bird. Oklahoma is very proud of the Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher and it’s even on our state license plate. All five of us met in Oklahoma at different times in our life. Although we do not all still live in Oklahoma …we found each other there and Oklahoma remains special to us. Fun fact: Only two members of the Scissortail Squad were born in Oklahoma. One member of the Squad was born in another country. I’ll let you guess which one.
We all love the long tail of a scissortail (hence it’s name haha). It’s beautiful in flight and if you haven’t seen one fly you must go look up a video right now. They are gorgeous and easy to spot in nature. On hard days, many of the squad members have spotted a scissortail flying. Every time we see a Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher it reminds us of our friendship and that we have each other to walk shoulder to shoulder with in life.
Also, Scissor-Tailed Flycatchers are very social birds. They roost in large communal groups and often stay with those roosts for the duration of their life span. This is just another thing we have in common with a Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher. We live our life as a group and we plan to be friends for the rest of our life.
A funny fact about our squad is that 3 out of the 5 of us actually have something called ornithophobia . This is actually just a fancy way of saying they hate birds and find them quite scary. If a large flock of birds were to come close to our squad, 3 of them would run for their lives. They believe birds look beautiful in artwork but in person they are horrifying.
When asked about why they dislike birds in real life this is how they responded:
Sarah N. ~ “They have shifty eyes and threatening beaks. They can’t be trusted. They also fly and they flock…That’s the worst . Have you seen the movie the birds?”
Sara C. ~ “Well….I got bit by a duck as a child. That’s where it began. Then I moved to Florida where stupid tourists like to throw Cheetos at seagulls which make them swoop down on you and snatch food out of your hand. Also, in my twenties when I worked at a preschool, there was a mocking bird that attacked people as they walked through the parking lot.”
Sarah N. ~ “Omg same for me! A goose! It started as a goose phobia and generalized beyond that to mostly domesticated foul but I don’t trust any birds.”
Sara C. ~ “A goose bit a little boy at the zoo the other day when his grandparents encouraged him to feed it. They laughed! I almost said “this is starting a lifetime of bird fear!! Stop laughing and start looking up therapists!” 
Heather ~ “Birds are just beautiful. They have beautiful feathers and different size wing spans. They come in all sorts of colors and they each have a unique sound. They are amazing! I love Birds!”
Sarah S. ~ “I don’t have a fear of birds. No trauma etched in my memory surrounding foul. Birds are interesting to me because of the freedom they have in flying. Birds are fine. They don’t bother me.”
Renata ~ “I don’t like Birds…flying anything – not my jam. I will avoid them.”
So it’s safe to say that when these ladies retire they will not be bird watching as their hobby!
