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Birding on TV; spring migrants elsewhere; romantic nuthatches



Hi Carolinabirders,

Several of the other birding listservs have mentioned a PBS show or 
series devoted to birding, by the Stokes. The latest message calls it 
"Stokes' Birds at Home", a 13-part series. I actually don't have a TV in 
my house at the moment, but could watch at a friend's house... Anyone 
know if the local PBS affiliates, either in the Triangle or elsewhere, 
are planning to show this series? There is a web site devoted to the 
series, but it simply says "Schedule coming" for all 11 North Carolina TV 
stations listed. The series has apparently already started showing in 
South Carolina, all 11 stations there list it as starting on March 25 and 
showing Saturdays at 6:30 PM.

While Carolina Chickadees are getting violent all over, my backyard 
White-breasted Nuthatches have gotten downright romantic. I watched a 
pair approach the suet feeder last weekend. One stopped several feet 
above. The other visited the feeder, pecked several times, then crept 
back up the tree and fed a chunk of suet to the other! I highly doubt 
nuthatches would be feeding fledglings at this time of year, so this must 
have been a pair bonding before they mate. I've seen Cedar Waxwings 
engage in similar pair-bonding behavior, passing a berry back and forth, 
but never nuthatches until now...

Meanwhile, start watching the skies! Hawk sightings are filtering in, 
including single Broad-wings here and there. No sign of big kettles yet, 
but the TEXBIRD server has been down for a couple of weeks since hackers 
crippled the National Audubon Society server, they would see them first. 
Meanwhile, MASSBIRD has reports of both Mississippi and Swallow-tailed 
Kites on Cape Cod! So do what Mr. Peachey says, remember to look up!

Good birding,

Josh



Joshua S. Rose
Duke University
Department of Zoology

jsr6@acpub.duke.edu
http://www.duke.edu/~jsr6/