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Morris Creek, 4/27/2000




At the feeders this morning was a single Rose-breasted Grosbeak male in
beautiful feather. Also of note at the feeders this morning were 10-12 Pine
Siskins, returning after a three day absence.  Heard but not seen this
morning in the yard was a Black-throated Green Warbler who repeated "zoo zee
zoo zoo" several times before he managed "zoo zee zoo zoo zee".  This
afternoon down by the pond was a Spotted Sandpiper.  Oddly enough, also of
note today was the Mockingbird who nests in the neighbor's front yard.  The
Mockingbird was doing some very good renditions of Flicker (the
"wikka-wikka-wikka" call) and the first half of a Wood Thrush's song (he
hasn't gotten the wobbling trill at the end of a Wood Thrush's song down -
yet) among others.  This Mockingbird's Phoebe is so good that the Pewee
abandoned his shady haunts in the woods and sat in the yard on top of a dead
stub to battle "the other flycatcher". If this is the same bird from last
summer, I will shortly hear the "nippee tuk tuk" alarm call of the Summer
Tanager and the single note call of the Phoebe.  The other mimic at work in
the yard is the "Jayhawk", a Blue Jay who does an almost perfect
Red-shouldered Hawk, a perfect Broad-winged Hawk (he only lacks volume) and
a decent Red-tailed Hawk.  His Broad-wing is so good I stood on the porch
Saturday afternoon looking for the Broad-wings in trees in the yard, only to
laugh out loud upon seeing this crested blue head ringed by a black necklace
poke through the oak leaves, checking to be sure he had cleared the platform
feeder.

A few days back there was a post asking about Parulas on or nearly on the
ground.  Up here in the Piedmont where there is no Spanish Moss for the
Parulas to nest in, I see Parulas on the ground at least once every nesting
season. It is always a female, gathering nesting material ("reindeer moss",
the silky tops of last year's "broomstraw").  Usually she is so intent on
her task that she seems not to see the observer.  I had one once so focussed
on collecting the silky tops of the fallen broomstraw that she was not more
than six inches from the toe of my shoe (talk about a birding moment when
you dare not breathe!) and apparently oblivious to my presence.

Donna Bailey
Winnsboro, SC
e-mail: dsbailey@conterra.com
URL: http://www.conterra.com/dsbailey
     "Where are the Birds?  Migration across South Carolina"
URL: http://www.conterra.com/dsbailey/audubon	
    "Columbia Audubon Society"