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more yard birds



I continue to be delighted with the avian diversity at our new house (yay!
NO house sparrows!).  While working from home yesterday, I saw all of our
(apparently) usual suspects at our feeders, including male and female sets
of Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Pine Warblers, and Cardinals, several
Field Sparrows, a lone Song sparrow, Brown-headed and White-breasted
Nuthatch, assorted Chickadees, Tutmice and Juncos, and the Hermit Thrush.
OK - the Hermit Thrush didn't eat from any of the feeders - just from the
ground around them.  Still, it is a regular and I love watching him (her?).
Also not eating at the feeders, but hanging around enough to almost be a
regular is a Brown Creeper.

The highlight of yesterday was watching the male Downy cling for several
minutes to the side of the tree just next to our suet feeder.  He was so
completely motionless that I became concerned that he was somehow stuck or
injured.  Since I couldn't find any visible sign of injury or anything that
would prevent him moving through my binoculars, I just watched him.
Eventually he turned his head and pecked, pecked, pecked, in a line towards
the suet feeder.  My guess is he was eating some of the ants that like to
march up the tree and help themselves to the suet.  It was really neat to
watch.
:) Laura

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It is not possible to simultaneously prevent and prepare for war.

Laura J. Lewis-Tuffin, Ph.D.
Dept. of Neurobiology  Duke University
DUMC Box 3209  Durham, NC 27710
lab, (919)681-4270  fax, (919)684-4431

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