AS THE CROW FLIES
Elinor Miller's Birding Columns
MORE SUMMING UP OF YARD BIRDS (2/12/04)
There was no room in my last column to report the 130 bluebirds that 25 happy readers recorded. In groups of 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, they appeared in all areas of the Cape. One element their hosts had in common was a heated or open bird bath.
March may seem early for our birds to start nesting, but bluebirds will soon be doing just that. If you hope to attract a pair of these stunning birds, you should have your houses up and ready for them. Since I have discussed so often in the past the specifics of houses and habitat that bluebirds require, I’m going to refer you to these earlier columns. Go to my website as listed in the last paragraph below, click on “birding” and then on “bird columns,” scroll down to Bird Houses for Bluebirds; Color Cape Cod Blue; and Bluebirds Dazzle Cape Codders. The recipe for the Miracle Meal for bluebirds and other non-seedeaters is at the top of my FAQ. If you don’t access the Internet at home, then go to your local library, where a librarian will get you online.
Speaking of birds that are ready to nest at this barely-spring time, I encourage you to listen for the drawn-out tremulous, rather high-pitched call of screech owls serenading each other at dusk and on into the evening. Our pair has joined those around the state in this annual courting ritual. Great horned owls are calling (often dueting) now, but are ahead of the screech owls in having begun their nesting in January or early February, the valiant females sitting tight on their eggs, even under a mantle of several inches of snow.
In my last column, I promised reports on hawk sightings. I paraphrase a scene as described by William Babcock, Cotuit, but one experienced by many others. “Our hopper feeder is off our deck. On January 23, we heard a thump just outside the sliders, turned, and saw a male cardinal flying off in one direction and a female cardinal lying on her back, feet in the air, on the deck. This scene barely had time to register before a dark grey-blue blur swept across the deck and left it bare; no female cardinal lying there any more.”
The Ed Lamberts of Centerville described a similar event. “We were sitting at the kitchen table when all of a sudden there was a racket outside. Birds were flapping every which way. We saw a blur and heard a bang against the side of the house right at the windows. A sharp-shinned slammed around the house corner on the deck, hit the sliding glass door, sat stunned for a second or two, then flew to a large tree where he composed himself for about a minute before flying off.” Apparently the hawk attempted to grab a finch off the thistle feeder but flew into the strong wire lines that extend from the feeders to nearby trees, severing the line and many of the feeders on it, leaving a mess on the ground.
Maurice Joffe, Harwich, reported that while watching the birds feed, a Cooper’s hawk swooped down and grabbed a finch from the feeder. This same hawk comes to visit several days a week around noon.
In December Muriel Locklin of Teaticket observed a peregrine falcon, in its orange-breasted phase, catch a northern flicker. She also noted a sharp-shinned hawk in January that was acting disoriented, flying short distances and standing on one leg in 5-degree weather.
Linda Juskiewicz of E. Falmouth related several exciting stories. Here’s one with a slightly different twist. “This past fall, I was outside when something scared the birds at the feeders. One pine warbler crashed into the window where I was and fell on my arm. It sat there dazed. Because of the way my arm was positioned, I prodded the bird down onto my hand. It was more beautiful close up than seen through binoculars! I was able to see the white circle around the eye, the gorgeous mustard yellow of the breast and the hairs around the beak. The bird stayed for about 20 minutes, then flew to the bushes.”
Another story of Linda’s: “This past winter, I was counting birds for Cornell. A hawk flew into the yard and feeder birds scattered. A junco crashed into the window. The hawk came close to the house. I ran out, scooped the little bird up and came back into the house. The junco sat perched on a chair back for 30 minutes before moving and I was able to let it back outside.”
A N. Eastham reader reported a possible sharp-shinned that was stomping on something in the snow. “He finally started tearing flesh and feathers off the victim. I checked with the scope but could not determine what bird it was. The eating, with frequent and long rests, took hours, as he stood over the victim, rested and digested. After he flew into a nearby tree, I checked the remains: A long black beak and a few down feathers. Everything else was devoured.”
Red-tailed hawks figured into many reports. Although most do migrate south in the fall, obviously, many remain in our area. Peggy Hanson of Eastham described a redtail “tearing up a squirrel just 15 feet from the kitchen window. He didn’t carry off the squirrel but dismembered it on the ground, making repeated visits during the day, until at early evening only the the tail was left. By next morning, even the tail was gone.” How’s that for the end of a good tale?
I have a question I want you to ponder: Which bird heralds spring for you? There's been a lengthy discussion about this on the MassBird hotline. Next year on the feeder count this will be one of my questions, so you have plenty of time to think this through!
Please send your comments and anecdotes about birds to me in care of the Cape Cod Times, 319 Main Street, Hyannis, MA 02601 or, if you use email, to emiller@seepub.com. I regret that because of an overwhelming amount of mail, I cannot respond to each of you personally. However, I have added a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section to the web page with my current and past bird columns, now found at http://home.comcast.net/~elliemiller/index.html. If you can’t find the answer to your question there, try Bird Watcher’s Digest at 1-800-879-2478 or check out their FAQ at www.birdwatchersdigest.com.
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