I just spotted a male Indigo Bunting at the thistle feeder. His blue feathers were all the more brilliant surrounded by the yellow of the American Goldfinches.
I think that the Dark-eyed Juncos have travelled north to find nesting grounds. There were a couple of Purple Finchs still hanging around this weekend, but other than that I've seen all the usual summer companions. We're inundated with Chipping Sparrows who are just adorable (and relatively fearless) little birds. I spotted a Brown Thrasher in some undergrowth yesterday. Red-Winged Blackbirds are abundant and even if you can't see them, you sure can hear them! I've seen masses of Brown-headed Cowbirds, who are undoubtedly on the lookout for vacant nests to deposit their parasitic eggs for an unsuspecting bird to raise. I saw 9 Blue Jays stocking up on cracked corn yesterday, so they must be raising little ones. Oh, and there was the Eastern Phoebe hawking yesterday.
As if on cue, I just witnessed a Cooper's Hawk take down what looked like an American Crow. There was a good deal of flapping, but the Cooper's soon got the bird in its talons and killed it. While standing on the bird, it began to eat it. I managed to get out onto the deck with my binoculars and watched it eat part of the bird, then give a couple of warning "caks!", then fly off with the dead bird in its talons. Again, I'm not sure if it was indeed a crow. It could have been a Common Grackle, but I don't think so because it was too large for one. I suspect that for a Cooper's to go after such a large target, she (or he) has a couple of mouths to feed.
Posted by Elizabeth at April 18, 2005 11:51 AMThe indigos are back? That's awesome! Too bad I can't be at home today to see them.....or that impressive catch by the cooper's hawk :)
Posted by: Paul at April 18, 2005 12:56 PM