On Saturday, January 6, we had a cold weather bird sit. Based on scouting
by participants in the Ring 2 activity before the group sit, there was
no signs of birds in the sit area. But by 10:30 am when the sit started,
activity was picking up. The first period started with a hawk flying
through the northwest part of the sit area toward the Visitors Center.
Birds were very quiet in that area. After the
hawk flew through a Black-capped Chickadee called with what sounded
like an "all clear" signal. Later we heard from feeder watchers in the
Visitors Center that a Sharp-shinned hawk flew by the feeders at about
that time. Throughout the sit we observed a feeding flock of Chickadees
and White-breasted Nuthatches in the southwest part of the sit area.
They started relatively high in the canopy, but during Period 4 the
Chickadees dropped with a couple of them feeding near the ground. We
also heard a Chickadee sing its song that we often hear in springtime,
usually not during a cold day in the winter!  |
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