Bird Language, Feb 3

Post date: Feb 05, 2018 5:51:20 PM

Bird Language, Feb. 3, MN River Wildlife Refuge. We sat in light snowfall on Saturday morning. The first period featured an agitated White-breasted Nuthatch in the southeast and a flock of Black-capped Chickadees moving north to south with an increase in agitation, such as more Ds in their calls. During this time a bird flew east to west along the south edge of the forest canopy very fast without flapping, perhaps a Sharp-shined Hawk. The Nuthatch and Chickadees may have been reacting to the hawk. During the third period a small group of Nuthatches moved from across the marsh into the sit area and made a continuous raucous for about five minutes. We wondered whether the hawk we saw earlier had made its way back into the area. During the third and fourth periods a number of people saw a Bald Eagle soaring in the north, probably far enough away to not disturb in the songbirds near us.