Altho I don't have a huge number of them, the Downy Woodpeckers have pecked numerous holes in my wooden house and finally made a nice round hole in the garage roof soffit, where a few of them are living. I saw one coming out! Then yesterday, after dawn, I went out to fill the feeders and the deck rails with bird seed (half my back deck being a giant bird, squirrel and possum feeder) and saw that three Downies were perched silently and quite still, each on one of the suet logs or cages. They remained still on their perches even as I walked quietly by them, 2 feet away. As I worked my way down the rail with food, one finally flew to the nearby tree branch but the other 2 remained as I went back into the screened section of the porch and inside the house. Were they still stupefied by the over night cold and trying to warm up to begin feeding?
Meanwhile, when there is a snow storm here I have large numbers of Mourning Doves (at least 36), A. Goldfinches (at least 48) and lots of (DE Juncos, more than other years, at least 12), along with the other usual feeder birds I have each day. I need to write a grant proposal to get money to buy more bird (squirrel, possum) seed! Donna L. Scott Lansing From: bounce-118788770-15001...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-118788770-15001...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Bill Mcaneny Sent: Friday, February 06, 2015 10:46 AM To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: [cayugabirds-l] "The Birds" I have a suspicion that our yard just became the set for the famous movie. When I put seed out this am (about 8:30) a swarm of Bluejays (about 20) swept in and attacked the breakfast while I was still standing about 5 feet away. That's 2 to 3 times the usual number of jays. Then a half hour ago, the Tippi Hedron moment began as 300 crows swarmed into the trees around the house. This is a first for us. The last of the crows just left (10:34). In the meantime, half the flock flew down to the Boy Scout camp across rte 89. Some lined up along the shoulders of 89, just the way they have been doing for the past week on Cayuga View Rd nearby. None of the crows came in to our feeders the way all the Bluejays did, although their behavior suggested they were hungry. Well, I will let you all know when the gulls arrive and start pecking holes in the doors. Bill McAneny, TBurg -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> Rules and Information<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Archives: The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> Surfbirds<http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> BirdingOnThe.Net<http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>! -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
