Yesterday I spent the day at home adding feeding stations. We had a beautiful Yellow-rumped Warbler eating suet scraps from the deck railing - he had the brightest and most distinct yellow crown I have ever seen on a Y-r, not fuzzy at all like Sibley's. The male R-b Grosbeak was parked alternately at the suet and new mixed seed feeder tray. Both goldfinches and siskins at the nyger socks, and the usual gang of woodpeckers, chickadees and nuthatches.
I erected a new pole in the garden with a big black oil sunflower seed feeder on it. We haven't had a ground level pole since we moved to S Danby Rd for fear of bears. This morning I found the pole uprooted and on its side about ten feet from where it had stood, seed feeder empty and nyger sock ripped up. I think a strong raccoon could have pushed it over with the gravitational help of the heavy seed feeder, but I doubt that it would have been dragged so far out of position, so I am guessing we might have a bear. Tonight in better light I will examine the area for signs. I may re-erect the pole and try to stay up to see who visits. Our seed is in tight-lidded galvanized trash cans on the second story deck. I am a bit concerned that we may be inviting disaster - stairs aren't a big obstacle. As much as I'd love to see a bear here, I would rather not. -- asher -- 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/ --
