Hi all,
Things as of today have calmed down birdwise in my yd. But up till today a few
changes occurred. After the on & off rains of last week I had alot of
Hummingbirds arrive in my yd.,9/23-9/26. Generally at this time of year I have
from 4-5 hummers in the yd. BUT 9/23, I'm guessing I had 11-12 different
hummers : 2 Black-chinned, 8 Broad-tailed, 2 Rufous. The 11-12 birds stayed
thru 9/26, with about 7 individuals today. Over the years for these dates, I've
only had daily, about 4-5 hummers.
On 9/23, two Wilson's Warblers, several Yellow-rumped Warblers and one female
Lazuli Bunting, and my first Mountain Chickadee of the fall arrived. The latter
bird is still here. I usually have a pair of Mountain Chickadee or just one in
my yard over the winter, but not as arriving as early as 9/23. I've had
Wilson's Warblers and Yellow-rumped Warblers on & off since 9/23. The usual yd.
birds also: Red-breasted & White-breasted Nuthatches, Lesser & American
Goldfinch, Spotted Towhees, Downy woodpecker, and many Northern Flickers, and
Black-capped Chickadees & Blue Jays. Since the owls arrival in mid June most of
the Robins have left.
I have not had as many songbirds the last 2 summers because of resident
Great-horned Owls. This year 2 Great-horned Owls have stayed in my yd. on and
off,[young]. On 9/25, I looked up in my Cottonwood tree to see the Owl, but
the bird's shape looked different. AH! It was sitting tight on a cottontail,
with it's talons clenched into the beast. This was around 2pm when I saw the
Owl. The rabbit's head was gone at this point. The Owl half nodded a bit, then
it took a small chunk out of the rabbit. This behavior of nodding out, then
opening up the eyes, and of picking at the rabbit continued for about 45
minutes.[I had to leave then]. I'm sure these Owls are aware if another one is
in the area, or another predator might be around . SO, in the bird world, hang
on for dear life with your talons, or your food may become someone elses. It
was interesting to watch.
Better yet, one week ago a different Great-horned Owl was sitting in a nearby
tree. A juvenile Cooper's Hawk sat about 4 feet away from this Owl and
continued to call Kack, kack, kack, over and over again as this individual Owl
nodded on & off. Interesting, one year ago the same situation happened in my
yd. That time it was an adult Cooper's calling at a Great-horned Owl. Unlike
the juvenile Cooper's behavior of just sitting near the Owl, from a week ago,
the adult Cooper's lunged at and touched the Owl several times with it's wings.
Almost the same thing again, except the Owl was not nodding on & off. It WAS
instead, looking at the Cooper's and then turning it's head away from the
Cooper's. Life in the fast lane.
Happy Birding!
Tina Jones
Littleton, Jefferson County, CO
one block away from Denver County
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