Such an amazing post. On Thursday, April 16, 2020 at 4:16:33 PM UTC-6, Dave Leatherman wrote: > > Had 5 Cassin's Finches at Grandview Cemetery (GC) on the 14th. Every time > I could catch up with them and figure out what they were doing, they were > eating European Elm Scales gleaned from the branches of American Elms. > This seems to be the only report of late that mentions their eating > something other than seeds from cones (Suddjian) or at feeders (mob). > > > > No Cassin's Finches yesterday at GC, surprisingly ditto for today. > > As suspected, I have not seen the Red Crossbill adults or their two > fledglings since watching them fly west out of GC on the 13th. > > Several birds are eating adult hackberry gall-making psyllids of two types > at GC. These insects are emerging from their overwintering sites in the > bark to lay eggs on the buds (see photo). The bird species I've observed > nitpicking the tiny adults are: Black-capped Chickadees, Brown Creeper, > Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bushtits, Downy Woodpecker and Red-breasted > Nuthatches. > > > Hackberry bud with psyllid > eggs on left, adult psyllid on right (actual size is about 3mm). > > Cedar Waxwings are, of course, going after juniper cones (aka "berries") > but notably also have been heavily feeding on green ash flowers and > European Elm Scales. Before the hard freeze on the night of the 13-14th, > the ash flowers looked green and more edible than they did since suffering > freeze injury. But the waxwings persisted, as did the Fox Squirrels eating > them both before and after the freeze. > > > > Green Ash flowers on 4/13 before the hard freeze overnight. > > > Cedar Waxwing eating > Green Ash flowers on the 14th after they suffered freeze injury. > > Today in the winter wonderland of the cemetery, a robin was actively > defending "his" cone-laden female juniper against 8 or so Cedar Waxwings. > > There is a large adobe-looking building near the City Park swimming pool > called Club Tico. Today at least 20 Mountain Bluebirds came in to seek > refuge from the snow blowing in from the north by concentrating along the > building's south side, sitting in the Virginia Creeper vines, on window > sills, on electric boxes. The male's blue hue against snow is one of the > iconic color combo's we get to enjoy. Unfortunately I was not carrying my > camera at the time I had intimate opportunities to capture this. I did get > a few pics of birds on the building. > > > > A solo White Pelican tried to go unnoticed in the storm out on Sheldon > Lake. There are more Double-crested Cormorants at this lake than I have > ever seen (6 the other day, perhaps that many today). > > Had a fast-moving Red-naped Sapsucker at GC yesterday, first seen near the > middle moving ne into the neighborhood. If one uses their imagination in > looking at the one terrible photo I managed, there is red on nape. Got no > glimpse of the throat, but bird was an adult. > > My first Yellow-rumped Warbler this spring, an Audubon's, chipped along in > the saplings just w of Club Tico today. > > Dave Leatherman > Fort Collins >
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