The other day I was enjoying watching a mixed flock of birds, hoping for a warbler or 2 to pop up when I noticed that there was a Bushtit hanging by its tail -- caught on some sort of twig, it was totally helpless, flapping a little, head pointed to the ground. The interesting thing was that one by one, all the other Bushtits in the flock tried to free it, going over to the spot where it was caught and pulling on the twig and feather. Since there is probably no other bird species that's more communal than a Bushtit, this seemed not too surprising. However, they weren't having any luck. Finally a Chickadee went to the spot with a look that plainly said, "Come on you guys, it's a simple matter!" (Sorry for anthropomorphizing but that's how it appeared.) Now anyone who has ever banded birds knows that a Chickadee's bill is one of the most formidable and accurate of sharp objects imaginable! Sure enough -- in a second the Bushtit was released!
Mary Kay Waddington -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAA-Db7eJHB3mhQnNtc2er8dts3ZQLUD-qeb%2B0w%2BAK1qJDswsWw%40mail.gmail.com.
