I walked around the Cornell Plantations early this morning and discovered around 200 CEDAR WAXWINGS perched in the top of an unknown species of oak. Small groups would fly down to an adjacent crabapple to get a fruit or two, then return to the oak. I spent some time watching, looking for Bohemians. Finally noticed that small groups were also flying up over the oak and exhibiting what appeared to me behavior identical to flycatching, i.e. flicking here and there with abrupt turns. I posited there were no insects about because of the temperature (mid-20's), then saw snow flurries were slowly falling-some single flakes, some aggregates of many flakes. I can't prove it, but strongly suspect these birds were actively pursuing snowflakes.
Also watched a female PILEATED WOODPECKER in a flowering crabapple tree (Malus hupahensis) eating fruit. Fruit was soft, dull red, wrinkly, and 5/8" diameter. It swallowed 8 while I was there. If a stem came with the apple when plucked, the bird would violently shake its head to dislodge them stem. Steve Fast Brooktondale -- 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/ --
