Sunday's Double Feature

Part I-The Wangunk Meadows

It sure was a beautiful day Sunday! It was only about 50 degrees or so when I arrived at the Fairgrounds in Portland at about 6:30 am. I took a nice 5 mile round trip walk along side the Connecticut River in the Wangunk Meadow area. I check this area regularly to see what's coming and going.

The first thing that caught my attention was the sound of Indigo buntings.they were making their little "spik" sound. Someone told me it sounds like a wet chip note to them. I saw 8 Indigo buntings in a relatively small area. They were mostly females in non-breeding plumage.

I was listening to a Carolina Wren repeating its pit-a-tweet, pit-a-tweet, pit-a-tweet song (my version). Suddenly a Gray Catbird started making the classic catbird squawk right near the wren. The Carolina Wren continued with the same song pattern, but switched to a higher octave after the catbird started making noise. Was this just coincidence? I'll have to pay attention the next time I hear a wren change octaves. Have you noticed any interesting bird behavior recently?

One thing that I thought to be strange, was that I did not see a single Red-winged Blackbird.There is usually Red-winged Blackbirds here right in to the fall. Last year, there was huge flocks of them for most of October. I wonder if it has anything to do with the area being so dry this year, or if they've moved on already. Are you noticing any migration patterns or changes in your area?

Other birds of interest included: Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawks, Belted Kingfisher, 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 3 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-eyed Vireo, and 4 Wood Ducks flying over. I also saw a female Purple Finch.The white eyebrow was visible, but it was a distant view.

Part II-Backyard Cousins

I spent a couple of hours in the afternoon just relaxing in my backyard. I haven't done that often enough this year. This little Black-capped Chickadee seems to be waiting for water droplets to land in his mouth. These birds are definitely one of my favorites. They're always buzzing around, and don't mind me getting close to them .They seem to scold me when I'm nearby, but they stand their ground.

Here are a couple of interesting facts about this bird:

• Their song(chick-a-dee-dee) is one of the most complex vocalizations in the animal kingdom. It serves as a contact call, an alarm call, to identify an individual, or to indicate recognition of a particular flock.
• They can remember where they hid their food for up to 28 days! I can't remember for that long (of course I wouldn't want it after 28 days).
• They can drop their temperature by about 10-12 degrees Celsius at night to conserve energy.
• They have a definite pecking order within a flock.
  

The Tufted Titmouse seems to be a little bit lest trusting than the chickadees. They are fun birds to have around as well though.They make a lot of interesting sounds. Many times, they fool me with their sounds, making me think they're another bird.

Here are a few facts about the Tufted Titmouse:

• Most individuals spend their entire life within an area of just a couple of miles.
• They only live in areas where they get at least 24" of rain annually.
• They were regarded as messengers according to Cherokee legend. I could see that-they definitely are talkative birds.

I don't have anything to say about this Red-breasted Nuthatch, except that I'm glad that he's still hanging around my feeders. Who's been hanging around your feeders lately?- (besides your neighbors).