Birding Mail - Georgia Birding List - [GABO-L] Cedar Waxwings and Pileated woodpeckers, Tyrone, Fayette, Ga , 020912

0830-0900am

Glanced out the back window and a pair of Pileated were checking out a tree
nest in my neighbor's yard; a pair had raised a couple of young in it two
years ago.

A few minutes later a couple of hundred Cedar Waxwings were all over my
trees, poplar, black gum, sweet gum, pine. They were hitting the lower wild
cherry, etc. getting the fruit brought in by the freeze last night. They are
gradually leaving now; and I can see some scattered in the neighborhood
small trees. Still have many berries left so hope to see them again. I have
had small flocks for a week or so, but this had wings fluttering everywhere
you looked, high and low and over into neighbor yards.

I did not post it a week or so ago, because it's almost unbelievable, but a
couple of 'tree' ducks were checking out the same Pileated nest. I happened
to glance out and one was descending through the trees and landed
momentarily on the top of the tree that is broke off 4' above the nest hole.
Another came down and approached the nest and they both were gone. At first
I of course thought they were Pileateds, but the vertical flight position in
the trees with smooth neck and duck head were clear enough. I assumed
whistling duck of some kind, but size seemed smaller and I haven't seen wood
ducks enough in the trees like that to identify as silhouettes in the
morning light. At least, this is very interesting in this housing
development. We have a beaver influenced wet area about a third of a mile
away and this could be what got them here. When we moved here 10 years ago,
we had one or two mallards and turkeys wandering into our yard to feast on
the mess under our bird feeders.

Have a great day, mine is pretty good already.

Steven Mitchell

Tyrone, GA

Fayette County

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	(Steller's Sea Eagle by Pete Morris/Birdquest)