Surprise bird
Subject: Surprise bird
From: Bruni Haydl
Date: Thu, Feb 9, 2012, 5:38 PM
Even though we got a late start I decided to do the "river route" with my dog anyway. The sun was no longer on the water but I did see 12 Hooded merganser, 6 Common mergansers, a pair of Mallards that got spooked and flew off and one lone Great Blue heron.
Coming back I spotted a medium sized, thick necked bird in the treeline along my neighbor's drive and sure enough, when I put the binoculars on it it was a Kestrel pumping its tail. Haven't seen one of them in this neighborhood for many years. Oddly enough, my first sighting of a Kestrel (before I knew what a Kestrel was) was over 30 years ago very near that spot. The only other birds I could make out in the treeline in the fading light as we came home were the usual Bluebirds, with their cute litttle pot bellied profiles.
On the home front, the Pileated female is now coming to the suet by herself without the male in tow. He showed up later. The RS hawks are seen daily. A few mornings ago a head was bobbing up from the nest.
Bruni Haydl
Jefferson Co
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