wrens and woodpeckers

I saw a bird I didn't recognize this morning. It was round and small -- about the size of a Common Yellowthroat and in the same habitat (popped out of the bushes and onto the branch of a dead Red Cedar). But it was very dark brown above with reddish tints on its shortish tail, a rather bold eye ring and a trace of a supercilium, and a dirty white breast with no color. Although I did not make out any telltale barring on the back, tail or underparts, I finally decided that the bird was a House Wren of northern (or even western) origin. Our House Wrens are much paler but it is possible, even likely, that this was a northern or even a western bird that is darker, perhaps even dark enough to obliterate the effect of the back and tail markings in the early morning light. The bird was pointed away from me but I thought there was a slight curve to its thin bill and, after it flew, I heard House Wren sounds coming from cover in the area. I'm not sure that a dark House Wren necessarily represents a different subspecies than ours but this was certainly quite a different-looking bird.

There were two Hairy Woodpeckers working the hurricane-damaged wood in the woods this morning. One was a female and I think the other was a male. These birds are mostly residents but they occasionally turn up here and they have nested as near as Pine Neck where I once found two nests with young one fine spring about ten years ago. Maybe these are birds looking for a territory with lots of dead wood. If so, we've got it!

Just a few other things: American Redstart and Baltimore Oriole in the near woods, Royal Terns and Osprey on the creek, Belted Kingfisher and (young) Green Herons working the area in and around the pond.

Eric Salzman