Did I say...?

Did I say that the migrants and other followers of feeding flocks always follow chickadees? Yesterday's flock, which included Black-and-white Warbler, Am Redstart and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (new bird for the season) was led by Tufted Titmice. And so was this morning's small group which also included Black-and-white, Common Yellowthroat, Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, House Wren and a young Carolina Wren giving a charming low-key medley of songs in a sort of half voice while it moved with the flock.

Speaking of Carolina Wrens, did I suggest that all the local birds have stopped singing? Well not our Wren Competition Singers who were at it full tilt late this morning, countersinging -- one after the other, each with his own distinctive song -- from each side of the house which seems to divide their territory. Also, Song Sparrows along the edge of the marsh are still singing on territory although quite half-heartedly compared with their spring and summer serenades. The Cardinals all seem too busy with their third (?) broods to bother with music.

There was a flycatcher in the understory of the woods this morning. I initially took it to be an Eastern Wood-Pewee: grayish olive/brown, no eye ring, buffy wing bars, good-sized but with a rather slim, elongated look and a roundish head. But every time this bird landed it pumped its tail up and down several times, suggesting that it was actually a Willow Flycatcher. In spite of what the popular field guides say, the confusion species for Willow Flycatcher around here is not Alder (which almost always shows an eye-ring) but Pewee (which does not). Check for the tail pump and also the primary extension (how far the wing extends against the tail on the perched bird).

I went out to pick Beach Plums this morning (after my morning walk) but not with a lot of success. The few ripening plums and attendant insects did attract all three mimids -- Catbird, Brown Thrasher and Mockingbird -- as well as Song Sparrows, Cedar Waxwings and a few unidentified warblers hiding deep in the bushes (I could hear the chips but could only pick out Common Yellowthroat). There are a number of possible explanations for the crop failure including the low water table and the aftereffects of Hurricane Irene last fall. Wild berries, cherries and acorns are in short supply as well.

Eric Salzman