how to quiet down the birds

There were dozens, perhaps hundreds of birds, at the head of the marsh this morning all chittering or chinking away when suddenly every single one disappeared and silence covered the scene. It was, of course, a bird hawk -- a Sharp-shinned Hawk to be specific -- chasing some poor little passerine. I don't think the hawk (probably a first-year female) actually caught anything; it landed in full view on a dead branch not very far off from where I was standing and proceeded to do its toilette. Eventually a few skulking Blue Jays peered out from cover but most of the rest of the previously lively avian crew simply vanished and remained out of sight even long after the Sharp-shinned had taken off.

Before they were gone, I did see (and hear) large numbers of White-throated Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers and American Goldfinches. Other birds which I thought had already moved on turned up as well including Great Blue Heron, Great Egret and Royal Terns on the creek; Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Common Yellowthroat, Swamp, Song and Chipping Sparrows on the marsh and marsh edges; and, most notably, the flying flock of 16 yellowlegs that has been hanging around for the past week or so. Also, big flocks of blackbirds (Red-wings and Common Grackles mostly) are starting to form and move around.

Eric Salzman