Totally different next day

Where did the phoebes go to? Where did all those pine warblers go to? Elsewhere. Yesterday became a low-warbler-count day. But there were still fascinating things to see.

If someone poses for me I believe in paying a modeling fee.

The flicker really worked this log. It has to be filled with delicious bits. Lots of drill holes.

I've seen the Louisiana water thrush before, but always probing in the side of the stream, never before on a tree branch.

Gentle hermit thrush.

Elusive, that's the name of this winter wren.

And what would a blog be without a robin-dining picture. This time, much to my surprise, not a worm, instead some coffee cake. It was there, so it got grabbed.

___________________________________

A really, really Good Friday

The redbelly woodpecker is working on a nest hole in an impossibly lit location. I first spotted it when sawdust landed on my head. Hopefully this will be a successful nest, not a starling-stole-the-house predicament.

But the big news is that the warblers are coming. Yesterday there was a cluster of pine warblers along the south side of Turtle Pond. Lots of activity. Also phoebes and kinglets in this space by the pond. One yellow rump, (which I could not get a successful picture of), and the shy hermit thrush. All flitting around, hard to shoot. Very exciting. This is just the beginning.

The hermit thrush.

_________________________________________

Yank!

This is better than going to the movies.
One of my pals asked if robins will eat the worms that are currently dead on the pavement. I haven't seen that, but I did see this robin pick up a very dead worm from the ground, stiff dead, rigor mortis dead, and eat it down, a crispy critter worm, crunch food.

There's a specific stance before the yank. Think of robin-the-pointer. Then comes the worm routine.

I did see one robin pull a worm that came out of the ground and smacked it in the head, but it happened too fast for a picture, which was good because I was laughing my head off.

Yum! Good to the very last milimeter.

_____________________________

By the river

The rained stopped. Time to check on the hawks' nest. I started at the lower level by the river. All calm and in order. Mama hunkered down protecting the eggs. No sign of Papa. I tramped up to upper level and watched the robins and mockingbird. From that level it's possible to see the hawks' nest. I looked over the highway and there was Papa in nest, so I ran back down to lower level. Papa had delivered another branch.

Papa headed back to upper level. Me too, but I didn't see him and continued watching the robins and mockingbird. Mocker was giving a concert.

After an hour I decided to return here, happened to look up at the building on 79th street and Riverside Drive. Bingo! Papa on the 7th floor obviously watching for dinner. Incredible visual ability. He spotted something and zoomed down into the bushes near where I was standing. Great flurry of leaves. Obviously caught something and flew to a nearby branch. Naturally, the catch was hidden by this branch. I didn't see what it was until he was flying it to the nest. One rat. With all the pigeons on the lawn he chose the obscured rat. One less rat in the city.

___________________________________________