FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Grackles returning; mockingbirds & brown thrashers courting?

["Carole Gobert" <cpgobert@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Saw first 2 grackles of 2003 at my feeders this weekend. A mockingbird has 
been on the suet feeder for the first time this winter... surely it didn't 
take the mocker until now to locate it, but now it is returning daily for 
the suet.  Had two of them in the yard doing a courting dance (?).  They 
stood facing each other, then one hopped to the side and the other followed; 
they repeated the pattern till they hopped out of sight.

I've had a brown thrasher at the suet feeder and just in the yard in general 
since I started watching about a year ago. He or she comes several times a 
day and will stand right up on the suet cage to feed though when the suet 
gets too low, the thrasher can't reach it and is reduced to standing under 
it and eating what falls to the ground.  I'm told they are not usual 
backyard visiters. The past two weekends I've seen two of them, but only 
brief glimpses as they almost immediately fly away. They never feed when 
they are together.  I assume they may also be courting.

Carole Gobert
West Knox County, Tennessee


_________________________________________________________________
Help STOP SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE*  
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail

=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with
first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation.
-----------------------------------------------------
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
----------------------------------------------------- 
To unsubscribe, send email to:
tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
     Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
          web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
    TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
        jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx      (423) 764-3958
=========================================================