FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Wonderful Wakeup Warbler

["Tommy Curtis" <tcbirdwatch@xxxxxxxxxx>]

The one expected Eastern spring warbler we've missed this year is the 
Worm-eating; the three unexpected we've not seen so far this year are the 
Kirtland's, Swainson's, and Connecticut (although we did have a fall 
Connecticut in our yard last year).  So imagine our excitement this morning 
when my first look out the kitchen door there was a Worm-eating Warbler sitting 
on the telephone wire and it remained until Virginia could get her binocular 
and see it too.  
We hurriedly dressed and got out on the deck and were rewarded with a bully 
slugfest (beakfest?).  An Eastern Wood Peewee has been the bully of the yard 
for the past three years and he launched himself at the Worm-eating.  But to 
his surprise the warbler counter-attacked and began chasing him.  This 
continued several times until the Peewee finally got the message and gave up.  
The Worm-eating continued to peacefully forage until I left the deck about 
9:00.  

To add to the excitement of the morning, a male  Orange Variant Scarlet Tanager 
came through the yard and stopped twice to feed, giving us great looks from 30 
feet away at eye level.  This is the second one we've ever seen in our years of 
birding and makes us wish this color was more common.  What a treat to the eyes 
with his fluorescent orange glow !  There was a bird with him that we did not 
get to see completely because of the leaves, but since it was the same size 
with black wings and yellow on the body, we assume it was the female Scarlet.

The birds have been really active on the Hill since the weather cooled.  
Virginia is gone right now to buy more sugar; she's used 4 pounds since Sunday 
morning and almost all the feeders are getting empty again with the voracious 
appetites of the hummingbirds.  Since the females appear to outnumber the males 
by at least 2 to 1,  we expect the demand to skyrocket when the babies come and 
the squeaks to become deafening.  

Tommy & Virginia Curtis
Smithville, TN
DeKalb County
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