[TN-Bird] Mocker pair, Cooper's hawk, and more

Hello Birders.
 
This morning, I awoke to about 1/8 inch of snow on the deck and a few  
scattered smatterings of snow on the grass in my yard here in the Charlotte 
Park  
section of West Nashville.  All the usual birds were here to feed a Dee's  
"Smorgabird."  The one pair of mockingbirds are so much fun.  They  seem to be 
constant companions who go everywhere together.  When they come  for the peanut 
butter, the VERY brave one rushes down the arm of the deck chair  to fill up 
before I can hardly get my hand away. As soon as I close the  door to the deck 
which is only three feet away from the chair, the mate comes  down the arm of 
the chair and "beak-taps" the feeding bird on its  rump.  The first bird moves 
aside or across the chair and yields the PB to  the second bird.  In all my 
years of feeding mockingbirds, this is the  first season I have seen such an 
entertaining ritual.  Perhaps, it is  exclusive to this particular pair.
 
A few minutes after 10 AM, I drove from my home near the Charlotte Park  side 
of the old Cleece's Ferry landing on the Cumberland River to the Charlotte  
Park Post Office going by way of the back streets.  While I was  on Snyder 
Avenue just about a half-block from Robertson Road and a couple of  blocks from 
Briley Pkwy., a gorgeous adult Cooper's hawk flew low across the  street in 
front of me.  
 
When I crossed Briley and arrived at the bridge across Richland Creek  on the 
street that runs parallel to Charlotte Pike, a belted kingfisher was  flying 
down the creek.  Several crows were spotted at the Post  Office.
 
I came home via Charlotte Pike and had two black vultures circling over the  
Captain D's at the corner of Charlotte & American Road.  Hmmmm.   Suppose they 
smelled the seafood????  I know vultures will eat fish,  because I have seen 
them scavenging at "fish kills" in the past.
 
Before coming home, I decided to stop at the parking lot at the  Cleece's 
Ferry Boat Ramp.  A huge barge was being pushed up the  Cumberland River, and 
it 
was being escorted by 4 ring-billed gulls in the air  and 2 ring-bills perched 
on a couple of high spots on the barge's  load..  Guess the tug and barge 
workers must throw out a little food now  and then that keeps the gulls around. 
 
I couldn't help but wonder how far  the gulls had come with that barge.  They 
were with it when it came around  the bend and were still with it when it went 
out of my sight behind trees  and buildings.
 
At home, it seems that I have more white-throated sparrows and juncos than  
usual today.  I usually have between 6 and 10 of each species.  Today,  I have 
18 to 20 of each at a time.
 
Happy birding,
 
Dee Thompson
Nashville, TN
 
 
 
 
 


**************Ideas to please picky eaters. Watch video on AOL Living.      
(http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel-campos-duffy/
2050827?NCID=aolcmp00300000002598)


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