[va-bird] Re: Monticello Park, Alexandria this morning

VA-Birders,

I was able to watch the activities at the Hairy Woodpecker nest  
cavity after Renee left. Unfortunately, it appears that the Starlings  
prevailed. I witnessed and filmed a short video of an aerial skirmish  
and the apparent takeover of the hole. The Starling eventually got  
into the cavity and one of the Hairys then repeatedly jabbed at the  
opening. At one time it appeared that both a Hairy and a Starling  
were inside. What was not clear is whether there were eggs or  
nestlings inside as well.

I have four still photos of the event in my Monticello photo gallery.  
The first shows an adult Hairy in the cavity at 9:30. Then, a  
digiscope at 9:59 of what appears to be an injured Hairy, adult or  
nesting? The next, taken less than a minute later, shows the adult  
female Hairy near the cavity. The last is of the adult Starling who  
first appeared in the cavity about 7 minutes after that. These are  
the first four photos at:

http://www.pbase.com/paulasullivan/monticello

Paula Sullivan
Alexandria



On Apr 25, 2007, at 10:36 AM, Renee Grebe wrote:

>  I stopped by Monticello Park this morning on my way to work (off of
> Beverly Dr., Alexandria). ........
>  My personal highlight of the day was the discovery of an occupied
> HAIRY WOODPECKER nest cavity (up on the western hill where there is a
> little path through the ivy).  One Hairy held down the fort (and could
> be seen periodically) and and its mate vehemently defended the fort
> against rather gregarious (as always) STARLINGs.  I watched as a
> Starling and Hairy had a several-minute stare-down.  If you stayed
> long enough, you were treated with the two birds tangling in the air
> and plummeting down tens of feet in the air before landing on the
> tree for another stare-down.
>  -Renee Grebe
>  Alexandria, VA
>
>
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