For the first time on Saturday morning I witnessed first-hand how
unpleasant winter can be for our feathered friends. On a walk through the
woods at a local park I spotted a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker clinging to the
side of a tree only two feet from the ground. Its location on the tree
seemed odd, especially since my dog and I were only a few tens of feet
away. Getting closer, I noticed that the bird's upper half was tilted back
away from the trunk at about a 30 degree angle. It had presumably frozen to
death and was still clinging to the tree. This is the first time I have
seen a bird that died of natural causes other than predation. It was sad,
but neat to see such a beautiful bird up close. I went back home and
re-stocked the suet basket.
Dave Hewitt
Gloucester, VA
---------------------------------------------
Dave Hewitt
Fisheries Science/Crustacean Ecology
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
The College of William and Mary
P.O. Box 1346
Gloucester Point, VA 23062
804.684.7333
dhewitt@xxxxxxxx
http://www.vims.edu/fish/students/dhewitt/
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