I was roundly scolded by a palm warbler last week (Tuesday) at Myakka.* He
interrupted me while I was trying to put my scope on a couple of
Oystercatchers, and a Lesser Yellowlegs. I tried to talk to him, explaining
that I was harmless... but the tirade went on and on. I finally had to move
(to the other end of the platform). Perhaps the bird had a nest nearby, but we
had already been there a few minutes before it started in on us. This was at
the end of the platform that has a canopy over the benches which run all along
one side. This enabled the bird to perch at or slightly above the level of my
head, within 3 feet of me.
I meekly picked up my scope and moved. There were 4 Blue-Winged Teal and a
Little Blue Heron easily viewed from the other end of the platform, so I was OK
with the move. And a Golden-Slippers (Snowy Egret). We also saw a deer, a
turkey, and a couple of alligators from this vantage point. Elsewhere in the
park, we saw a Limpkin (I know where to find one pretty reliably), ONE Roseate
Spoonbill (I had never seen one at Myakka before), and a Great White Heron
(white morph of the Great Blue). This was my first-ever Great White Heron!
(There were also Great Egrets around.)
Of course there were ospreys and red-shouldered hawks, cardinals and blue jays,
titmice and mourning doves, vultures (turkey and black), ibis (white and
glossy), dowitchers, GBHs, sandhill cranes, red-bellied woodpeckers, crows.
Most of the usual suspects. We could not find a Crested Cara-Cara; there is
usually one hanging out somewhere along the highway, in or near the park.
*Myakka River State Park, in Florida. One of my all-time favorite birding
spots.
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Obviously, I need to try putting out some suet! I have some left over from the
snowy, frigid weather we had earlier this year. Back then I was feeding it on
the ground (by cutting it into 1/8" or smaller dice) on the cleared portion of
my driveway. I had tried it in a mesh bag attached to a tree, but not even the
squirrels figured it out after 2 days. When I diced it up small, the robins
and starlings (and white-throats, too, I think) gobbled it right up. Once they
figured out what it was, even the seed-eaters seemed to prefer it over the
seeds. (They also liked the freeze-dried mealworms that I found in the
pet-food aisle at Kroger.)
I also noticed something small, gray, and furry scampering under the garage
door to get the nuts (I had found some stale peanuts in the back of a cupboard)
and seeds I had put out; I figured it was a pine vole. My cat will take care
of THAT problem (voles in the garage) once I start letting her stay out all day.
The main reason that I usually DON'T feed the birds is my indoor-outdoor cat.
But I keep her IN when the weather is cold (or rainy), which allows me to
safely put food out for my feathered friends during their time of hardship.
Good birds to you all!!!
Terri Koontz
Morton Middle School
1225 Tates Creek Rd.
Lexington, KY 40502
From: ask-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ask-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of ;
Marsh, Scott
Sent: Tuesday, April 07, 2015 9:21 AM
To: KY Listserv; ASK Freelists
Subject: [ask] yellow-throated warbler
My sister had a male at her suet in Harrison Co.
Anyone else ever seen one at a suet feeder?
Scott
lexington
