[TN-Bird] Brewer's Blackbird

From: Dthomp2669@xxxxxxx
To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2004 19:22:02 EST
Hello from the Charlotte Park section of West Nashville, just a few blocks 
east of the old Cleece's Ferry Landing on the Cumberland River.

While eating lunch today, I enjoyed watching a GORGEOUS adult male Brewer's 
blackbird with his iridescent purples & greens blazing in the brilliant 
sunlight as he fed on the birdseed on my deck.  He WAS highly intimidated by 
the 
mourning doves, rock pigeons and blue jays who took up the middle of the 
feeding 
area while Mr. Brewer gingerly "crept" around the edges apparently trying not 
to attract too much attention.  It is always such fun to see them, and I always 
get the feeling that their little beaks are just a bit more needlepointed 
than those of their rusty relatives, but maybe that is because they are 
smaller.  
This was the first one I have ever had in this yard, and I wondered if there 
is any possibility that he may be the same one that was found in Bell's Bend 
(just a couple of blocks & the Cumberland River away from here) during the 
Christmas count by Philip Casteel & party.

Mr. Brewer ate hungrily, but cautiously, for around eight minutes before a 
small flock of common grackles flew in to feed, and little Mr. Brewer flew for 
the bushes at the edge of the deck.  He sure seemed skittish, but, after all, 
the rest of those birds were bigger than he was, and he was the ONLY one of his 
ilk in the menagerie.

My flickers are still around, but seem, thankfully, to have decided against 
the transformer for a home.  Hopefully, we will not go through another season 
where we end up with fried flicker if the transformer gets hit by lightning.  I 
think they've picked a tall tree in my back yard.

With the massive decrease of the mice in my yard, I do not hear or see my 
owls or any of the hawks which were hanging around in numbers a few weeks ago.  
I 
did see the sparrow hawk "guarding" someone else's bird feeder a few blocks 
away about a week ago.  Between the birds and the cats, I see a mouse at the 
feeder only once in a while.

I was down to one junco last week, then several more either came in from 
elsewhere or returned to the "smorgabird" from where they had gone.  I think my 
lone white-throated sparrow has gone.  A few y-r warblers were in my yard a few 
days ago.

Between volunteer work at the hospital, et al, I try to keep an eye out to 
see what is coming in, but I'm sure I miss a lot by being away from home so 
much.

Cheers & prayers for a great spring of birding,

Dee Thompson
Nashville, TN

 
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[TN-Bird] Brewer's Blackbird

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