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From: sbishop@desire.wright.edu
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: (OUTDOOR) Little birds, seasons, squirrels...
Message-ID: <1991Feb25.100805.2672@desire.wright.edu>
Date: 25 Feb 91 15:08:05 GMT
References: <3968.27c7d116@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu>
Organization: University Computing Services, Wright State University
Lines: 59

In article <3968.27c7d116@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu>, jahayes@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu writes:
> My wife and I found a lovely little patch of woodsy area quite close
> to the campus here at Miami U (no, not that one; the one in OHIO),
> and took our dog for a short walk there yesterday (no flames, please,
> he's a very good birding dog. No interest in them whatsoever - well,
> except for swans, but that's another story...) and saw the usual scads
> of woodpeckers
> 
> Is SW Ohio known as "Woodpecker Central" or something? I've never lived
> anywhere with such a high density of WPs. Pileateds regularly flap
> around on and next to campus. It's nice, mind, but I wonder if it's
> just that WPs are quite common in the north and I just never noticed.
> 
> And cardinals
> 
> Most of which were already spectacularly red; must have been a good 
> feeding year (much of the color is, as we all know, dietary in origin).
> 
> And a small flock of brilliantly blue bluebirds (eastern, of course).
> Do they overwinter here? Seems pretty darn early for them, but this 
> morning the chickadees were singing, the house finches were singing,
> the cardinals were singing; hell, the damn starlings were singing,
> sorta. ("SqeeeEEEEK! SqeeEEEEEEdle!") Do they think it's spring? 
> Starting to fire up the good ol' territorial imperative? I know the
> squirrels are also getting into it, running around all frisky and
> collecting leaves for nest linings. Anybody else seeing signs of
> spring?
> 

I've seen bluebirds around all winter.  I think they stayed this year.  Friday
morning there was a killdeer in my driveway, Sunday I saw a mockingbird next
to the house, my horses are already shedding heavy winter coats...  I am
fairly sure we are going to have an early spring. 

> Also, all the birds yesterday continued to scream along even as the
> dog went jingling about under the trees, then fell silent as if 
> someone had switched off the stereo. A few seconds later, a broad-
> winged hawk whooshed overhead. They seem to be the most common buteo
> around here, and they're almost ridiculously tame. Is that also common?
> 
> Just trying to get some outdoor stuff going, here....
> 
> Josh Hayes, Zoology, Miami University, Oxford OH 45056
> jahayes@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu, or jahayes@miamiu.acs.muohio.edu
> I've sworn off .sigs. No, wait, this is one, isn't it?

We have LOTS of hawks over head in our area (sw Ohio, Xenia near Caesar Creek). 
BTW, I finally found the derivation of the word HAWK.  I have a small flock of
bantam chickens, they free-range around our small farm.  Last year I was
outside working when suddenly one of the chickens screamed HA-A-A-AWK!!! at
the top of its lungs.  Every chicken in sight suddenly disappeared under
bushes, shrubs, vehicles, etc.  A few seconds later a redtail floated over.  
The chickens stayed hidden for several minutes before a brave one quietly
sneaked out and started scratching again.  

There is a major hawk and owl clinic at Yellow Springs, Ohio.  Many recovered
birds are released in the SW Ohio area from here.  That might be why you see so
many.  It is really a great area for hawks anyway since there are many creek
bottoms with lots of big old trees for nesting.  


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