Monday, August 10, 2009

Bird Mysteries

I hadn't realized that it has been almost a month since I last posted! Time flies, as do birds, of course. And it seems like some birds have flown, and I sure hope they are on course.

I saw very few Red-Winged Blackbirds starting 2 or 3 weeks ago, and I have not seen a single one since August 3. I don't know if they have started migrating yet, but they certainly aren't around Wingra Creek anymore. It seems strange that the birds would go at the peak of the Wisconsin summer abundance, but I'm sure they know what they are doing.

I have been thinking of Brown-headed Cowbirds a lot this summer. I saw more of them this spring than I ever have before, but then suddenly, sometime in June, I stopped seeing them. Since cowbirds don't build their own nests and lay their eggs in other birds' nests, I wonder what they do all summer.

I have been keeping my ears open for the song of chickadees. In the past couple of weeks, the frequency of their song has decreased, but I still hear them now and then. In fact, I heard one this morning. I want to see how long they stop singing for since they start singing again so early (December was when I first heard their fee-bee.) Or maybe they keep on singing through the year. I am trying to see if I can find out.