hello tweetsters.

i saw a robin chickie at 1130am near kane hall. this chickie was
loudly pursuing its parent as the adult robin poked around in last
year's dead leaves.

i also almost stepped upon an adult bewick's wren as i was hauling
my numerous notebooks and whatnot up to the museum, where my class
meets. this bird was entirely too fearless for my taste, since it
almost was rendered a birdie tortilla (by me)!

i was bomb-dived by a single crow this morning as i left my office
(before i almost crushed the bewick's wren). this crow was watching
me from across the street, and instead of cringing when i looked
at it, this crow boldly made eye contact and then flew straight at
my head. i was so interested in this bird's flight mechanichs that
it could have impaled my skull with its beak if it had not veered
away at the last second.

a second bomb-dive (this time, from behind) confirmed my suspicion
that i was under attack.

the crow was silent the entire time these attacks took place. not a
peek, croak, groan, or caw came from this bird. my experience with
crow attacks has been that they tend to make a LOT of noise. is it
possible that only the territory-holders (the parent crows) make
noise while protecting nests, while the helpers do not?

my morning, as you can see, was full of peril and discovery for me.

Deborah Wisti-Peterson email:nyneve at u.washington.edu
Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash, USA
Visit me on the web: http://weber.u.washington.edu/~nyneve/
^~^~^~Graduate School: it's not just a job, it's an indenture!~^~^~