Subject: [Tweeters] Squirrel predation
Date: Nov 5 16:53:30 2004
From: Dawn Bailey - dawnsdog at rainierconnect.com



Hi Guy and Tweets,

last week I had a really busy 15 minutes of so when 2 Downey, 2 Hairy, and a
female Flicker all arrived at the suet feeders at the same time. The Hairy
went to the smallest but easiest suet log and was promptly chased off by the
Flicker. As the Flicker was digging into the suet hole the Hairy came back
to the log on the other side and gave the Flicker a quick peck under the
tail, I expected the Flicker to jump off the log but instead she turned like
lightening and almost caught the Hairy with her bill. The Hairy stayed far
away from the Flicker after that.

Dawn Bailey
Eatonville, WA
mailto:dawnsdog at rainierconnect.com

Let a joy keep you. Reach out your hands and take it when it runs by.

~~Carl Sandburg


> A friend of mine was studying Nuthatches in Arizona
> (in mid 90s), and watched squirrels wipe out several
> of the nests he was monitoring. And he told me the
> following:
> He noticed that birds nesting in trees with Flicker
> nests got predated less often. And he was watching
> one day as a squirrel started climbing up a tree with
> several nests in it, including a Flicker nest. As the
> alarm calls sounded, the Flicker busted out of the
> nest, flew around the tree, and impaled the squirrel
> in the back of its head with its bill, killing it
> instantly! Then it "casually" flicked the dead
> squirrel off its bill and flew back to its nest!
>
> Remind me not to mess with nesting Flickers!
>
> I also do not recall what species of squirrels were in
> his study area. But he was out in the sticks, so I
> assume they were the native Red Squirrels, which are
> considerably smaller than the Eastern Fox and Grays.
>
> Great Story, though!
> Guy
>
> --- Charles Swift <charless at moscow.com> wrote:
>
> > Someone mentioned Red Squirrels preying on nestling
> > or fledgling birds and
> > they have also been found to be major nest predators
>
>
> =====
> Guy McWethy
> Renton, WA
> mailto: lguy_mcw at yahoo.com
>
>
>
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