Tweeters,
I'm hoping that some of you can help me learn more about behavior of these two birds.
Today I had a very productive walk through Wallace Swamp Creek Park. As I've mentioned before I had the great privilege of observing a pair of Cooper's Hawks from courtship thru the fledging of three juveniles. Of course since they have fledged it is a lot harder to keep track of them but I see or hear them from time to time still. Today I heard what I have come to recognize as the "Mom, I'm SO hungry, please bring me something to eat" cry of a juvenile Cooper. However when I followed the cry to it's source, I found a hawk in adult plumage. Do adult Cooper's make that "feed me" cry? when do the juveniles get their adult plumage? Later I heard but never found the "Kack" call of an adult (it could have been the same bird the call came from fairly close to where I had seen it). Do the parents continue to provide food for the juveniles? They moved away from the nest area in mid July and I assumed that the juvies were fending for themselves now. Any comments?
I also saw a single male Red-winged Blackbird. At first he was very far away and I thought it could be something else but he remained on his perch until I was about 20 feet away. I studied him closely to make sure he was a RWBL his epaulets were very faint but I have no doubt I saw a RWBL. The only time I ever have seen RWBL in Wallace Swamp Creek Park is early spring. They do not nest in the park as far as I know. Do RWBL winter in the Seattle area? Or was this fellow a straggler who hasn't left town yet?
My afternoon walk yielded 27 species. I almost had a 5 woodpecker day but I missed the Red-breasted Sapsucker. I found a Townsend's Warbler in a mixed flock of Chickadees (both species), Bushtits, Brown Creepers & Bewick's Wrens. It's nice to have the winter visitors back, Juncos, Fox Sparrows, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and Winter Wrens are fairly common now.
Linda Phillips
Kenmore
linda_phillips1252 at msn.com<mailto:linda_phillips1252 at msn.com>