I was so happy yesterday to hear Flickers in the neighborhood. I haven't
heard them for the last two months. But as I stepped out with the recycling
yesterday, there it came, clear and loud and ringing, the Flicker call. I
looked up to find the bird perched on the very top of the hemlock, dancing all
about as the pliant hemlock top bounced and waved in the wind and under the
bird's weight.

Then after I went in, the Flicker took about 10 minutes, calling all the time,
to make its way down to my suet feeder. LOVE that sound.

A Crow also perched on the hemlock top yesterday, but it didn't dance about as
much - its weight forced the top over and down, and simply conquered it.
Wind didn't really bother it much. The Crow also vocalized quite a bit - I
think from that hemlock you can command quite the view of the whole
neighborhood, they can probably see all their fellow birds and all their
enemies!

Just some bird musings.

Susan Collicott
camelama at speakeasy.net
Ballard neighborhood