Wakening to Woodpeckers, and Other Winter Wonders
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
By Brian Kluepfel
On Sunday morning we were awakened by the insistent tapping of a blue jay, and then a red-bellied woodpecker, trying desperately to break off a crust of aging bread left out on the terrace.
Other birds gathered in their wake: a small flock of starlings, a handful of sparrows and a bird that nearly always appears alone, a lovely Carolina wren.
It is cold, and the birds are hungry. So are the squirrels and deer, we soon discovered.
Later in the morning, over at Mariandale, my wife walked the labyrinth as I viewed a turkey vulture soaring overhead. The thought occurred to me, in the moment, as to how closely these vultures resemble their giant cousins, the Andean condors of South America. I tried to appreciate how majestic the “tvs” are (the common birder’s parlance for the turkey vulture), even though they are not on the massive scale of the condor.
Activity was all around us as we approached the river. A bald eagle hurried by, flapping toward the Cuomo bridge. A red-tailed hawk soared alone, and then in seeming competition with the vultures, who now numbered two. A hairy woodpecker made its presence known with a non-stop tapping, 40 feet above us in an oak. To paraphrase the late Yogi Berra, it’s amazing how much you notice when you just pay attention.
The raucous blue jays made another appearance, as did the comical upside-down nuthatches. Tufted titmice sang back and forth from the treetops along the property line, communicating an unknown message.
Back on our property, a lone cardinal staged a weary battle against an onslaught of jays, woodpeckers and other birds, fighting for a stale loaf of bread, which I had thrown into the yard. The squirrels, too, took interest in this morsel, but a passel of deer (five in all) didn’t go near it.
In eagle-related sports news, the two remaining “bird” teams in the NFL advanced in the playoffs. Since Jet fans like myself lose rooting interest by late September, I often latch on to an avian-related squad; this year, both the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens show some promise – and have actually won Super Bowls in this century. The Cardinals and Seahawks will have to wait until next year, however.
In further eagle-related news, Saw Mill River Audubon is once again proud to take part in Teatown’s EagleFest on Feb. 1 at Croton Point Park. Our fearless Executive Director Anne Swaim will give perennially popular lectures like “Raptors for Rookies,” and our cadre of board members will lead a walk, no matter the weather.
More information on EagleFest can be found at https://www.teatown.org/eaglefest-schedule.
In other February birding news, the Great Backyard Bird Count will take place the weekend of Feb. 14-17. Take your Valentine out for a bit of birding – for as few as 15 minutes! And take part in a quarter-century Audubon tradition (along with the participation of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Canada) that helps the cause of citizen science and environmental preservation.
In 2023, more than 7,500 bird species across 200 countries were identified; that represents two-thirds of the known avian species. For more information on the Great Backyard Bird Count, visit https://www.birdcount.org.
Please join Saw Mill River Audubon at any of the events listed on our website or in the advertisement below. Winter birding can be just as fun as any other season!
Brian Kluepfel is a proud member of Saw Mill River Audubon and a correspondent for the Lonely Planet travel series as well as BirdWatching magazine and many other publications. He lives in Ossining.
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