Bird notes

The snowstorm that hit on Friday, December 11, brought to the feeders a lot of birds that had been living off the natural food in the woods.

I got all kinds of calls about the geese, both Canada and Snows, that were flying all day and night to escape the instant winter. While it was snowing the hardest, flock after flock of Snows were going over at tree-top level, barking to each other and to flocks that were following right behind. At times I could see some wing movement through the falling snow.

The smaller birds mostly went early this year because there was little wild food in the woods. The late frost this spring hit many of the flowering bushes and trees, preventing them from producing berries or seeds. Most of the ones that I saw with fruit were on lakeshores and river edges where the temperature from the water kept the flowers from freezing.

This winter is going be quiet in the woods. You may come on some scattered flocks of Black-Capped Chickadees with a Nuthatch or two tagging along. A lone Hairy or Downy Woodpecker tapping here and there, but no big flocks of Crossbills or Siskins working the evergreen cones as there are none.

I did see a lone Cedar Waxwing eating some fruit from a tree at the Old Forge Bank the other day.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.