Sunning predators

Unidentified bird with a black head, clinging to a tree drumming for
sap or bugs, drumming pattern of 5 or 6 stopping momentarily looking
around, back to drumming with 5 or 6 beats, black wings with a solid
white bar down its wing edges, long pointy beak, black tail - wasn't
able to see underside tail area or breast. Very small bird, but not
as small as a brown tree creeper. The only drummer this week!

A black capped chickadee does frequent a side yard feeder, while the
Junco's prefer to ground feed and flit among the evergreen branches.
Some hover. The Towhee's enjoy the bath when the ice is replaced with
water and will feed at a plate placed in the bath of millet seed.
Once it appeared that the Towhee's AND the Junco's were at the bath
togather. These Towhee's have more brown across their breast than the
illustrations in Peterson's. Usually the Towhee's will come after the
Junco's. There is one small bird, smaller than a Warbler, that has
three yellow stripes across its crown sided by black stripes who is
friendly. He hopped right up to a branch within a foot or less of me
as I replaced the bath water. There were so many birds enjoying this
bath I couldn't count them all this week! Most were a flock of
Junco's.

There were several predatory birds flying around yesterday afternoon
in the sun at an altitude of 1,500 ft. and 500 ft. and less. One Bald
Eagle flying with two other Bald Eagles. They circled for several
minutes high over the tree tops. There was a commotion of Crows that
distracted my viewing and harrassing what appeared to be the light
grey Merlin who frequented two or three weeks ago. The Merlin appears
to be in the same general location as he was the first time I spotted
him. He must be nesting nearby. It's flight pattern, much different
from that of a hawk and its wings taking a more angular shape. The
crow was able to get within two feet or less of the Merlin and was
flying in a straight line towards him when the Merlin changed
direction. It (The Merlin) darted sharply up and swiftly turned as
the Crow attempted to chase the Merlin away just above the tree tops.
After this commotion the juvenille Bald Eagle flew North just above
the tree tops and one Bald Eagle flew East. The Bald Eagles appear to
be circling over the nearby man-made lake. Looking hungry perhaps and
sunning. There were no clouds yesterday afternoon.

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