Re: [cobirds] Lake McIntosh 11/20

Mark, I was surprised at such behavior earlier this fall as well.

I live near Denver City Park, where one day last month I found a juniper tree with as many as 10 of them singing loudly, chasing each other in and out and around the tree, and generally raising a ruckus.

After checking Cornell's Birds of the World, I found out why:

Townsend's Solitaires, which breed in the high country and spend winter down here among us, are highly territorial in winter, seeking to protect berry-laden junipers and other food-source trees from other solitaires and, indeed, from other berry eaters like American Robins and Cedar Waxwings.

(I saw a Townsend's in City Park last month chasing individuals of both those species away from its territory near the Denver Museum of Nature + Science.)

It might be coincidental, but over here in east-central Denver, I'm seeing more of them this fall than ever before.

I counted 5 this morning in City Park, and yesterday a pair chased each other around a curbside maple tree outside my house just off East Colfax Avenue.
As for that mirror encounter you reported, I also saw one 10 days ago in the City Park West neighborhood about 3 blocks west of the park, flying repeatedly from the ground up into a front window of a house, trying to attack its own reflection.

So, it appears your Townsend's was behaving normally for this busy time.

Good birding,

Patrick O'Driscoll

Denver

On Sun, Nov 20, 2022 at 3:48 PM Mark Miller <snowy.owlets@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Everyone, 

Today 11/20 I visited Lake McIntosh in Longmont to get some idea of what's going on with the ice and snow. The lake is 99% frozen, with just a Western Grebe, a few Mallards, scattered Canada Geese, and a clump of Ring-billed Gulls. No real surprise there. As I was walking back to my car, I heard a Townsend's Solitaire singing. I tracked it down and found it in a private yard, singing away (viewed from the street). The bird then flew over to a parked car and sat on the side-view mirror. It alternated between perching on the mirror and attacking its reflection in the driver side window. It's the third week of November and this bird is acting like it's spring. The homeowner came out and we had a brief chat; she saw the bird and seemed interested in it, but she had errands to run. I hope the solitaire gets a grip soon.

Mark Miller 

Longmont, CO 

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