Re: [cobirds] Lake McIntosh 11/20

Hi Mark,

As interesting and seemingly unusual what you saw is, I'd have to say for winter solitaires down on the flats, this is as pretty normal.  About as much so as the current Broncos losing in overtime.  Supposedly each solitaire needs 30,000 juniper cones ("berries") to get them through the winter.  How they make this calculation is a mystery but once they do, defending their chosen resource against all potential competitors (including themselves) is a top priority.  The pic shows a pile of juniper seeds excreted on the sill after repeated visits to the reflective window of my apartment complex landlord's shop.  I wake up most days between Halloween and Easter to either the song or pygmy-owlish toots of one or more solitaires here in Fort Collins east of campus.

                          

Kudos for being curious about, and reporting, interesting behavior to COBIRDS.

Dave Leatherman

Fort Collins

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From: cobirds@googlegroups.com <cobirds@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Mark Miller <snowy.owlets@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 20, 2022 3:48 PM
To: Cobirds <cobirds@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [cobirds] Lake McIntosh 11/20

 

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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