A Carolina Chickadee (one of a pair) inspects a potential nest-hole in Catch the Wind.

If there was any doubt as to whether or not winter is behind us, the cheerful singing of the cardinals, titmice, Song Sparrows and chickadees should belay those thoughts.

Woodpeckers and nuthatches are working on drilling nest-holes, and titmice and chickadees, who are not as well equipped for drilling into wood, are hunting for old nest-holes left over from last year’s spring flurry of activity by the woodpeckers and nuthatches.

The photo above is of a Carolina Chickadee giving the once over to a tree cavity that was excavated by a nuthatch last spring. The chickadee and its mate apparently were serious about moving in, I watched them throughout the day as they went in and out of the hole removing bits of debris, spring cleaning.

Turkey Vultures are a daily sight as they soar, dip and bank across the Museum’s airspace.

Note the small head, gray flight feathers, and rather long tail on this Turkey Vulture sailing over the Museum.

The slightly smaller Black Vulture, while seen at least once a week here at the Museum, is not as frequently encountered as the Turkey Vulture.

A short tail, small head, and white or gray primaries (the feathers at the tip of the wings) are trademarks of the Black Vulture. Black Vultures flap their wings more often, and more rapidly, than do their larger relatives, Turkey Vultures.

Hardly a day passes without seeing or hearing a Red-shouldered Hawk at the Museum. They are most often encountered while they’re perched in the woods silently watching below for prey.

A Red-shouldered Hawk sits quietly in the swamp between Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild.

Red-tailed Hawks are seen above at least once a week in winter, but there is a two month period during summer when they may not be seen at all. Whenever they do show up, a Red-shouldered Hawk is often there to greet and escort them out of the airspace.

Although larger and more powerful than Red-shouldered Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks are often chased out of the Museum's airspace by the smaller hawk.

This Cooper's Hawk was seen January 28th hunting over Catch the Wind.

Copper’s Hawks have successfully nested here at the Museum for the past two years. I see one of these brazen, bushwhacking, aerial hunters nearly every week of the year, certainly every month. Last week was a double; I saw one (most likely the same hawk) on two different days. Each time, the hawk was hunting from above, settling down into the pines north of the Lemur House.

On February 3rd, a tap-tap-tap-taping sound high in a Loblolly Pine in Catch the Wind signaled the workings of a Brown-headed Nuthatch excavating a nest hole. A pair of these tiny pine dwelling nuthatches had dug two holes in a pine not fifty feet from this location last year, only to give it up (or lose it) to a pair of Carolina Chickadees several weeks later.

One nuthatch quickly exits the hole as the other waits to inspect his handywork.

This pair seems to be a bit ahead of themselves. Last year’s nuthatches were first spotted on February 20 as they had just begun excavation. From the apparent depth of the current hole it appears as though they’ve been working on this one for several days, if not more.

I’ll keep you posted on their progress.

Throughout the Carolinas, Pine Siskins have been reported at many bird feeders during the past several weeks. I hadn’t seen these small, slender birds at the Bird Feeder Exhibit in Catch the Wind until I paid a visit there on January 7th when I counted nine of them. Pine Siskins are seen in our area every year, although not in great numbers. This year appears to be an exceptional year. Their movements seemed tied to the availability of the wild seed crop. They tend to flock, sometimes with Goldfinches, and are nomadic in their movements. Their flocks may include thousands of individuals. I hadn’t seen a siskin in several years, although, as mentioned, they have been reported locally by others in past years.

In our area, Pine Siskins are most often confused with House Finches, Purple Finches, and American Goldfinches. They’re more alike in behavior, size, and structure to goldfinches, although as you can see in the accompanying photos, goldfinches do not have the streaks on their breasts as do siskins. It’s difficult to see in these photos, but siskins usually have a flash of yellow in the wings and at the base of the tail, which may add to the confusion when you’re trying to figure out just what that “new” little bird is that wandered into your yard.

Although three of the finches mentioned are heavily streaked, female House Finches and young male/female Purple Finches can be eliminated from the mix by their larger, more conical bills. Also, neither House nor Purple Finches have a notched tail as do the siskins (see photo, Pine Siskin 2, below). Both are larger and more heavily built than siskins. Unlike the other two streak-breasted finches, siskins have a wheezy or buzzy call and are usually very vocal, they’re usually making noise.

One of these sleek little birds hung around for Birdapalooza on January 10th at the Museum, to the delight of those who took part in the Bird Walk around the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop that day. This lone siskin is usually seen in the company of two or three American Goldfinches. If you stand, or sit, by the Bird Feeders in Catch the Wind you may see it. Be patient. The Pine Warblers, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Northern Cardinals, and other birds that frequent the feeders should keep you busy until this little band of finches arrives.