1/24/07 Obervations

Cold and clear at first light.....mid 20s..calm wind

- Four deer walk the ridge in front of the cabin before sunrise...in the attached photo of sunrise...a deer can be seen in the foreground crossing the road
- The feeders are getting more traffic than at any time this winter....
- Red- Bellied Woodpeckers have finally found out there is a free meal nearby...see the attached photo for a Red-Bellied male on a limb of a Maple... behind the cabin this morning
- Tufted Titmice, Black Capped Chickadees, Hairy Woodpeckers, as many as 20 Goldfinches, and the ever present White-Breasted Nuthatches, Mourning Doves, Crows. Several Eastern Towhees were see this AM beside the road in Stone Creek....these shy Goldfinch sized birds seldom fly into trees, choosing rather to stay in dense growth near the ground. The Towhee's best field mark in flight is the two 'parallel to the body' white streaks on the tail...the white streaks are separated by a brown streak...but very distinctive in flight.