Visiting the Redheads

For the entire month of October my birding was limited. That whole tick thing..... Then weather, being busy, and a renewed onset of tick phobia kept me from getting much birding or walking done.

Finally, Monday, late in the day, when dusk was just then falling I went out on the hills to visit the redheads. The oaks are about the only trees still showing color here, but they are lovely. Their bright red heads glowed in the late light like matches against the dark limbs of the other trees and the shadowy bulk of the mountains.

I was happy to still be able to climb the hill, although there weren't quite as many birds as I might have liked to see. I think I saw an American Tree Sparrow, first of the fall season, but my binoculars were way out of adjustment, and by the time I got them right it was gone.

Then there was the strangeness...... I heard a sound like a small motor right over my head. I thought it was a plane at first. When I finally realized that it was a flock of about 40 very fast flying robin-sized birds it was too late to get the binoculars on them. Not any kind of blackbird I don't think because there was no chirping sound, only those very loud wings. I do mean loud.

I wonder what they were. Except for them the birding was late fall ordinary, chickadees, juncos and robins...

There were some really large coyote tracks and some mysterious smoke as well. 
Now it is time to play nice again. Put some kitties or puppies on Facebook, or birds...birds would work.....and put the terrible foulbrood behind us.

On the bright side...no more campaign fliers. Think of the happy trees!

from Northview Diary http://northviewdiary.blogspot.com/2016/11/visiting-redheads.html