Day of the Fast Mover

Tom had long known the alert call of the White Tailed Antelope Squirrels. They had an incredible warning system set up and Tom knew by listening to the sound and the direction how to determine the threat. He had investigated their alert call a hundred times and they were never wrong. But now this Sharp-shinned Hawk was such a fast mover they had yet to alert him until the hawk was on them. Tom spent much of Tuesday learning the alert sounds of the White-crowned Sparrow, Black-eyed Junco, and House Finch. He was glad he did. The Sharp-shinned showed up again and again and always immediately notified by the song bird alerts Tom relentlessly drove him off. In the last video a White Tailed Antelope Squirrel sounds the alarm (two minutes late and a potential lifetime short) and Tom as one with the critters automatically responds.

Wake Up Call

Tom wakes to the sound of heavy feet. Outside he finds 40 cows at the bottom of the driveway. It's nice to see something not trying to eat the birds.

It's Crowded

Tom spots two guys walking down from the Hogans. Stepping outside they tell him they are taking a boat to Hite in Lake Powell and are parked down by the island. Had to fight the Tamarisk to get up here. It's real rare for somebody to do the river this time of the year. They want to play disc golf. Tom gives them a map and a walkie talkie. Before they leave to begin the course they ask if Tom saw the Peregrine Falcon that just swooped across the yard? He did not. Thirty minutes later Tom looks outside and sees all the critters scatter. Looking around he finds this guy in the Desert Willow. It appears to be a Sharp-shinned hawk but is considerably smaller than the two he sees hunting here so frequently. It waits in the Desert Willow for 45 minutes until the first bird returns and then makes an attempt. Tom didn't see the outcome which took place at the top of the Desert Willow. Everybody's nervous and clearly rightly so.

Loggerhead Shrike/The Butcher

While masking as a songbird, the Loggerhead Shrike is a meat eater. Tom twice saw it on Sunday wait in the Desert Willow on the front porch until there was but a single bird across the driveway at Tiffanys before attacking. When the single White-crowned that was left dropped into the thick bushes for protection the Shrike did to. Not having the weight or foot strength of most winged predators the Shrike is knows for flipping it's prey on sharp branches, barb wire, or pushing it in crevices to hold it in place while it devours it. While listening to it's call on the computer to verify it's identity, despite  being inside the lodge, and with the Joss Stone CD cranked up in the office, the critters across the driveway heard it and all disappeared into cover.

Dark-eyed Junco

The Dark-eyed Juncos were the first birds to begin feeding in numbers right at one year ago when Tom began feeding critters regularly. Eventually the White-crowned Sparrows pushed them out. Then came the Brown-headed Cowbirds who pushed everybody out until they just disappeared one day last summer and haven't seen a single one since. At the 10 second mark a male Junco (black head, versus brown head for females) shows himself. Earlier on this Friday Tom saw a quick blur outside the office window and something tried to take a White-crowned out of the Desert Willow. The birds have gotten used to the tactics of the Sharp-shinned Hawks as well the White-tailed Antelope Squirrels would sound a warning when the Sharp-shinned came. Whoever this is, so far just a gray blur, a fast mover, there is no time for a warning. Everybody's really nervous.

Everybody's Nervous

Over the last week a Canyon Wren with a beautiful song adopted the front porch and living room as it's home. When Tom would open the front door to go out and feed the critters the Canyon Wren would hop inside and explore the interior of the lodge for 15 to 20 minutes and then return to the front porch. On Thursday morning when he exited the front door there was a short scream, a flurry and a thump, then wings. When Tom stepped out on the front porch there was a clump of Canyon Wren feathers and nothing more. Tom has seen the work of the Sharp-shinned Hawks, this isn't them.

Alfred Hitchcock Would be Proud

The White-crowned Sparrows have stripes above their eyes, a black stripe for an adult, a brown stripe for a juvenile. If there's a way to tell males from females, Tom hasn't found it. The House Finch, male has a red head and chest, females are plain colored. Tom had always thought the sunflower seeds he put out each day were for the White Tailed Antelope Squirrels and the bird seed, well, for the birds. Today he learns House Finch love sunflower seeds and are quick to open the shell, dispose of the seed, and move on to the next. Everybody is nervous.