[mou] No Prothonotory, but...

[Thomas Maiello]

Went looking for the Prothonotary Warbler at Rice Creek Trail Park .  
Easy to find the location - great directions.  Didn't have any luck but 
did discover the park and regional trail system.  What a delightfully 
beautiful and abundant place.  Birds were everywhere including Cedar 
Waxwings and and host of callers and singers.  The humidity was climbing 
and I could imagine a resident Prothonotary (if we are lucky) would 
likely be hanging in the coolest spot to feed and not in the tree 
fringes I was searching for over an hour.  Me thinks the 11:00 to 12:00 
noon birding window is probably a bit to late with the types of weather 
we are having.

I did have a very interesting experience however in the world of bird 
behavior.  I heard a loud and frenzied series of loud alarm chirps 
accompanied by beating wing sounds.  I easily found the owner - a female 
Hairy Woodpecker having a tizzy-fit, flying from tree trunk to tree 
trunk around the trail.  I thought it could be me and there might be a 
baby pecker on the ground but that wasn't the interesting part.  As I 
watched the Hairy dart about I noticed not one, not two, but three 
female Downy Woodpeckers silently but tensely following the Hairy 
around.  It is easy to anthropomorphize here but as they darted about, 
providing excellent side by side comparisons, I was taken by the 
connection the two species had or maybe just relating as mothers and a 
common potential threat.  Regardless, even after I left for fear of 
being the cause of the tension, the distant frenzy could be heard for a 
good 45 minutes after I passed the area and again after I passed on my 
way out.  Fascinating and rewarding morning - thank you Erik for the word.

Thomas Maiello
Spring Lake Park