03152009 The Ides of March: Still roosting, a second flicker appears...and predators on the hunt

Our little Northern Flicker is still using the nestbox for a roosting cavity. We delight in seeing her there every morning and night, peacefully tucked in and sound asleep. There has been a second flicker in the vicinity the last couple of days, but we identified it as a female, also. Maybe we're starting to see competition for nest sites? But where there's opportunity, there is also danger...a pair of Cooper's Hawks are in the area, and it appears at least one of them is aggressively defending the territory. Recorded calls played back (using the I-Flyer bird call tool) resulted in immediate, loud and aggressive displays as the hawk swooped down from the trees, between the houses, and around the area several times. Will the Cooper's Hawks be nesting nearby? Time will tell, but for now, our little flicker needs to stay alert to stay alive...Cooper's Hawks eat other birds.

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System Status: Green.