A sprinkling of March snow doesn't sully the spring bird sounds from the woods. During a walk on a March
morning it is not uncommon to stop to watch an active chickadee darting from
branch to branch, quibbling quietly to its friend, while picking off small
seeds from catkins and generally animating the winter life of the woods. In
pausing to watch this small charmer one may suddenly notice that the noise is
not just coming from the chickadee but also a pair of Tufted titmouse. And in
giving pause to watch this two grey haired duo you may see a single Downy
woodpecker working its way up the trunk of a bare oak tree, then the bleating,
nasal sound of a White-breasted nuthatch joins the fray. “What am I
witnessing?” some storm cloud of birds all around me? Winter songbirds
including: chickadees, titmice, woodpeckers, kinglets, creepers, nuthatch, blue
jays, cardinals, and wrens may travel the woods in loose bands or mixed species
flocks. What is known locally, if not scientifically, as a bird guild or a
group of mixed species that feed together. Theories on this type of behavior
include the safety of many watchful eyes is better than one, the fact that
where one bird is eating equates to food for others, as well more complex
theories of food dispersal by on species that benefits another. Climatic factors
may also come into play as these groups
are often found in opening with southern exposure, out of the wind and catching
all that new spring sun. Watch chickadees or blue jays in the woods and spend a
few minutes searching for other species in the area.
