03-18-2023, 07:41 PM
Karla, just as you found with Merlin not distinguishing between Pygmy and Saw-whet calls (which can be tough for us, too), Merlin missed when I was recording Steller's Jays. I'm new to using Merlin. I think the histograms may be accurate but the song data is incomplete (or both). Merlin kept identifying a Red-tailed Hawk in my yard when it was actually a Steller's mimicking a Red-tailed, which they often do.
When the jays and crows, all the birds like chickadees and nuthatches start sounding off all at once, that's the clue to look for a predator bird or other animal. Grab the binoculars, go outside and look. You could get lucky and see the Pygmy Owl, Cooper's Hawk, Pine Marten or Long-tailed Weasel. It's called mobbing when the birds try to push the predator away. But local predators routinely return to the site of a successful kill. Whether it's an owl after voles, a weasel after rabbits, or a bear predating the free roaming cats in JT. They know where the easy food is.
And John, my friend, if you really want to save the bears and other wildlife, Jamestown has to outlaw free roaming cats and dogs.
When the jays and crows, all the birds like chickadees and nuthatches start sounding off all at once, that's the clue to look for a predator bird or other animal. Grab the binoculars, go outside and look. You could get lucky and see the Pygmy Owl, Cooper's Hawk, Pine Marten or Long-tailed Weasel. It's called mobbing when the birds try to push the predator away. But local predators routinely return to the site of a successful kill. Whether it's an owl after voles, a weasel after rabbits, or a bear predating the free roaming cats in JT. They know where the easy food is.
And John, my friend, if you really want to save the bears and other wildlife, Jamestown has to outlaw free roaming cats and dogs.