Just when I had basically given up on them for the year, a lone pine siskin joined a goldfinch on our nyger tube-feeder around 12:45 today. We have no conifers on the property although there are stands of pines in the properties nearby. So, we rarely see them but every now and then...

There has been nothing terribly unusual around here lately, since my return from California on the 19th. Other than spotting the pine siskin, the most notable achievement has been the completion of the "Valhalla Suite" of woodpeckers in the past two days. I have seen all five of the common woodpecker species on our property: downy, hairy, red-bellied, pileated and the flicker. Hairy woodpecker is usually the nemesis, but there was one working the bark of an ash snag at the forest edge yesterday morning. A very dramatic low-flying pileated crossed the field overhead when we took a horseback ride at mid-day today, lots of red flash on the head, probably a male. Always a great sight. It was low enough that even Brutus (my horse) took notice, causing me momentary concern.

Bob Evans
Geologist, etc.
Hopewell Township, Muskingum County
DeLorme 70 A1 (classic editions)

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