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April 2009

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Subject:
From:
Steve Cagan <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Steve Cagan <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:22:34 -0400
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Hi Everyone,

I¹m sure that people are going to explain to me that this happens every day,
but it¹s the first time we¹ve seen it:

Abut 7 PM, we looked out the kitchen window (near our feeders), and on top
of the wooden fence that separates our yard for the neighbor, a Blue Jay
(seemed a little small to me‹ a young one?) was working hard, pecking away
at a lump of something at its feet. The lump of something turned out to be a
House Sparrow. From what we could see, the victim was not quite dead, but
nearly so, and the Blue Jay was not apparently eating‹not coming up with
anything we could see in its beak. But this was a very serious pursuit‹the
jay dragged its victim around, changed angles, at one point latched on to
the sparrow¹s beak.

Meanwhile, we were not the only ones whose curiosity was aroused. A Carolina
Wren showed up (this is a pretty rare event‹Beth thinks we had one several
years ago), totally focused on the jay¹s activity‹the wren kept hopping
closer and closer, sort of circling from branch to branch‹like a passerine
being pished in by a birder. A Downy Woodpecker also seemed interested,
though it stayed a little further away (just a couple of feet, though)

After a while, the sparrow fell off on the other side of the fence, and jay
and wren followed. The woodpecker decided she was more interested in suet.

After another while, I went out to see what was left‹noting, just
indications in the leaves on the ground that they had been there.

Beth wishes,

Steve Cagan
Cleveland Heights
Cuyahoga County

-----------

Steve Cagan, photographer
www.stevecagan.com
216-932-2753 (USA)
Current and upcoming activities:
stevecagan.com/contents/currentactivities.html


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