Hello everybody, After reading these anecdotes and observing predation events in the past, I was wondering if anyone had an idea as to why animals will consume non-traditional/unusual prey items during late spring/early summer. Birds are obviously not a common prey item for chipmunks, deer, grackles, etc, so why does it seem that they are more like to take these items at this time of the year? Is it because they might feed more protein-rich items to their young, or maybe because they are simply exploiting a food source that is more easily taken during this time of the year? Let me know if you folks have some knowledge about this subject. Thank you. Jim Witter Seasonal naturalist Magee Marsh Wildlife Area ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]