ML506210671
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Media notes
Just a sample of a larger group of pine warblers foraging along the side of the road. There are probably around 20ish PIWAs in this video.
Observation details
Very high count: unusual spectacle that I also observed last year at the same location around the same date. I initially tried counting and only got to 58, but knew that was a low count because many of the birds were hidden underneath the grasses or high in the trees. However, eventually a car drove by, and flushed all the birds, where I could try to get exact count as they flew over my head. Because they were all headed in the same direction I am certain no birds were double counted, but I almost definitely missed some as they flew by. I tried to take a few phone videos to try to capture as many birds as I could in flight, but was only able to capture small portions of the group. I’m an unsure what the cause for this gathering is, but there were lots of birds foraging on the road/field next to road. The “flock” was mostly PIWA, but there were some others mixed in including, phoebes, nuthatches, bluebirds, and one parula. My initial theory was that acorns that fell from the oak tree branches that hung over the road and field, were then run over by cars, and the birds were either eating the broken acorns or an insect living inside the acorns, but this didn’t quite make sense because most the birds were foraging in the fields rather than on the road. Another possibility is that there was an abundant insect in the field, although I believe the fields are sprayed with a pesticide. Additionally the birds were not far out in the fields but instead, close to the road, underneath overhanging branches of the oak trees, so I feel like the reason has something to do with the oak trees. I am also wondering if this “flock” of PIWA, has to do with migration or if it is all of the local birds congregating for some sort of “feeding frenzy.”
Technical information
- Camera
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 20.56 MB