I spent some time birding in Delaware yesterday and had a couple interesting firsts while I was there. The first was a yellow morph (or green, depending who you ask) Pine Siskin at Cape Henlopen. Sibley says yellow, and that they're usually seen in the southwest. This guy didn't just have bright yellow wing bars. He was washed with yellow all over, top and bottom...very striking, especially sitting next to a couple of the more normal looking ones.
Later on I hit Prime Hook NWR and was fascinated as I watched a swirling starling flock (murmuration) go after a Peregrine Falcon. Customary roles were reversed and the starlings repeatedly jockeyed for position above the falcon, then dived straight down, only to barely miss him, gather themselves, and repeat the process. There were several repeat performances before the falcon had enough and vacated the area. It was very cool to watch. I took a sequence of photos and posted a few. I also posted some shots of the yellow Siskin. Enjoy. http://www.flickr.com/photos/27381338@N03/8088381389/in/photostream
Mark Johnson2
Aberdeen, MD
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