On Sunday we went out to visit friends at their new house in the suburbs. They have a pretty sizeable backyard that slopes down from their deck, with at least 10 trees, some of which are large. Luckily, I’d brought my tiny binoculars. I saw some high-quality birds!
I’m flattered you think I’m fluent in titmouse, but I think your guess is as good or better than mine on the question of what those birds were up to.
The excellent Birds of the World’s article on Oak Titmouse says this:
Antagonistic interactions with territorial intruders generally are accompanied by exchange of song (including counter-singing), harsh scolding notes, quivering of wings, threatening posture with crest raised, approach-threat behavior (“a pugnacious movement by which one titmouse forces another to shift its perch”; Dixon 1949), and/or physical pursuit. Such behaviors are directed mostly toward conspecifics, but may also occur between titmice and other parids or nonrelated species in the context of competition for limited nest cavities (Rowlett 1972).
Also, congrats on your sapsucker (fancy indeed!) and the flicker ID.
Here’s a bad photo of a sapsucker I saw this morning:
The birds were out of control in the persimmon orchard along Gobernador Canyon Road (eBird list).
Reposted from https://lies.tumblr.com/post/669402235689697280.
