Barb,
My guess is that the birds are keeping an eye out for predators from
above. I see that behavior in shorebirds a lot. Here is an example of
Upland sandpipers doing the same thing.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/73831614@N00/36717586490/in/photolist-XWBef3-YhBzVy-YhBCnY-XgPZPN-XgPRYC-XgPVB9-Yk9DaV-YxDdVX-Yk9Dae-Yk9Djn-YhBEJw
b-
On Mon, Jun 8, 2020 at 8:39 AM barb22030@xxxxxxxxx <
dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
It was sunny and in the 70s on 6/7 when I captured a male cardinal puff up
his feathers and lean to one side while looking like he was âvegging out.â
Can anyone explain this behavior? I love catching it in the summer. I
photographed the cardinal on the W&OD Trail in Vienna but I also recently
saw 3 barn swallows do it on a sidewalk in Maryland. Also, I saw these
birds on the trail before and after the cardinal: 5 male indigo buntings, a
male yellowthroat, a male immature orchard oriole, 2 tree swallows, 2
bluebirds, 3 house finches, & assorted other birds.
My private pix are temporarily here:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/olympusbjs/013762
- Barb, Fairfax
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