Last week, I had the opportunity to go for a birdwalk with my family at a local park. Despite the icy snow and unplowed trails, we managed to see such an interesting variety of birds in a very short time thanks to a mixed flock that happened to be foraging near the beginning of the trail.
What we saw that day:
- Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Downy Woodpecker
- Blue Jay
- Carolina Chickadee
- Tufted Titmouse
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- Brown Creeper
- American Robin
- House Finch
- Dark-eyed Junco
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Northern Cardinal
The concept of a mixed flock is fascinating to me. Mixed flocks help to protect birds by providing safety in numbers and also maximizing opportunities to find and forage for food. Birds within a mixed flock may also forage in different parts within a particular habitat, so as not to compete with each other for food. For instance, Tufted Titmice tend to forage in different subsections of the canopy and on the ground, while Carolina Chickadees tend to forage on the outer branches of the canopy. Birds also play different roles within a mixed flock. When a predator approaches, both chickadees and titmice call out to warn others, but chickadees and nuthatches are the primary defenders.
The Curious Birder 
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