Chippy O'Cardinal, Owl leavings and Parrakeets

Didn't do much for St. Pat's day, but I did see this cardinal wearing the green.
Lot's of cardinal activity in my back yard. At least three males competing for females in the backyard.






















Went by the UT intramural fields (Whitaker Fields) and was surprised to see almost every light pole with a deck on it had a parakeet condo on it. I'm not 100% sure, but I think this signifies expansion. I don't remember this many separate condos before. Oh and by the way, I saw the Mitred Conure that flocks with the monk parakeets again. First time I'd seen him in at least a year. I feared he was dead. Didn't get a new shot of him but here's an old one.

But I digress. At the base of tower 31 at the IM Fields was 4 or 5 bits of gray fluff. It took me a while, but I recognized it as an owl pellet. The Owl eats the prey whole, the prey gets digested and the pellet (hair, feathers, bones) is regurgitated. Here's a shot of the bits I found.

Here's the pellet separated.

Here's the beak and feathers that identify this meal as a bird.

Man the Whitewing Doves are out in numbers now. I hear then singing in the morning and I saw 100 of them easily on my walk with the dogs to the PO. Also saw about 5 incas, 1 bluejay, 3 cardinals and 5 carolina wrens. Starlings? You bet, about 20. 10 Great tailed grackles. 20-25 house sparrows. 100 monk parakeets. No Robins or Cedar Waxwings. I hear a blue outside and 2 whitewing doves as I type this.