Alarming!

 6:10 to 7:15am, 68 Degrees, Cloudy, Wind 5mph SSW

I think the Northern Cardinals have come to accept me in their home, The Little Forrest. I saw much more activity from them when I sat down. Flying from the copse of trees across from me to the ferns at the bottom of the gulley, to the vines on the far side of the gulley, and to trees on my side of the gulley. Just way more activity. Some of which is easy to miss. Through practice, I am making progress on my ability to see the happenings of The Little Forrest. A pair of cardinals in the open was kind of cool.

About twenty minutes into my sit the alarms went off! And this feral cat came through. I heard the squirrels screaming behind me before I saw the cat. The cat was moving fast and stealthily. Down into the gulley and into the ferns. For a moment it came out of the brush and gave me a look. That was when I was able to get the photograph. There were times that I could see it but could not photograph it in the undergrowth. This cat is a predator! It moved to the east towards Canco Woods as did the alarm calls.  Not only were the squirrels screaming the birds were squawking. An incredible amount of noise. I probably saw more birds flying in the canopy, than I had in the six or seven weeks I have been doing this. The alarms, no doubt communicated that the threat was on the ground and go high in the trees. Merlin added six or so birds in this period. I could not really distinguish the individual species in the riot of noise. 

There is another house cat I have seen. It just sits in the sun in the back yards of the houses across the gulley. No alarms for that cat. My guess is the animals of The Little Forrest know the cat. I suspect this cat gets fed at home. 

There was something giving off an alarm call for twenty minutes or so after the predator cat passed. It was off to the west. The opposite direction of the cat. I have referred to this sound as agitated squirrel in the past. When I say squirrel I mean Grey Squirrel. The only squirrel I have seen in The Little Forrest. This alarm is not the warning call of a grey squirrel. Sounds more like a chipmunk but larger. Perhaps a red squirrel. I do not know. The birds were quiet for twenty to thirty minutes. 

Merlin Identified 23 birds. Most of the usual suspects. It did not identify Mourning Dove, However, I saw three! They were not mourning this morning! A few red dots. Red shouldered hawk! It showed up dureing the alarm riot of noise. So I do not know if it was up above the Little Forrest or not. I love the sound of hawks on the wind.