SCOTT SHALAWAY A deer hunter's guide to birds

Few among us observe nature more carefully than deer hunters. Often they never fire a shot, but the hours they spend perched on a deer stand seldom disappoint. It's the only time some of them ever see a bear or a bobcat. The rewards of patiently watching and listening in the woods can hardly be exaggerated.
As deer hunters age, their observational skills improve. Based upon conversations with hunters of all ages, I've concluded that many hunters experience a natural process of ecological enlightenment. Until about age 35, the kill is the thing. Young hunters gauge their success by what they take from the woods.
Killing subsides
Then, between the ages of 35 and 40, the importance of the kill begins to subside. It's more about the experience. Memories and images become more important than meat or antlers. By age 50, many hunters confess they seldom fire a shot. Some confess they carry only a camera to the tree stand.
During this process a deer hunter's hunger for knowledge and understanding becomes insatiable. They leave the woods with more questions than answers. I know because I get many such questions.
Just a few nights ago, for example, an experienced local hunter, Charley Hartzell, asked if I could identify a bird he had seen while hunting. He described a small greenish bird about the size of a chickadee with a patch of bright red feathers on the top of its head. "Ruby-crowned kinglet," I said.
A few hours later I checked my e-mail and found this message from a hunter named Joe Krepp: "While deer hunting near Pittsburgh, a small flock of birds landed in a tree just a few feet from my deer stand. The caps on these birds had bright orange center feathers with yellow feathers on the edges and black feathers next to those. I've never seen this bird before and wonder if you know what it was." "Golden-crowned kinglet," I replied.
Perfect descriptions
Both men had given perfect descriptions that reflected keen powers of observation. It suddenly occurred to me that hunters need a guide to the birds they're likely to encounter in the autumn woods. The Golden Guide to Birds or Peterson's First Guide to Birds fits in a shirt pocket and is ideal. To point curious hunters in the right direction, here are three groups of birds a patient and observant deer hunter is likely to encounter.
Days in a tree stand are almost certain to yield at least a few species from a group of birds I call the "social climbers." Throughout the fall and winter mixed flocks of these birds roam the woods searching for dormant insects, their egg cases and pupae, seeds, and/or nuts. All have strong feet that enable them to take advantage of their arboreal (tree dwelling) habitat. They cling acrobatically to tree trunks and branches as they search for food. The social climbers include woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, titmice, brown creepers, kinglets, and sometimes yellow-rumped warblers.
Social behavior offers group members obvious rewards. Groups can locate new food sources more efficiently than individuals. And there's safety in numbers -- group vigilance provides protection from predators.
Hunters also often report large numbers of birds they surely recognize. Call these birds the "old friends." Crows, blue jays, robins, and bluebirds flock to the woods in the fall and winter, sometimes in very large numbers.
Tales of raptors
Finally, many eagle-eyed hunters return from the woods with tales of raptors. They may see a red-tailed hawk take a cottontail or a Cooper's hawk pursue a blue jay. When a murder of crows fills the air with raucous cries, hunters might spot a great-horned owl perched next to the trunk of a tall hickory. And if smaller birds sound the alarm, they might espy a screech-owl looking back from a roosting cavity.
Few young hunters call themselves birders. But give them time. The allure of birds is irresistible.
sshalaway@aol.com