The swallowtail kites are not likely after your baby mockers, earlybird. They eat on the wing and usually eat large insects, small snakes, lizards and things they snatch out of the treetops. They are without a doubt my favorite bird of prey, having the most beautiful markings and expressive faces of any, to my mind. And here is a shot of a STK eating...something GREEN...while flying. (Hopefully a Cuban treefrog!) Your wood stork photos are beautiful! Magnificent big ol' birds! Ya gotta love 'em! And brown thrashers are very common throughout most of the state. They are first cousins to mockingbirds. But many people never notice them, and since they don't normally come to feeders, they can be overlooked. (Mine have been coming to my feeders, however, ever since I started to use a mix with fruits and nuts in it.) Marcia

A purple BEAK? Hmmmmm. Never heard of that. The only large black birds I know of that would likely come to a feeder (besides crows) are grackles. The parking lots and yards of full of purple grackles right now. But their beaks are basically just glossy black like the rest of the bird. Their feathers are irridescent, and have a purple sheen to them, but the beaks are just shiny black. You got me on this one, Marion. Dare I ask for a picture? Sure would help, though to my knowledge, there are no native black birds with purple beaks. Perhaps something exotic? Marcia

yet another shot

The Towhees around here-East Tennessee-certainly sing the "Drink" part of their song, also the "Tea" part-sometimes written as towhee. This am I heard "Drink, drink, drink....long pause...your tea" Then just "drink drink..." I think it's a little later in the year when I hear the "tea" or "towhee" part alone. Right now I have an Eastern Wood Peewee that repeats "pee-oh-wee" over & over & it's kinda mournful sounding. He sings from a cedar tree in a small cemetary across the road & it seems fitting somehow. Susan