Wow! I've seen them flock but not in those numbers! They gather in an empty lot next to where I work and we watch their aerial stunts, it's like they play follow the leader but the leader changes every few moments. What's interesting is that two of our most invasive alien species of birds (european starlings and house sparrows) are both considered endangered in Britain. Makes you wonder if they don't get to the point where the species has outgrown it's natural boundaries and begins to decline. I know I would gladly ship all my starlings over there! We have another winter storm moving through tonight and the birds seemed to know as they were all very actively feeding at dusk. Typically the last birds that I see in the evening are cardinals and tonight when I looked out I counted 43! That was just at the back feeders so I'm sure that count is low. I tried to get a picture of as many as possible but the best I could do was 17. Taken through the window with flash so not my best but you get the idea ... Here is a link that might be useful:

Great pics. Esp. the first one, that woodpecker is looking tough. I think it was on this forum someone once said woodpeckers are like "wanna rumble?" & I always think that when they intimidate other birds....The only time I've seen a woody scared is when there must have been a hawk in the tree-he stayed stock still right on the suet block for almost 30 minutes. The flicker gave lots of angles for viewing, and I like the one w/2 different woodpeckers. Cardinal & nuthatch round it out nicely, we're only missing a chickadee, where was he? jk Thanks for posting.

I love your photos Claire, they're great. Thanks for posting them, it's always great to see people's pictures. And neat idea to put the suet right up in the tree like that. And...while I was talking on the phone today, I looked out the kitchen window and there was (I thought) the flicker again. I was so excited that he'd hung around - but when I got a better look, the bird was smaller with no red "V" on the neck, and the coloring different somehow. Turned out it was a juvenile flicker! He/She (they don't get the red mark until they are fully matured I found out) ate some suet from the feeder, hung out in the crabapple tree, then took off. I read that these birds can be migratory. Does anyone know whether flickers seen around here (eastern Massachusetts, 7 miles from the coast) would be migratory? I'm almost wondering if that's why I'm seeing them now when I don't, usually. Just wondering -

Wonderful! You really understand where the birds hang out in your marshes, and how to see them. Claire