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away. =C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 The woods then had been clear cut only about --Apple-Mail-F102CF19-4156-4980-BDA5-F3C147AFA48B Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Beautiful post DW.=20 Sent from my iPad > On May 20, 2020, at 5:22 PM, Shouty McShoutsalot <desolatechair@gmail.com>= wrote: >=20 > Lovely. Thanks for sharing. >=20 >> On Wed., May 20, 2020, 17:16 David Webster, <dwebster@glinx.com> wrote: >> Dear All, >>=20 >> I saw a comment recently on naturens traffic to the effect that=20 >> even sitting quietly in the woods may adversely affect birds. And it got=20= >> buried in subsequent traffic. >>=20 >> This puzzles me because if you are really quiet then you become in=20= >> effect an unusually shaped rock or burl. I have had e.g. a Chicadee land=20= >> within a few inches of my nose (at most 3" away) and peer this way and=20= >> that way; no hint of concern just curious. When very slowly crossing a=20= >> knee-high windfall I once had a Squirrel walk between my legs without=20 >> indicating awareness. When sitting a foot away from a tiny Spruce (~1"=20= >> diam. at soil) at dusk I once had a small Mouse slowly climb up the tree=20= >> saying ek ek ek as nonchalant as could be. And one day while passing=20 >> time, while I fished nearby, my wife waded out to a small rocky "island"=20= >> in a brook took both rubber boots off and a few minutes later a Muskrat=20= >> joined her, smelled the inside of both boots, smelled and crossed her=20 >> bare legs and then leisurely left the island and proceeded up stream.=20 >> Twice when sitting in Spruce I had a Kinglet land and hop about within=20= >> inches apparently unaware I was there. Grey Jays are the exception-=20 >> they find you; especially when they smell a fire because that may mean a=20= >> welcome change from a dull diet. >>=20 >> Sometimes it seems birds welcome company. One summer I spent many=20= >> hours thinning an area of woods which was clearly overstocked; cutting=20= >> and let lie or cutting and trimming for firewood. Regardless where I was=20= >> working in this ~10 acre area a Robin would eventually show up,=20 >> apparently unconcerned, and follow me around as I moved. Shortly after=20= >> I bought the woodlot I would trigger a flyby of one or several Pileated=20= >> Woodpeckers shortly after I started the chainsaw. One or more would fly=20= >> in, circle me several times calling (Yak, Yak, Yak....) and then fly=20 >> away. The woods then had been clear cut only about 30 years=20 >> previously so Pileated food may have been in short supply and perhaps=20 >> they wanted a fix on possible exposed food. They are less common now=20 >> but still often come near where I am cutting and stick around until I=20 >> pause and look up to e.g. try to take a picture. >>=20 >> Sometimes simply by being friendly you see things unexpectedly. One=20= >> day while eating at a large Cortland apple and splitting wood in a light=20= >> rain a Squirrel seemed interested so I put a small slice out of my=20 >> reach. After he ate that I continued feeding him slim slices. When it=20= >> started to rain quite hard he perched in full view on a Spruce branch=20 >> with tail up over his back and with the tail end flared out, fan like=20 >> and serving as an unbrella, protecting his head and front feet from rain.= >>=20 >> Yellow Jackets naturally get annoyed if you damage their nest but=20= >> once, while slicing and eating an apple in the yard, a Yellow Jacket=20 >> flew within a few feet and paused in mid air which I took to mean "May I=20= >> land on your hand" so I slowly extended my hand to say "welcome" and it=20= >> landed and proceeded to make good use of the apple juice on my hand. In=20= >> like fashion, some beetles have come near when having tea in the yard=20 >> and had a good drink. I don't recall details but I somehow improvised a=20= >> feeding tube consisting of two flat and pointed slivers of wood. They=20 >> would fly to the table for 2 or 3 slips, retreat and then come for more.=20= >> In such interactions one must move but a key factor is to avoid rapid or=20= >> unexpected motion. >>=20 >> Also sitting quietly near sunny warm areas where one might see a=20 >> snake out hunting will often lead to a snake seen. >>=20 >>=20 >> Enough DW, Kentville >>=20 >>=20 --Apple-Mail-F102CF19-4156-4980-BDA5-F3C147AFA48B Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit <html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto">Beautiful post DW. <br><br><div id="AppleMailSignature" dir="ltr">Sent from my iPad</div><div dir="ltr"><br>On May 20, 2020, at 5:22 PM, Shouty McShoutsalot <desolatechair@gmail.com> wrote:Lovely. Thanks for sharing.On Wed., May 20, 2020, 17:16 David Webster, <dwebster@glinx.com> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Dear All,<br> <br> I saw a comment recently on naturens traffic to the effect that <br> even sitting quietly in the woods may adversely affect birds. And it got <br> buried in subsequent traffic.<br> <br> This puzzles me because if you are really quiet then you become in <br> effect an unusually shaped rock or burl. I have had e.g. a Chicadee land <br> within a few inches of my nose (at most 3" away) and peer this way and <br> that way; no hint of concern just curious. When very slowly crossing a <br> knee-high windfall I once had a Squirrel walk between my legs without <br> indicating awareness. When sitting a foot away from a tiny Spruce (~1" <br> diam. at soil) at dusk I once had a small Mouse slowly climb up the tree <br> saying ek ek ek as nonchalant as could be. And one day while passing <br> time, while I fished nearby, my wife waded out to a small rocky "island" <br> in a brook took both rubber boots off and a few minutes later a Muskrat <br> joined her, smelle