Christmas panorama of birds

Editor's note: Jerry Edde, retired from the U.S. Forest Service, conducts an annual Gogebic Range bird count from his home in Bessemer, asking area bird watchers to call in their results to him. This year's count was conducted last Saturday.

Bessemer - There was just enough light to see the pointed crest and black mask of a northern cardinal picking up sunflower seeds beneath my bird feeder. Christy could see from a better angle and she said, "It's definitely a male, I can see the red."

This is a good sign, I thought. The first bird for the 2014 Christmas Bird Count is a cardinal wearing his Christmas finest.

Before leaving Bessemer, while stopped at a stop sign, my partner said, "There is a big bird in that little bush. It looks like a crow."

It did look like a crow, with its back to us, but when the bird raised its head from feeding on the cherry-like fruit, I could see another crest, but this time it was on a crow-sized blackbird.

"Pileated woodpecker," I said.

Christy recorded the woodpecker, since I was driving. This is the second year I have seen pileated woodpeckers feeding on fruit. This seems to be a mainstay in the winter for this bird, whose main year-round diet is insects hammered out of tree trunks.

Later, while driving in north Ironwood, a very large bird flew across the road and into the top of a tall pine tree. "I think that is an eagle," I said.

Christy responded, "Speed up so we can make sure."

I accelerated from my normal 20 mph to 35 mph and just as we came near the tree, the bald eagle launched itself across the road into a ragged hardwood stand.

Then, when the eagle landed, I could see a half-dozen common ravens and two more bad eagles. Obviously, something very dead and very tasty to eagles and ravens was in that spot.

On to Ironwood we drove.

Rounding a corner, a mourning dove flew across the street and onto a round lawn table conveniently set up for lunch on someone's porch. The real lunch, however, was on the porch deck, where a couple dozen doves were enjoying brunch supplied by the homeowner.

I really enjoy hearing and seeing doves, especially during the Christmas season - a bird of peace for a peaceful season.

In Erwin Township, we turned down a woods road with a canopy pf trees. Way out on the end of a very thin branch, a ruffed grouse was methodically snipping tiny buds. Almost like a monkey, the grouse climbed even further, swaying precariously, but hanging onto that branch and finishing his breakfast. I could see that it was neither an aspen tree, nor a beaked hazel, which are critically important late winter diet for ruffed grouse.

Nevertheless, the grouse would not go hungry tonight.

It had been a great day, and was really winding down as we finished our swing home through Anvil Location. Just as we came around the corner, we saw three adult American turkeys. At least one was a hen and she had three poults, all about half-grown, following behind her. I was surprised to see any surviving turkeys after the multiple hard winters we have been having, but young turkeys was a real surprise. The turkeys slipped into the tag alders and were gone.

It was time to go home and receive the calls from the 25 other participants in the Christmas Bird Count.