Can you I.D. the bird heads?  (Click on them to enlarge.)

The one on the left is from the dust jacket for "The Real James Bond."

On Monday, I asked:

When we cleaned out the Wood Duck boxes last month, we noticed this weird oval depression around one of the boxes. (The ice within the oval seemed thinner....)

Anyone have any idea what might have caused it?

Three theories so far:

Neil MacLennan wrote: "My sense is that it was caused by the specific placement of the box and the prevailing winter wind direction. The prevailing wind comes from the NW and the post's position creates ripples starting in the NW that make it more difficult to freeze in the SE direction."

Julie McCall wrote: "my best guess is that the sun on the box and pole generated enough heat to cause some melt, and perhaps the breeze generated some drift of the slightly warmer area, and then some refreeze happened. just a guess, based on watching how snowmelt is occurring around objects (e.g. my outdoor plant pots, fire hydrants, shrubs, a leaf on the snow, etc.)"

I theorized: "Maybe someone started a small fire on the ice... Or the Ghosts of Allendale?'

What do you think?

I know the above video is a bit far afield, but it does involve a rescue of a Red-shouldered Hawk, the unofficial bird of Allendale.

Fishing line can be a real danger to birds.

A great job by The Raptor Trust!  (Yet again.)

This weekend is the Great Backyard Bird Count. It runs now through Monday.

Throw in a Birdy 30 if you like...

You can learn more about the GBBC  here.

(Yes, that's a Black-capped Chickadee photo bombing my neighbor the Northern Cardinal, who lets me know when he wants the feeders refilled.)

A big thank you to the Linnaean Society for hosting my talk about the real James Bond, a spy or two, and three birds he collected for the American Museum of Natural History.

The Linnaean Society recorded the talk -- which featured a discussion with BirdsCaribbean's Joseph Wunderle about West Indies conservation. You can click on the YouTube video of the talk above.

To order a signed copy of my book, The Real James Bond, email me here.

Proceeds from these sales will go to BirdsCaribbean in honor of the real James Bond.