the modest birder (3)

On 2/13, 2/15 and 2/16 I participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count. (On 2/14 we went birding in Delaware). On Friday and Sunday I observed from about 8am until 10.30 and on Monday the entire day for about 15 mins approx. on the hour, which is when I found the wave of feeders arrives. Sunday and Monday were clear cool days and the numbers of each species were down, but only the Sapsucker did not appear (that is during the observation times; on Tuesday when it did come by in the afternoon, it neglected the suet completely). As the numbers were close to "normal" (and higher for Whitethroats) on Friday when it was cloudy and chilly and I had also noticed the largest numbers on the recent snow days, I wonder whether sunny days provide enough feeding opportunities in the wild. Certainly on Sunday afternoon, Juncoes and Starlings were foraging in the yellow grasses of the slope to the creek and Titmice. Chickadees etc. were busy on the branches and woodpeckers on the bark of any tree. Having made the effort I became aware that my idea of the "usual suspects" is not accurate. A Blue Jay appeared only once while often there are 2 or 3; several times in the last week there were 6 Cowbirds, 1 Redwing Bl.B. and 1 Grackle, but none on the three days (to reappear yesterday, 2/18). While paying closer attention I also noticed that 2 Nuthatches appeared to be pairing up as one was feeding a piece of suet to the other; also now a pair of Redbellies arrive together and the male Cardinals are "territorial" near the feeders toward each other but no longer toward the lonely female (and one male often comes at the same time as the female and they feed in close proximity).
During the count-days there was 2x a female Cooper's (which once chased a Mourning dove, in vain) and a male Sharpshin which was very acrobatic around the feeders and picked off a Goldfinch (I think). One of the Redtails made a faint over the feeders on Friday and narrowly missed a dove as well. The Redtails, which have a nest along 113 on the adjacent farm in a copse of old trees, were twice, on sunny days, circling high overhead as if in a courtship flight.

Wouldn't be nice if Spring rather than some inner clock set off by too much food, was being heralded by these apparent pairing behaviors?

Yesterday it was chilly (in the 30s) with rain and wet snow in the afternoon. At one time there were 37 Siskins and I hardly had time to count them all before they flew off as is their nervous habit. There were again a few Housefinches, 2 Song and 5 White-throated Sparrows. Also one of the Car. Wrens, absent since the first snow day, reappeared.