Help Wanted: Forest Crossing Guard

Here at The Edge of the Wood we remember our cheery school crossing guard with her blue uniform, white sash and bright red stop sign. Katie Sieving, a professor of wildlife ecology and conservation at the University of Florida, has found that tufted titmice act like “crossing guards” and that other birds hold back from entering hazardous open areas in a forest if the titmice sound an alarm.  Here a little titmouse is sizing up our camera to see if it’s kosher. We hope she gives us the thumbs up so we can look forward to more of our bird friends stopping by.