Q: What is the largest bird that visits the Monoosnoc?
A: The great blue heron. It stands about ten feet tall. Not really. Actually, it is about four feet tall, which is still a large bird! Some people call it crane, but cranes are different than herons.

Q: I've seen a bird with a large beak coming out of a hole in the bank of the brook, what is it?
A: It sounds like you're describing the belted kingfisher. This large billed bird makes its home in banks along water. You can often see it hovering over the brook. When it spots a fish, it dives in and scoops it up with that large bill.

Q: What is the bird with yellow wings that looks like a woodpecker?
A: If you mean the underside of its wings, it's probably a common or yellow-shafted flicker. This bird has striking markings like other members of its woodpecker family. It seems to spend much of its time hopping on the ground looking for insects.

Q: I was taking a walk with my family and we saw a bunch of birds in the sumac trees along the brook. They had a yellow stripe on their tail and crest on their head, like a cardinal's. What were they?
A: Congratulations! You've spotted a flock of cedar waxwings. These greyish-brown birds also have a black mask and red tips on some of their wing feathers.

Q: Why are there so many birds along the Monoosnoc?
A: Can you say habitat? The brook provides a perfect environment for birds in the form of cover, as in trees and brush; abundant food, as in insects and berries; and, of course, water.

Q: Where did the bird houses come from that are along the brook behind Searstown Mall?
A: Most of the houses have been put up by volunteers and Brook Patrol members to provide additional homes for cavity-nesting birds such as sparrows, chickadees and bluebirds.