A train of buses traveled back and forth through Cable last week to transport skiers to the Birkebeiner start line. Aldo and I paused our daily routine to watch the action from the Museum backyard. He became quite vocal, nearly making my ears ring from his tiny but powerful syrinx (the bird equivalent of vocal chords).
It would be nice to imagine him welcoming the skiers to Cable or wishing them luck in the race, but Aldo was rather demonstrating the American Kestrel's alarm call. The repetitive "ki-ki-ki-ki!" means high excitement, usually in the face of danger. An incoming predator might instigate an alarm call in the wild. Aldo will often call at the sight of a dog or people standing on a balcony above him. This morning, I think Aldo called out to say that he was just a little wary of the bustling activity and noisy buses.
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