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[[circled]] 27 [[/circled]]

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long time or not. [[2 green checkmarks]] [[purple]] 8 [[/purple]] A pair of Firebellies joined ----> group. But they disappeared almost immediately. [underlined]] Certainly  [[/underlined]] did not continue following. From sounds

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alone, I think that there also must have been a [[2 green checkmarks]] [[purple]] 9 [[/purple]] pair of [[underlined]] B. nigrocristatus [[/underlined]] toward the rear of the flock at one time; but I never actually saw the birds.

The Synallaxis was seen only in scrub. Very low. 1 - 2 ft above ground. The Firebellies were seen only in tree, 20 ft up. The [[underlined]] nigrocristatus [[/underlined]], if present must have stayed low in scrub. All the other birds ranged 5 - 20 ft above ground. The Blue & Orange's [[underlined]] averaged [[/underlined]] higher than all the others, with the possible exception of the Whitebeard.

Flock [[underlined]] very [[/underlined]] noisy! Juv. Blue & Orange did lots of Begging. Hoarse "zhee zhee zhee ..." Notes, with .... wing-Q [[?]]. Firebellies sang. The PR's uttered lots of [[underlined]] loud [[/underlined]] twittering patterns. The presumed [[underlined]] nigrocristatus [[/underlined]] uttered R's. Every one uttered lots of "CN"s.

[[left margin in red]] Sitti WCC [[/left margin]]

(It has just occurred to me that one of the principal ecological differences between Sittis and WCC's probably is height of vegetation preferred. Sittis occur in scrub quite frequently. But the WCC's I have seen, in the Western Cordillera, have been very largely arboreal.)

All the birds in this flock were looking for insects on leaves and/or in bark or on twigs.

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Just after the flock seems to have passed completely, a [[underlined]]group of [[3 green checkmarks]] 4 Black & Whites appears [[/underlined]]! Moving rapidly thru trees and scrub. Uttering lots of loud "CN"s. They follow [[underlined]] exactly [[/underlined]] the same route as the (preceding) mixed flock! And, at the rate they are going, they should catch up with it [[underlined]] very soon [[/underlined]].

Certainly, the fact that Andean mixed flocks seem to follow fixed routes (possibly usually at approximately the same time each day) must greatly facilitate birds coming together.