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Nature Reflections |
January 5, 2006
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Archive Gray Merriam |
My Window Feeder by Jean Griffin A
bird feeder is attached to the outside of my window by suction cups,
just at eye level when I am sitting in the chair next to the window. I
fill it with sunflower seeds and while the chickadees and nuthatches
enjoy the seeds I enjoy watching them. It
is very popular with the chickadees, but one at a time, please. Each
one darts in and usually quickly picks up one seed and is gone to its
favourite perch. Occasionally one will sit on top of the pile of seeds
and, apparently checking for the fattest one, will pick up and discard
one after another several times, meanwhile objecting to the arrival of
another bird. Then it will fly away with that special seed, land on a
branch on the Black Locust tree (the nearest one to the window), tuck
the seed under its feet, and peck away the shell until it can get the
meat inside. I
have never been able to count the number of chickadees as they come and
go so quickly, sometimes to the locust tree, sometimes further away in
the pines. At times they come and go so quickly they almost seem to
need a traffic director. Needless to say the pecking order comes into
play, and that aggressive chickadee will cause the others to hesitate,
or flair up to the roof of the house waiting until that one is gone,
and then quickly take their turns. Sometimes two or more birds arrive
at once - but it is more often a waiting game. I
enjoy the chickadees but my favourite bird at the feeder is the little
Red-breasted Nuthatch. Since I have seen three at the same time in the
trees, I think there is actually a family of them. Like the chickadees,
it is ‘one at a time, please’, and then it is off to a place to hide or
eat the seed. Often darting to the locust tree, it will land on a large
branch or trunk, usually upside down. With its characteristic nuthatch
habit of going up and down the limb it seems to be seeking a crevice in
the bark in which to tuck the seed. Many times it appears to be storing
the seed for future use, as it is quickly back for another. Other times
it will tuck the seed into the crevice, then, again usually upside
down, peck vigorously until it has its lunch. Another
occasional visitor is a female Hairy Woodpecker. She will come and
cling to the edge of the feeder, eyeing me as she does, and toss aside
a few seeds before finding one she likes and then takes off. A Downy
Woodpecker will come to the locust tree, but does not seem to have the
courage to come to the feeder, instead looks for seeds hidden by the
nuthatch. Naturally
the Blue Jays want the sunflower seeds, and I usually scare them away
to make room for the smaller birds. Smart birds! They have learned if I
am sitting in the chair that it is best to stay away. So they come and
sit in the locust tree, sometimes preening, but usually just watching.
If I move away one will quickly land on the feeder, and greedily cram
in as many seeds as possible before flying away. For the first few days
after the feeder went up, when I left the chair I tried placing a 9 x
12 picture of my grandson in the window, and for those first few days
the jays would not come, though the picture did not bother the other
birds. It did not take long for the jays to realize it was not a live
person! The
White-breasted Nuthatches have apparently not found the feeder.
Occasionally a single American Goldfinch will spend a few minutes. And
on one day there was one Evening Grosbeak sitting in it. What else will
arrive over the coming winter months? Observations: David Hahn, Canoe Lake Road, reports he had a Red-bellied Woodpecker at his feeder one day in early December - has anyone else seen it? David also had a few Common Redpolls and a Northern Shrike. Share your sightings; call Jean at 268-2518 or email currawong13.
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