Backyard Birds

We are now officially into summer.  The temperature reaches at or near 100 most afternoons and the humidity is also high.  With that in mind, I am finding more indoor activities at least for the afternoons. 

One of the things we have done this spring and summer that has been much more fun than I could have guessed is watching the birds at our bird feeders in the back yard.  We have two feeders (each with different food) and a bowl of water on the patio table, although many of the birds prefer Alex's water bowl on the ground.

Finch on the squirrel proof pole feeder containing safflower seeds.  It is now rare to see only one finch at a time.  The charm (yes, a charm is a group of finches) is usually at least 4-5 and sometimes as many as 10-12 finches in the backyard at one time, often jockeying for position around the feeder.

 

The male downy woodpecker.  The female (without the red patch on the head) is often close by.  They are small!

What birds are frequent visitors?  It varies a bit from day to day, but birds at the feeders include:  Carolina chickadees, cardinals, blue jays (LOTS of blue jays), house finches (LOTS of finches!), titmice, red bellied woodpeckers, Carolina wrens, white-winged doves, mourning doves, Downy woodpeckers, and brown thrashers.  These are the birds that we see essentially daily this summer.  On many days in the mornings and late afternoons, there are many different birds in the yard at once.

One of the adult (as determined from its red head) red-bellied woodpeckers on the hanging feeder containing a variety of nuts and seeds.

In addition to those birds, there were additional birds that were here in the spring and moved on when in got warmer.  Those include goldfinch, juncos, cedar waxwings, and Eastern towhee (affectionately known in our house as the "mutant robin", since we at first did not know what it was).

More than just identifying the birds, it has been interesting to see their behavior and get to know their personalities.  Numerous ones have been taking care of young birds this summer, most notably the cardinals and the red bellied woodpeckers.  There is a distinct "pecking order". The blue jays tend to bully the smaller birds.  However, if the red bellied woodpecker is on the feeder or wants on the feeder, all other birds get out of the way.  The brown thrashers, which are mostly on the ground, are very territorial of their little space and chase the other birds.

Some of the birds keep a close eye on us as well.  The Carolina wrens, even if apparently not in the yard, appear immediately and start protesting if Alex goes outside.  They will sometimes protest even if he sits inside the sliding glass door.  They also protest us being on the patio, although they do seem to settle down if we sit quietly.  The chickadees and finches mostly ignore us.

Of course, there are also the many squirrels who are funny to watch as they try to get around the squirrel deterrents.

This is the squirrel proof feeder on a pole.  Weight on the perch causes the openings to close.  The openings are partially closed in this picture as the squirrel begins to pull on the perch.

We originally had a smaller diameter baffle above the hanging feeder.  By holding with their rear paws to the center hanger, they could reach down and get to the feeder.  Fortunately they have not been able to pull that trick with this larger baffle.

Don't feel too sorry for the squirrels.  They are actually eating quite well.  A significant amount of seed falls to the ground, where the ground feeding birds and the squirrels seem to get plenty to eat.

Whether from off the ground or directly from the feeders, a lot of seed is being consumed.  It varies a bit, but the hanging feeder requires refilling about every second or third day.  The pole feeder lasted weeks last spring.  However, the birds that prefer safflower (primarily the finches and the cardinals) went through a full feeder in just over six days last week.  They move a lot of seeds, even if only one seed at a time!