I love to watch the birds at the feeders outside my window. Each species has its own personality. The Steller’s jays sweep grandly in and dominate—until a flicker shows up and chases the jays from the feeder. The starlings come in noisy hordes, the bushtits in friendly little flocks.
The chickadees are especially friendly and easy-going. The chestnut-backed seem a bit friendlier than the black-capped, but neither is particularly shy. They can get a bit demanding when I don’t keep up with my feeding chores. But when the feeder is filled with good, black oil sunflowers, the chickadees flit about in the dogwood tree where the feeder hangs. One will zip in, grab a seed, and fly to a perch nearby to eat it. Then another swoops in. They patiently take turns, each picking up a single seed and eating it before coming back for more. Occasionally two or three will land on the feeder at the same time, but no one gets pushy.
The juncos aren’t quite so obliging. They don’t like to share the feeder, particularly with other species. They flap their wings at interlopers and seemed annoyed that others would want to move in while they are eating. Still they are models of courtesy compared to starlings. Starlings will share if they have to, but you can’t make them like it. They squawk and flap about on the suet feeder, greedily grabbing big mouthfuls of food.
However, for a true show of dominance, the squirrel is definitely tops. He’ll hang by his tail over the seed feeder, gobbling down as much as he can before he loses his grip on the branch above and has to drop off. Or curl his well-fed body around the suet feeder so no bird has a chance of sneaking in.
And meanwhile the polite little chickadees eat their seeds one at a time, cheerfully sharing and enjoying life, one moment at a time.
We don’t have many trees,
so do not see little chickadees.
In the home yard, at least
They flutter about in the east.
Sorry about that. I started typing and saw I made a rhyme, so I just completed it.
The only chickadees we have seen are when we have traveled to Des Moines to do some birding there.
I read somewhere that Juncos have “spacial issues” so often will charge at other birds who get too close.
I guess our lack of trees do keep the squirrels away, so never have had a problem. We have seen them only a handful of times here. I think the Starling photo is funny. The one looks like he’s mad. We bought a Starling Stumper suet feeder, but haven’t needed it. Yet. They do not stay for long, but have come in massively large groups.
God bless you.
I’m sorry you don’t have chickadees there (enjoyed your verse, though!); they are such cuties. The chestnut-backed are especially friendly. They will sit a couple of feet a way chattering at me when I’m out filling the feeder–telling me to hurry up, no doubt.
That’s interesting about juncos; might explain their behavior.
Starlings can be a pain, as they do generally arrive in big groups and push the little birds off the feeders to stuff themselves. In the summer, they love to pig out on my blueberry bushes–some years so much that I barely get any for myself.
Thanks for your comments and for visiting! Happy birdwatching!
Black sunflower seeds must be the chocolate of the bird world. I came onto the back step the other day and there was a rainbow lorikeet perched on the top of the wooden stake holding up a tomato plant. I put some sunflower seeds in my hand and offered it to him. He ate carefully but thoroughly from my hand while keeping one eye on me.
Fun! I’ve never had a wild bird eat from my hand, although the chickadees and the nuthatch get pretty close to me when I’m filling the feeder. I did have a rainbow lorikeet perch on my arm once, but that was in a big cage at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh. I didn’t know they did that in the wild. Or maybe they just like you, Ken!