Mourning Dove

Zenaida macroura, or the Mourning Dove is a well known visitor to many, many feeders.  Being mostly a ground feeder the Mourning Dove relishes picking up seeds that have fallen to the ground.  For this, the Mourning Dove is loved, as no food goes to waste and while the feeder is being attended to, the fallen seeds are also.  However, if you are like us, you have platform feeders and then you are privy to a different Mourning Dove behavior, one that could cause you to become 'not so thrilled' with the Mourning Dove.  The behavior I speak about is actually a very common behavior among birds, especially one's in large flocks.  If one or more birds is on the feeder and another approaches, the first bird will attempt to drive the other away by either doing a flashy display of wings, the opening of the beak or the charging at the intruder, as so to drive him away.  Red Winged Blackbirds and Grackles are known for this, as are Red Bellied Woodpeckers.  The Mourning Dove however takes the behavior to an all time new level!


If the intruder doesn't submit right away, then the attacker feels the need to keep the attack going until the message is delivered.  This usually includes the flapping of wings and the chasing of the intruder all around, over and through the birdseed, causing it to fall to the ground.  Now the question remains; is this a random act of territorial behavior or a deliberate attempt to push the food over the edge of the feeder so to assure something to eat later?  I've watched numerous Mourning Doves display this behavior and frankly, I can't tell if it's deliberate or not.  What I do know is that it's costing me more and rmore monthly for birdseed, because I find myself restocking the feeders later in the day to assure the birds that don't eat on the ground, get something to eat before nightfall.


You know, the more I think about it, this could be a diabolical plot by the Mourning Dove to assure it's survival.  Let's face it, it's not the brightest bird around.  After all, it makes its nest on a branch of a tree then lays one or two eggs.  The nest is not only very hastily made, but it's made very flat and more often than not the eggs roll off to their doom. 


Regardless of the intelligence in nesting by the Mourning Dove, one thing is certain,  I have been 're-trained' to put out more food in the afternoon by a bird that I think isn't that bright.  Yet, who's changed his behavior?  


It makes you think....

Painted Bunting (female)

Many of our avian friends live deep in the woods and only venture out now and again to find food.  The Gray Catbird is one of the birds in our copse that find solitude and safety in the deep recesses between the thick brush and the tall pines, coming out only once in a while to snatch a raisin or a piece of coconut from our feeders.  During our winter months, (November through February), we have a small flock of Painted Buntings that come to visit and stock up on thistle seed, (niger) and millet, so that they are ready for their trek back up north in early March or April.

Today seemed to be female Painted Bunting day.  They were there, as usual, following the Northern Cardinals to the feeder.  At times it seemed like there were only Painted Buntings and Northern Cardinals in the area.  As many as four female Painted Buntings were on the feeders at one time, picking up seeds as fast as their little beaks could grab them.  When any other birds flew near the feeder or attempted to light upon it, they flew off  to a nearby branch only to again return when the interloper left.

I've found you learn a lot about a particular species if you are patient enough.  The female Painted Bunting in it's greenish yellow 'garb' blends in quite well with the environment and is only seen if it wants to be.  If it sits, stock still on a branch or even on the ground, it is almost invisible.  I suspect that this is why the male of the species is always deep in the background, low in the underbrush.  He doesn't blend in nearly as well as his partner.  With his bright colors of purple, red and yellow, he is almost sure to attract attention.  It's understandable why he hides, (though I wish he wouldn't).

Mrs. Painted Bunting is feisty and somewhat attitudinal!  She has no problem coming to a feeder with many other birds on it and she refused to relinquish her spot to someone else.  She will also sit on a feeder alone and announce to the world with a "chip, chip" that she has arrived.  Even a pushy Mourning Dove is no match for this little lady!

If there are any more days like today, I will have filled my yearly quota of female Painted Bunting photographs.  They seemed to be everywhere and they were clearly more intent on eating than noticing me snapping picture after picture.  It's a good thing too or they wouldn't have eaten at all!

I will again be out there tomorrow morning and it wouldn't hurt my feelings at all if they came back!!

Many Things Avian

At 7:30am it was raining slightly when I first attempted to head out back for a quick morning photo shoot.  Upon feeling the raindrops I used a bit of discretion and decided to wait for a little while to see if it would clear up.  The birds were not deterred by the rain.  In fact, they were louder than ever, it seemed.  I could hear Red Winged Blackbirds, Blue Jays, Northern Cardinals and even this morning, a Northern Mockingbird.  The Northern Mockingbird has been absent of late, around the feeder, so hearing it's melodic tune was quite a surprise.

I again tried to venture out around 8:45am.  It seemed brighter out then and the rain had abated, for now.  I grabbed my two remote peanut flashes and put one on each feeder.  I attached my Canon 580II to my camera and headed downstairs with my usual mix of birdseed.  This morning however I'd added a few sprinkles of Raisin Bran to see if anyone noticed.

The copse was alive with activity.  Squirrels were playing in the trees, the Gray Catbird was hopping from branch to branch in the undergrowth, peeking out every once in a while to keep it's eye on me, the male and female Northern Cardinal were out also, chipping to one another, back and forth.  The Red Winged Blackbirds were also here in abundance.  Some Common Grackles seemed to be intermixed within the flock and everyone seemed hungry.

It wasn't long before birds started showing great interest in the food on the feeders.  First the female cardinal, (it seems that she's the braver than the male), came and grabbed a few sunflower seeds and flitted to a nearby branch.  That seemed to be the signal they were waiting for.  For about thirty minutes it was a feeding free-for-all!  Then, as quickly as it started, it stopped.  No worries for me however, my photographic experiment seemed to work out just fine.  Note:  Only the Gray Catbird seemed to be the least bit interested in the Raisin Bran.  He grabbed one raisin and didn't appear at the feeders again, while I was out there.

Though I only stayed outside for a brief amount of time, I captured some great shots of our daily visitors.  I even saw a couple of House Finches in the bushes, but they stayed out of camera range.   They are a new visitor to the area.  I've only seen them once before.  I'm not worried though.  I'll get them yet!

I now have a quest!!!

A Perceived Enemy

Let me start by saying that I know that this will not be the most favorite blog entry that I produce.  Furthermore, I will venture to say that if there are any die-hard bird lovers out there reading this, that I will probably be thought of as a charlatan in the birding world and if someone could, I would be forced to stop blogging about birds altogether.  But the time has come for someone to stand up and say what many are thinking, but are afraid to say.  Now understand, I'm ready for the onslaught of hate mail and derisive comments that are bound to come my way.  In fact, I welcome them.  As someone once said, "Negative attention is still attention."  With all that being said, I will now tell you how I feel about a very sensitive subject.  "I like squirrels!!"  With that being said, I will now try and back my comment with some hard facts and concrete observations, based on many years of birding and attempting to fight the demon that is squirrel.

About ten years ago, my wife told me of a bird feeder that she had once created.  It was a two foot by two foot square piece of wood, stuck atop a 4x4 and anchored into the ground.  Every morning, without fail, she would put any and all foods that she didn't use or her family didn't eat the day before, (apple peals, leftovers, stale bread, for example), out on the feeder.  She assures me that the next morning the feeder was clean and empty.  Now I know what many of you are thinking.  What about rats and raccoons and opossums?  Well, I'm sure that there were those types of visitors on and around the area, but they didn't cause any problems.  In fact, the rats attracted owls and after a short period of time the owls were regulating, as in nature, the amount of rats in the area.  The raccoons and opossums did their part to clean up any and all food that the birds didn't eat.  Now I'm not saying that that is a proper way to feed birds, but it did teach me something about nature.  Nothing goes to waste.

Fast forward ten years and we have now adopted the same philosophy here, using a minimalistic approach.  We still throw out leftovers, feeding the raccoons and opossums, along with a few feral cats.  As for birdseed we make a special mixture of millet, large striped sunflower seeds, small black sunflower seeds and thistle seed, (niger).  We also add shredded coconut and shelled and unshelled peanuts, along with raisins.  The two platform feeders that I built are both three foot by three foot square, lightly polyurethaned, on eight foot tall 4x4's buried two feet into the ground.  These feeders are filled daily with our special mixture of seed.  There is no baffle on the feeder, nor is there any attempt to stop ANY creature, avian or otherwise from eating on the feeder.

Squirrels visit daily also.   Currently we have three squirrels that frequent the feeders, but never at the same time.  They have a hierarchy amongst themselves and they never break their own rules.  They are polite, orderly and organized.  If another squirrel comes into the area, he/she is driven away and is relegated to another area such as in the front of the apartments rather than where the feeders are in the back.  There is always enough food for birds and squirrels alike.  There is no fighting, (save an occasional Mourning Dove squabble), on the feeders.

Our squirrels also monitor the goings-on in the copse, chattering and issuing a loud warning should something be amiss.  The birds and the squirrels co-exist harmoniously.  We seen Painted Buntings, Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrashers, Carolina Wrens and even various Warblers on the feeders eating at the same time as a squirrel.

So, at the risk of causing a great rift in the cosmos, I ask that you take a second look at the squirrel, not as a nuisance, but rather another of God's creatures attempting to eek out an existence.

Here are some more facts that you will probably not like, but need to hear.

1)  Baby squirrels learn EVERYTHING that their parents have learned and teach it to their young, along with anything that they've learned in their lives.  So outsmarting them is virtually impossible.
2)  There have been many studies done and there are NO "squirrel-proof" bird feeders.  Some do limit the amount of seeds they have access to, but there are NONE that are 100% "squirrel-proof!"  Get over it!

And finally....

3)  If you give squirrels a chance and change your bird feeding habits, (we are supposedly the top of the food chain), then we can co-exist with squirrels, learning from them, laughing at their antics and loving them for the witty and comical creatures that they are.

Northern Mockingbird

The Northern Mockingbird, (Mimicus Polyglottos) is the defender of the area near and around our feeder. We've nicknamed him "The Sentinel" because nothing will get past him when he's on his watch.  During breeding season, (early February) he stands guard over his territory with a diligence that few can muster.   If he's singing, all is well in the 1/2 acre wood.  If not, you will see him flying from tree to tree sometimes displaying, (fanning his wings out in a fashion that draws attention to the bright white stripes and making him seem bigger than he really is), and other times, "mobbing", (flying after and diving towards his target), the unwelcome visitor until it leaves the area.

When "The Sentinel" is not on patrol he can be found hopping from branch to branch in the Queen Anne's Lace, (Daucus carota), searching for the succulent berries the plant produces.  He can also be seen picking at the delicate flower, pulling off the unopened buds and eating them with surprising speed.  He's also been known to grace our feeder from time to time for a raisin or a piece of shredded coconut.  When on the feeder the other birds give him ample room.  I suspect it's because they know that he'll only be staying long enough to grab what he wants and then he's off again to guard the neighborhood.

Regardless of his behavior, Florida's State bird is a beautiful creature who's song, in the spring, will amaze.  For hours and hours on end he will sit atop the highest vantage point in the neighborhood and sing his melodic tune for all to hear.  Being the birding world's greatest mimic, many of his sounds are directly stolen from his avian neighbors.  The Northern Mockingbirds in our neighborhood seem to love mimicking the Northern Cardinal, The Gray Catbird, and also the many warblers that live in the area.  They will even occasionally mimic a Blue Jay or even a Red Tailed Hawk.

We've come to know and love our Northern Mockingbirds.  They let us know when spring has arrived by their glorious melodies.  The song says it all...

 "Listen to the Mockingbird...."

Blue Jay

Cyanocitta cristata, the Blue Jay, is a daily visitor to our feeders.  Though usually loud and boisterous, the Blue Jay at times, is more reserved.  Seemingly the Blue Jay has various moods and depending on those moods the Blue Jay may spend it's time warbling and chortling, as if there is something important to say that others should not hear.

Traveling in small groups, Blue Jays seem to be the 'town criers' of the neighborhood.  Should anything be deemed a threat, the group will start a loud and very visual display, not only showing everyone where the perceived threat is, but at the same time they will try and eliminate it by harrassing it and making it move on to another location.  Owls, snakes and even cats are no match for a determined group of Blue Jays.  Many times Mockingbirds, (Mimus polyglottas) will join in on the cause, helping rid the neighborhood of the menace.

Regardless of the mood, the Blue Jay is a valued member of our woods.  Something would be amiss, should all those calls, chortles, warbles and coos disappear.  If you aren't privileged enough to have a Blue Jay or two at your feeders, simply add shelled or unshelled peanuts to your mix and it won't be long until you have a cacophony of sound in your backyard.

Northern Cardinal

This morning after putting out our normal specialty mix of birdseed on our two platform feeders, I hunkered down for what I thought would be a long wait.  You see, when I arrived at the feeders there were no birds in sight, in fact, there were no hints of birds anywhere in the area by either sight or sound!  I assumed it would be quite the wait for any photographic opportunities.  I was very wrong!

 Within seconds it seemed, the trees and undergrowth came alive with movement.  Within seconds of the movement, there was a variety of chips and chortles coming from seemingly everywhere.  I first saw her gazing at me from behind a branch of thick green leaves.  She was calling out a quick, "chip, chip, chip". I'm not sure if it was a call that I was there or that perhaps the food was there?  Regardless, she was there and clearly interested in what was going on.


The beauty of the female Northern Cardinal, (Cardinalis cardinalis) is very under rated!  Her bright orange beak, suitably made for cracking the hardest of shells, is separated from the highlights her beautiful red-orange crest only by the slightest of a thin black outline.  Her colorful wings start out by her breast with a yellowish-orange color, which gradually blends into a vibrant red at the tips.  Her tale follows suit similarly, with a distinct occasional black highlight.  In the sunlight, the female Northern Cardinal can easily match her mate in a beauty contest.

If you are ever lucky enough to get the opportunity to observe the female Northern Cardinal  for any length of time, you will be pleasantly surprised at what you see.  Her beauty and grace is matched only by her tenacity at the feeder and her ability to disappear when she doesn't want to be seen.   She is seemingly very loyal and she won't be found far from her mate.
When she's not at the feeders cracking her favorite seed, (the large striped sunflower), she will be nearby, resting on a branch, preening and observing.  You'll have to look hard to find her however, as she blends in with her surroundings quite well.

There is never a disappointing day outback at the feeders!