Backyard Friend
This week the winter birds have really descended upon our bird feeders. With the unseasonably warm temperatures until recently, the yard has been relatively quiet. But after the dusting of snow earlier this week and a cold north wind that blew in, it seems the birds have come out of the “woodwork” (no pun intended) to duke it out at the feeders.
I spent some time today watching them, and as my fellow blogger Karen Chandler noted in her post on January 10, there are definite hierarchies among the species. At our feeders the Cardinals rule and White-Breasted Nuthaches are close behind, with the Tufted Titmouse and Chickadees moving in to feed during the lulls. My favorite woodpeckers also wait for a break in the action to scuttle around, almost slyly, on the side of the tree to get a quick nibble on the suet.
The Dark-Eyed Juncos rarely congregate on the feeders, though, and instead gather underneath where they peacefully clean up the seed that the other birds either overlook or spill. I counted more than 15 Juncos at the feeders this afternoon and watched them take periodic breaks in the trees while the other species fought for domination. I like to think with my personality I would take after the Juncos, looking for a great opportunity while preferring to leave the aggressive territorial displays to others. What bird would you be?
Tricia Booker Photography 
Cute photo, Tricia! I love to observe the habits of birds at the feeder! I recently saw a Carolina Chickadee and a Titmouse arrive on the feeder at exactly the same moment. They stared at each other for a few seconds before the Chickadee flew away. I have to laugh at the antics sometimes – I guess it doesn’t take much to entertain me!
Thank you for the mention and link to my blog. I have been working on photographing different birds this week. Light and weather have been a frustration, but I’m slowly collecting several photos for a new blog post.
Thank you! I watched the birds today, too, and tried some more shots. I am still waiting for a really sunny day to try my new teleconverter. It drops the f-stop to 5.6 so needs lots of light. I bought it really for the hummingbirds in the summer but hope to get some practice time in this winter. I look forward to your next birding post!
Nice shot Tricia! I think I would be like a Junco and wait in the wings (so to speak) for the opportune time to head to the feeders.
I like to think they are the most intelligent! Not the most timid 🙂
Amazing and so lovely. Thank you, with my love, nia