Dr. Deana McReyolds
Disclaimer: No animals were harmed in the writing of this article. I was mildly traumatized as you will soon understand. This article is meant as a light-hearted look at bird and dog similarities and stereotypes. It does not reflect my feelings about particular breeds. I love all birds and dogs. I know that not all individuals conform to their breed stereotypes. Please, no letters.
At least one positive thing has come out of being home a lot more in 2020. I have lots of time to sit in my back yard and watch the birds. I was able to do some improvements to the yard last year and was so excited to have multiple bird feeders, birdbaths and plants that attract birds. I have learned so much during this time that I thought I’d share some of my observations
First let’s set the stage. I have 2 squirrel-proof feeders filled with no mess no millet (basically peanut chips), 2 finch feeders filled with nyger (thistle seed), 1 squirrel proof feeder with black oiled sunflower seeds (with a net to collect the shells), a cylinder feeder, a basket feeder with plain suet, a platform feeder that I have hot pepper coated no mess seeds (peanut chips) and 4 hummingbird feeders placed around the front, side and back yard. I have 5 bird baths (or at least sources of water). I have multiple kinds of lavender, lilac and hastas. I have cone flowers, phlox and a butterfly bush. I have salvia and 2 colors of crocosmia. I have multiple hanging baskets and potted plants with different variety of petunias, geranium and whatever I could find that was blooming at the time.
To my delight, I started seeing birds in March and April, as well as lots of bees and butterflies. The type of birds was not particularly out of the ordinary for backyard feeders. I was just excited that I had a front row seat and time to observe and hear them all. I was also able to observe their habits and begin to learn their calls. Here is a small, non-inclusive list.
The first birds I observed were the Dark-eyed Juncos. The juncos are ground feeders and every time I sat down to watch, there were a good 5-10 wandering around the ground around the shed. I think of them as doodles – they are everywhere you look, persistent and constantly breeding. I observed the juncos going in and out of the shed through a gap in the door. I found the makings of a nest on a roll of garden fabric. I attempted to move it, but they ended up abandoning it for a much better spot – my hanging basket by the front door! I felt like such a fool trying to carefully water the plant. I talked to mama and told her I was approaching the basket and let her fly from the nest. Neither parent went far from the nest. They fledged 2 young, despite my insistence on frequent watering around the nest. (I was careful!) I put up a sign to warn visitors about the very protective mama bird that would launch out of the nest when anyone came near. Contrary to the books I read, they reused the nest almost immediately and fledged 2 more.
The next most common sighting and calls are the chickadees. I have consistently seen both Black-capped and Chestnut-backed Chickadees. I think of them as the Labrador Retrievers of the birding world. They tend to be friendly, playful and they eat everything, including the nyger, the suet and the packed cylinders. They have even managed to use (and defend) the water filled ant traps for the hummingbird feeders. They were the first to play on the hummingbird swing. (Yes, apparently I’m buying toys for the birds now.) They have the most easily distinguishable sounds: a sweet “chick-a-dee-dee-dee”. It is so soothing to sit and listen to them. They can be easily spotted goofily hanging upside down from branches or the suet feeder.
The next biggest category of birds is the non-descript small brown birds. I’ve seen them abbreviated as BBB – basic brown birds. I think of them as the mutts. Are they female finches? Sparrows? I really can’t tell and who cares. But there’s a ton of them. They mostly like the peanut chips or the sunflower feeders. I have frequently seen adult male Goldfinches, House Finches and House Sparrows and rarely White-crowned Sparrow amongst them. The females of all of these species look similar, so could be any of them.
Then came the White-breasted Nuthatches. One of my friends once called them “wedge head” and that still seems to fit. They are also very friendly, goofy, and everywhere like Golden Retrievers. They are a bit leaner than the chickadees (ok, so maybe not exactly like Goldens), and also very easily identified by perching or climbing on the side of things – the shed, the bird feeders, and the trees. They also prefer the peanut chips or the suet feeder and fight off the hummers and chickadees for the water in the ant traps.
The Red-shafted Flickers are one of the bigger birds in the backyard. They are common, single minded, stubborn and can be a bit selfish, but also crazy and very sweet, kind of like English Bulldogs. Flickers appear multiple times daily and I’ve seen as many as 4 at one time. They enjoy the no mess peanut chips the best, taking over the entire feeder for 5-10 minutes at a time. I have also seen them at the cylinder and on the cherry tree at the suet feeder. They also seem to enjoy digging through the lawn occasionally as well. I have also learned their screech and know their typical perches in the cherry tree.
Most days, I will have at least one Stellar’s Jay visit. Although I often hear them before I see them, they can also appear suddenly as well. They are a bit too big for the feeders, but I will definitely see them on the ground below the feeders or on top of the shed. Jays are in the corvid family with crows. Both jays and crows are loud and really smart, like Aussie Shepherds. Crows have very long memories and will hold grudges. They can recognize people from great distances and over long periods of time.
I occasionally have flocks of European Starlings. They are stubborn, loud, territorial, intelligent and high energy, kind of like Miniature Schnauzers. I learned the hard way that they really enjoy the cylinder feeder and are the bullies of the yard. They fight off the flickers and each other. I had never heard such a fuss! They even fight over the bird baths! They ate an entire large cylinder in 2 days. They polished off a nut and suet mix in a day as well. I had to do research to figure out how to just use the plain suet and put it in the shade so it doesn’t melt. I now use woodpecker cylinders and only put them out rarely. It only takes a few days for the starlings to come and find it. Luckily, the rest of the feeders seem to deter them. They still come and use the bird baths though.
By far my favorite bird I’ve seen is a semi-regular. I will see one about 90% of the time if I can sit out in the yard for at least an hour. It’s a Downy Woodpecker! Downys are thick skulled and have blocky head and wide shoulders, but tend to be smaller than their counterparts, just like French Bulldogs. I first saw one climbing up the cherry tree before I had even put up a suet feeder. Although I mostly see them at the suet feeder, I’ve seen them at the peanut chip feeders – clinging to the side and not leaving any room for the other birds. Not usually a lot of noise announcing their arrival.
I had a hard time attracting hummingbirds at first. I initially had one feeder in the front yard, but I wasn’t changing and cleaning the feeder as often as I should have. I had bought and received some as gifts since then, so I was determined to try. I placed 4 different kinds of feeders out in the spring, being careful to change them every few days. I cleaned them and even invested in some good cleaning brushes. Two of the feeders are dish feeders with a central well for water to deter ants. The other two were hanging feeders and both became infested with ants. I invested in small “moat” cups that can be filled with water to hang the feeders from to deter ants. As the Spring turned into Summer, I started seeing Anna’s hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are small, territorial, fast and easily spoiled. They are essentially Chihuahuas. I began to learn to distinguish their clicks and calls and have gotten better at spotting them in the trees. They also can be seen going to the plants – they love the hasta blooms, salvia and the butterfly bush. They do seem to be very protective of the feeders and can be demanding when the nectar is getting low. So, of course, I bought them a swing. Actually two.
One mid-morning, I was sitting on my patio with my book and my binoculars, when I spotted a small, pudgy little bird on the ground by the shed. I picked up my binoculars and thought, “oh, you’re looking shiny and new”. It wasn’t quite down feathered, but looked newly minted. As I was trying to determine if it was a junco or maybe a song sparrow, I heard a crashing of feathers. I dropped my binoculars down and saw a Cooper’s Hawk flying low with my baby bird in tow! I sat for several minutes trying to believe what I actually saw. Just as I’m writing this, all went quiet in the back yard and the Cooper’s Hawk appeared again. No luck this time. Cooper’s Hawks are in the accipiter family of birds of prey. They “hunt by stealth, moving from perch to perch in dense cover, listening and watching, then putting on a burst of speed to overtake prey”, according to Audubon.org. I’m thinking mostly like a Weimaraner on the scent. My second time observing the Cooper’s I could get a better look at him. He took his time and hopped around the shed and then the cherry tree before flying to the next yard. They really are quite sleek and beautiful to watch. As much as I am excited to see a bird of prey in my yard, I hope the Cooper’s Hawk doesn’t make too many rounds. I have really enjoyed watching all of the birds coming to the yard and learning so much in the process.
I hope you have enjoyed my backyard bird musings. I sure enjoyed having a change of pace from the worries and troubles during this time. As always, we are doing are best to serve you and your pet needs. Keep your chin up and look for the joys in life!
