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Bird Watching from a senior's perspective by Vern Norbury
Fall fledglings to the feedersThere has been a flurry of activity at our feeders for the past two weeks. First there has been a steady increase in the number of Pine Siskins coming to feed. They are aggressive and pugnacious little fellows and do not give up their feeding site without a fight. Even larger birds such as the Evening Grosbeak are usually driven off although they are about four times the size of the Siskins. Among the flock there are some with a difference. While the adult Siskins have slender tails with a conspicuous notch there are some with a very short, wide tail. These are the young of the year and they often beg for food from an adult, fluttering their wings and thrusting their wide open beak forward. The tail feathers grow rapidly and soon there are no more short tails to be seen and all begging ceases. At the same time there are some much larger birds with the Siskins. These are brown birds with no notch in the end of the tail and, if you watch closely, can be seen begging from the adults. They are young cowbirds that are being raised by fostering siskins. After a few days they are no longer begging for food but taking their place at the feeders and driving their hosts away. This leads to some interesting questions. When do the cowbirds leave the siskins and join their own kind? When do they change to adult plumage? Their Siskin hosts are permanent residents while cowbirds are migrants so there must be some quick adjustments made before the advent of the fall migration. Along with the voracious swarms of Siskins are a number of Evening Grosbeaks. They too have youngsters with them. They can be recognized not only by their persistent begging to be fed but also their appearance. Their overall plumage is very like the adult females except for the top of the head. While the adult females head is quite sleek the juvenile has a crown of fluffy feathers which, gives them a surprised look. Despite their much larger size and being equipped with a very large and sturdy beak the Grosbeaks are often driven from feeders by the Siskins which are much bolder and aggressive and have the advantage of much larger numbers. Other birds are also affected by the Siskin throng. The Hairy Woodpecker has no competition for food from the log as Siskins are strictly seedeaters. However the constant coming and going and general confusion created all around them seems to make them nervous and they rarely stay very long. The Red Breasted Nuthatch eats both the pudding from the log and the sunflower seeds from the feeder. The pair of them have a regular routine. First they go to the log and have a good feed and then go to the seed feeders and select a seed which they carry away but at times they have difficulty getting that seed before being driven away. Juncos only rarely come to the seed feeders. Sometimes they come to the deck where there are seeds dropped by the Siskins which are messy feeders. They have to remove the filmy husk from the hulled sunflower seeds before eating them. This process often results in small bits of seed falling on the deck. Siskins tend to ignore these morsels so the Juncos hop along pecking these up until the press of Siskins becomes too much and they leave. A few days ago a flock of male Red Wing Black Birds arrived. They are in the middle of their molt. Some look quite ragged with missing feathers much in evidence. Some have no tail feathers and so on. Soon, once their new plumage has grown in, they will be departing on their fall migration. As it is they spend only a short time feeding and then leave. So this is another dynamic period for those who are caught up in the wonder and interest of feeding and watching our birds. Happy birding, Vern.
Information in the above table was obtained from: |
