Photo by Chris Bosak
A downy woodpecker eats peanuts from a feeder in Danbury, CT, March 2019.
Here’s a downy woodpecker getting peanuts from the homemade feeder I mentioned in yesterday’s post.
It’s funny how birds prefer their food offered in different ways. White-breasted nuthatches and downy woodpeckers are all over this feeder. They typically perch on the feeder and peck away at the shell to expose the nut inside. My other peanut eaters — blue jays, red-bellied woodpeckers and tufted titmice — barely touch this feeder and prefer to grab their peanuts from a platform feeder and fly off with it.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A white-breasted nuthatch lands on a birdfeeder offering peanuts, Danbury, CT, March 2019.
I originally used this homemade birdfeeder (made from simply from drilling holes into a section of a fallen branch I found in the yard) to serve suet to the birds. It proved to be quite labor intensive to get the suet into the holes and it has the potential to harm birds if they get the suet on their feathers, so I put the feeder on the backburner for a while. I never like to discard things like this because you never how it may be repurposed.
The other day I got the idea to stick peanuts in the holes instead. It worked out great. The larger birds such as blue jays and red-bellied woodpeckers are strong enough to pull the peanuts out and fly off. The smaller birds such as nuthatches, downy woodpeckers and titmice simply perch on the branch, or even another peanut, to pick apart the shell and get at the nuts inside.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A pine siskin finds food on the top of a mini toboggan in Danbury, CT, March 2019.
These pine siskins sure are photogenic. I’ve taken tons of photos of the small, irruptive finches and have shared many of them here. Well, here’s another one — this one trying to hitch a ride on a small toboggan.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A blue jay adjusts a peanut at a feeding station in Danbury, CT, March 2019.
Well, it’s actually adjusting the peanut, but it is snagging the food out of midair, so “catching” is technically correct. The blue jay originally grabbed the peanut horizontally in its bill. Jays prefer to carry peanuts lengthwise, so this jay tossed the nut into the air and caught it in the desired position.
The reasons may differ, but it is similar to how osprey carry their prey. Ospreys typically emerge from a successful dive with a fish horizontally in its talons. While flying away, the “fish hawk” will adjust the fish to a more aerodynamic lengthwise position.
Photo by Chris Bosak
Pine siskins visit a feeder in Danbury, Connecticut, March 2019.
This post may be stretching it a bit, but what the heck …
During my college years, one of the drinking games we used to play was “One up, one down.” Those who knew the secret would always get the right answer and not have to drink. Those who guessed wrong had to drink. I’ll give away the secret and spoil the game because I doubt a lot of college students are regularly checking in with BirdsofNewEngland.com. Anyway, one player raises both hands, one hand or neither hand. (It’s actually a bit more complicated, but you get the idea.) Another player has to say “one up,” “two up,” or “zero up.” The game only works, obviously, when new people are at the party; otherwise, everyone would always get the right answer.
Well, the reason for that stroll down Memory Lane was that I was reminded of that game while watching pine siskins at my feeder during yesterday’s snowfall. Check out the photos and you’ll see why.
See, I told you it was a stretch.
Photo by Chris Bosak Pine siskins visit a feeder in Danbury, Connecticut, March 2019.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A blue jay perches in a tree in Danbury, CT, March 2019.
There was a time when blue jays were my favorite bird. It’s not that I don’t like blue jays anymore, but I was a youngster then and only knew a handful of birds. Their size, color and boldness intrigued me. I’ve since discovered 100s of other birds and, while blue jays remain a valued sighting, other birds have replaced them at the top of my list. That doesn’t mean I can resist grabbing a shot of one when it poses for me during a snowfall. So here you go …
Photo by Chris Bosak
A northern cardinal grabs a seed from a feeder in Danbury, CT, March 2019.
More snow photos from the other day. Here’s a female cardinal sharing a platform feeder with a chickadee and a male looking sharp in his red plumage.
Quick facts: Did you know that fewer than 40 percent of cardinal nests actually fledge young? That’s according to the folks at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The Lab’s NestWatch team studied cardinals and came up with some interesting results. For instance, despite that low success rate, cardinals are a successful species overall. A long breeding season and occupying a variety of habitats are part of the reason.
The article on the NestWatch website also looks at why male cardinals are so darn colorful. Hint: Yes, it has to do with impressing female cardinals. Here’s a link to the insightful story.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A cardinal and chickadeee share a platform feeder following a snowfall in Danbury, CT, March 2019.
Photo by Chris Bosak A red-bellied woodpecker and mourning dove share a platform feeder in March 2019 in Danbury, Connecticut.
As promised, another snowy bird photo taken during this three-day stretch of overnight snow. “There will be more, lots more.” (An obscure line from my favorite movie, The Jerk.)
Photo by Chris Bosak A pine siskin perches on the top of an evergreen in Danbury, CT, March 2019.
For the third consecutive day, southern New England was hit by an overnight snowfall. None of the “storms” amounted to much in terms of accumulation but they did create some good bird photography opportunities.
Here are a few to get started. Many more to come …
Photo by Chris Bosak
A pine siskin perches on the top of an evergreen in Danbury, CT, March 2019.
Birds of New England.com 