Nuthatches don't hate to eat and run

This Brown-headed Nuthatch has his seed and is headed for

 cover.

Nuthatches are fun little birds to watch. With their fat bodies, short tails and no neck, they have a cartoon-character look about them. They’re bundles of energy, scooting around tree trunks and branches looking for insects. And they're bold enough to fly in close to people. They often buzz me when I’m putting out food.

If you have suet and sunflower seed out, there's a good chance you'll get to see these entertaining little birds at work. Of course, they also like nuts. They'll also nibble on crunchy peanut butter.

Nuthatches, like titmice and chickadees, are grab-and-go eaters. Their thin bills aren't designed for crunching down on sunflower seeds. So they don't light at feeders for long, like the thicker-billed cardinals and finches. They zoom in to a feeder, grab a sunflower seed, take it up to a limb, put the seed between their little feet and peck out the good stuff. Seems like a long, involved process, I know. But in a day, a crowd of nuthatches can go through about as many sunflower seeds as a baseball player would during nine innings.

Most Americans have two types of nuthatches - Red-breasted and White-breasted. In the South, we have the Brown-headed Nuthatch, too.

Here's what I saw today:

(AM, sunny, 55 degrees, 30 minutes)

Northern Cardinal
Carolina Chickadee
Mourning Dove
House Finch
Northern Mockingbird
Carolina Wren
Brown-headed Nuthatch

Windows, as birds (don't) see them

A couple of wrens were chasing about my deck yesterday, and one hit my storm door. The bird wasn't hurt and flew off. This is not common in my yard, but it happens a couple of times a year. Most times the birds aren't hurt. If they fly in fast from a distance, sometimes they are stunned and fall to the deck. I have also seen a bird killed. The break room at my former workplace had a huge picture window. One day a flicker flew in hard, smacked the window and never came to.

               The instances of birds flying into windows are more common than you think, particularly in cities with skyscrapers that have a lot of window glass. The birds either see a reflection of sky or see past the glass to the light from another window and think there is a flight path. The number of bird deaths because of window glass rises during migration periods like now.
               In my yard, a bird will hit a window or storm door out of panic caused by a hawk or a rival. (Doves fly too fast for their own good, sometimes.) If you have a large window, it may happen just because the bird thinks it has a path to find cover. If a bird sees a reflection of a tree, it might be flying toward that.
               Reflection is a big factor. My brother's family had to deal with a cardinal that had regular war with the side-view mirror on the family car. The cardinal saw a rival in that mirror and continually attacked it. They ended up having to put a bag over the mirror to keep the cardinal safe!
This rare; matter of fact I had never heard of it. So I wouldn't worry about covering your side-view mirrors.
               However, there are things you can do to make things a little easier for your backyard buddies. What you are trying to do is make sure the bird knows there is some sort of barrier in front of it.

• One my favorites is to let the windows get dirty. Ha! That's just too easy. 
• You might try putting up blinds or curtains to block their view. I know, "So how am I supposed to watch birds?"
• Well, a sticker or two on the window can work. People with sliding-glass doors have these to keep their kids from running into them.
• Screens over windows help, too.
• Or try hanging ribbons or a flag in front of the window.

       There are some more-expensive measures to take, like installing shutters or special windows.
      Of course, if this doesn't happen in your yard, you probably shouldn't worry. Just go out to your feeder and look back toward your house to get a bird's point of view. If you see yourself, the reflection of a tree or something, or if you see through the window or door to light from another window or door on the other side of your home, the bird probably sees the same thing. Then there's a chance of an accident.

----- 

OK, the last time I saw a hummingbird was on Sept. 17. I'll leave the feeder out longer, just in case a Rufous Hummingbird shows up. That's a long shot; I've never seen one here, but the Rufous has been reported in the vicinity during the winter.

 

Here's what I saw today:

(AM, sunny, 60 degrees, 20 minutes)

 
Blue Jay
Red-bellied Woodpecker
House Finch
Carolina Wren
Northern Cardinal
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
Mourning Dove                

Hummingbirds hanging out

I missed seeing hummingbirds for a couple of days, so I thought they had moved on. Then one showed up today. I couldn't tell if it was one of the two or three families that have been here this summer, but it had no competition, so it may have been passing through.

    Eight doves were in the yard the other day. That's more than normal around here, so I suspect they like the new seed mix I put out.
    Conspicuously absent for about a week or so have been sparrows of any sort. They may NOT like the seed mix, but I suspect a hawk problem. Sharp-shinned Hawks like sparrows.
    I have also missed seeing - or even hearing - any woodpeckers lately. Don't have a clue about that.
    Oh yes, the rabbit that likes to graze in the yard, now has a baby following along. It seems to be curious about the squirrels; today I saw it chase after one as if looking for a playmate. Its survival skills may be tested, since there are a couple of Red-tailed Hawks who patrol the neighborhood regularly.  

Here's what I saw today:

(AM, clear, 62 degrees, 30 mins)

 
Northern Cardinal
Mourning Dove
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Northern Mockingbird
American Goldfinch
House Finch
Brown Thrasher
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Carolina Wren

Fall, football and flight

               Fall is on the way and that means a number of things. Yeah, I know; football and ragweed. But around this time of year, something clicks in the heads of millions of birds. We're not exactly sure, but we think they notice the length of the days changing. Whatever it is, they decide it is time to move. And by move, I mean thousands of miles in some cases.  
              It is the seasonal migration, and people who feed birds in their yards may notice a few things. Birds get more active and aggressive around feeders. Some change colors; the most noticeable is the American Goldfinch, who loses those bright yellow feathers for something more drab. Then the birds come and go. Depending on where you live, you may see a number of species you haven't seen all summer. Other species will be with you year round. For instance, we here in North Carolina have the Northern Cardinal all year. Hey, it's the state bird; it belongs!  But the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds leave. (I'll see the last of them between mid and late September. Farther north, you'll notice their absence earlier.) The martins, swifts and many of the swallows head out too. And the Dark-eyed Juncos show up. A few different species stop at my feeders on their way south.
               With all of this flying, birds need nourishment, and our feeding stations become something like diners on the interstate. So there are a couple of things we should all do.
               First, make sure there's plenty to eat - the birds are either prepping for a long trip, or they have just made one. They're tired and hungry. This applies especially to hummingbirds, who spend their winters in Central and South America. Mourning doves start looking for a feeding sanctuary. On Sept. 1, dove hunting season begins in much of the nation. You might put out a seed mix that includes millet and cracked corn. It offers doves an option to a cornfield that features flying birdshot. 
              Also make sure feeders and baths are kept clean. Birds are coming in from everywhere, and God knows what diseases they're bringing with them. One of the causes of the spread of disease is the common feeding area. I use water with a tiny bit of bleach to clean up (see my April 12 post).
               Then just pay attention to what shows up. For the next three months, you may be surprised at the species that come to your feeders. I'll let you know what newbies I see as they come in.

               Meanwhile, here's what I saw today.

(PM, sunny, 82 degrees, 20 minutes)

Northern Mockingbird
House Finch
Mourning Dove
American Goldfinch
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Brown-headed Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch

Squirrels stump my setup

I'll be doing a fall season update next time. But now I'll do a squirrel update.

               My super duper line-and-baffle squirrel-proof setup ... is not squirrel proof. That's right; it has been conquered more than once, and by two squirrels. It took them several tries (squirrels are a persistent bunch), but when they figured it out, they hit on about one every three tries.
               The two squirrels who have been successful, take different approaches. One tip toes the line and with two jumps, makes the mark. The other chooses to spring from the tree, grab the PCV pipe and make one more jump to the goal. His jump from the tree is about six feet - a backyard record.
               Why they don't just figure that the goal is not worth the effort, I don't know. I feed them sunflower seeds and peanuts every day at the three stands in my yard. But they don't appear to want to give up until they have exhausted the supply everywhere. 
               I have added a baffle to the line and will continue to refigure the plan until I have stumped them all.
               We shall see.

Here are the birds I saw today:

(AM, cloudy, 77 degrees, 30 minutes)

Northern Cardinal
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Brown Thrasher
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Carolina Wren
Tufted Titmouse
House Finch
American Goldfinch

Mad Ants Attacked My Home!

       Yeah, I thought that headline would catch your attention. And like most things you read on the internet, it is at least partially true.
       This veers from the subject matter of this blog, but it carries the overall theme of the wild kingdom that is my back yard.
         So I wake up day before yesterday because of an electrical smell. You know it - like something is burning. I immediately notice there is no readout on the air conditioner thermostat, so I go to the breaker box and power down on the AC unit, wondering whether to call the fire department or the AC service first.
          The smell went away soon enough, so I figured I was safe.
           Today the AC man shows up.
           "Come here and see what caused that smell," he said after opening up the unit.
           There they were; thousands of them, crawling madly about a mass of charred wire and a burned-out servo.
       The guy said it wasn't that unusual - for ants to short circuit an appliance. Really?
        So where do I turn? To the internet, of course. I mean why trust what a real life human person says when you can go into cyberspace and find the real facts?
         I  Google "ants electronics" and lo and behold, this turns up:
       
http://www.livescience.com/37720-crazy-ants-invade-electronics.html

 

My questions:
- Is this the end of civilization?
- What do they want?
- Who is their leader?
- Can President Obama figure a way to screw this one up?
- And when will I get my damned air conditioning back??!!

Oh yes; this is a bird blog. Here's what was flying around the yard today:

(PM, mostly cloudy, 74 degrees, 20 minutes) 
 
Northern Cardinal
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Blue Jay
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
Brown-headed Nuthatch

Take this fun quiz!

It has been so boring around here lately that I haven't had any good stuff to relay to you. So how about filler?

          But don't go away; this should be fun.
          In one of my first blogs, I used a cliché. Like "for the birds" I believe it was. It was bad and I apologized for it.
          But I could really litter up this blog with bird-related clichés, because there are soooo many.
          So I've decided to go ahead and get them out of the way, right here and now. And rather than just list them, how about a little quiz?
          The answers can be phrases, sayings or terminology that you might not even consider cliché. But they are all related to birds.
          Those of you who do crosswords should love this.
          Score 100% and you get the Wise Old Owl award.              
           The answers are at the bottom.  

 

1 - A chain of command in an organization could be called a ....
2 - If you are at the top of the chain, you ....
3 - Two people who are alike in many ways are ....
4 - A last, fond farewell
5 - A person with no cares or obligations could be considered ...
6 - Zoom in on Google maps, and you have this
7 - Your bold boast is burst; you'll be ...
8 - Point A to Point B
9 - Your hungry kid ...
10 - A crazy person could also be called a ...
11 - But a stupid person is simply a ...
12 - A man with a bothersome wife is ...
13 - The motto of a person who's always first on the scene
14 - "What a beautiful voice you have; you ...."
15 - If you consider letting go of something to go for more, consider this
16 - Two people equally deserving know this
17 - What you get from that thrilling experience
18 - To rear-end
19 - One of the first signs of aging is when you get these.
20 - The prisoner felt all ...
21 - Then one day he decided to escape, and he ...
22 - "Casey comes to bat, bottom of the ninth, his team trailing 3-0. The bases are loaded. Yessir, he has ..."
23 - "And he strikes out! Mudville loses. They score zero, nill, naught, the ol' ..."
24 - "Hogan's second shot on the par 4; if it goes in, he'll have an ..."
25 - "But he missed. If he sinks the next one, he'll still have a ..."
26 - A type of tournament in which everyone plays everyone else
27 - With everything organized and in order, you have your ...
28 - Well, I could make this list longer, but it is dinner time and I am downright .... 
 

Answers:

1 - pecking order

2 - rule the roost

3 - birds of a feather

4 - swan song

5 - free as a bird

6 - birds-eye view

7 - eating crow

8 - as the crow flies

9 - eats like a bird

10 - loon

11 - bird brain

12 - hen pecked

13 - The early bird gets the worm

14 - sing like a bird

15 - A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

16 - What's good for the goose is good for the gander

17 - goose bumps

18 - goose

19 - crows feet

20 - cooped up

21 - flew the coop

22 - ducks on the pond

23 - goose egg

24 - eagle

25 - birdie

26 - round robin

27 - ducks in a row

28 – ravenous