Feathers and Fuzz

one woman's cure for the empty-nester blues

All the Others

Bird Feeder Sharing: All About Sight-Lines

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I learned about the importance of sight-lines when I first put up a feeder for the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.  Why they sell Hummingbird feeders with multiple “seats” is beyond me!  One Hummingbird claims feeder ownership (I call him “The Sentry”) — perching nearby and aggressively chasing off any would-be sharers.  At first, I thought I could solve this problem by adding a second feeder.  Silly me!  The Sentry guarded BOTH feeders.  Now really — you’re the size of a peanut and there’s 24 ounces of nectar.  Just think of all the calories you are burning fighting off the other 20 or so Hummingbirds in the area.  My words fell on deaf ears.

SO — I moved the second feeder — hiding it out of sight of the other feeder (behind a dog bed I wedged in the terrace railing).  Much to my surprise, it worked!  The only problem with this arrangement is that the dog was not one bit happy about the new location of his bed.  The same dog who warms his butt by the winter fire must have a comfy bed to curl up on when we sit outside.

I now place the second Hummingbird feeder (and mealworm feeder) behind a column — no sight-line to the other feeder combo.  Everyone, including the dog, is happy.

I was reminded of this sight-line lesson the other day when a female Downy Woodpecker was happily enjoying a suet meal.  Soon a male Downy AND a Pine Warbler showed up.  The male landed on the feeder and the female freaked out — soon surrendering the feeder to the male.  The Pine Warbler observed all of this — then applied the sight-line principal to gain a seat at the feeder table.

House Finch: Not the Brightest Bulb on the Tree

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I don’t mean to speak disparagingly about any of God’s creations … but … the House Finch does strike me as a bit of a dimwit.  I often see the House Finches following the Bluebirds around.  When the Bluebirds head to the birdbath, the House Finches line up around the rim — watching the bathing process.  I’ve seen the Finches appear when the Bluebird parents are trying to coax their nestlings to take that maiden flight.  This generally results in an interruption to the fledging process as Daddy Bluebird must chases the Finches to the next county.  And, finally, Finches often accompany Bluebirds to the mealworm feeder.  They make it their business to check out what the Bluebirds are eating, but never partaking. I wonder what it is about Finches and their fascination with Bluebirds.  Kinda makes one want to say:  Get a life!

Dimwit House Finch Caught on Tape

In the video, a Finch (with no apparent life of her own) followed a Bluebird to the mealworm feeders.   The seemingly-impossible happened.  I learned that Finches are even less-bright than I had previously thought.