Feathers and Fuzz

one woman's cure for the empty-nester blues

Woodpeckers

Territory Dispute: Bluebirds vs Downy

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A bird pair may have the perfect bond, but there are a LOT of birds out there competing for nesting sites.  I am confident that, no matter how many bird houses and platforms I installed, there would be disagreements as to who gets a given location.

I remember when a Chickadee built a beautiful, soft moss base for her nest.  A Bluebird pair came along and stole it from her -- adding a bit of grass on top.  (The Chickadee started over in another house -- the same house she has used 3 years running.)

In this post, the Bluebirds take on the Downy Woodpecker

Believe it or not, territory disputes begin as early as December. Two woodpecker species (Downy and Northern Flicker) have spent winter nights inside the bird houses here -- a practice called "roosting".  All goes well until someone else decides to move in for nesting purposes.

In this feature, the Bluebirds started checking out the Downy’s roost in December.  By January, the Bluebirds were “playing around” in the house -- and the Downey took up Chamber Maid duty.  

Whispering Sweetness Into His Ear

Bluebird Pair: She Whispers Sweet Nothings

Downy as Chamber Maid

Downy Removes Nasty Bedding

By early February, the Bluebirds took ownership of the house – chasing the Downy away.  The Downy goes back to sleeping in trees.  The Bluebirds have a house.

Flicker Didn’t Read Instructions

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Remember the Northern Flicker — the “Poke Him” guy? Well, he’s back to share his opinion on the wood shavings we humans are instructed to place in a Flicker House before we install it.  Clearly he didn’t read those instructions.

Last winter, Mr. Flicker would move between the Flicker House and the 2 (larger) Owl Houses installed at The Retreat.  It was anyone’s guess which house he would choose for the night.  I keep wood shavings in these houses as, according to the instructions, Flickers and Owls like wood shavings.   (The idea is to replicate the shavings in tree holes hollowed out by woodpeckers — a common abode for Flickers and Owls.)

At some point I noticed wood shavings on the ground outside the houses.  I thought the Flying Squirrels were the most likely suspect.  The video tells a different story …