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Feathers and Fuzz

one woman's cure for the empty-nester blues

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Bird Size: Georgia’s Smaller Winter Residents

February 4, 2018 by MoJo

Napoleon and Mourning Dove

White-breasted Nuthatch (Left) - Mourning Dove (Right)

Sometimes we don't get a feel for a bird's size when we see them pictured solo.  When you see Napoleon (White-breasted Nuthatch) pictured with a Mourning Dove (above), Napoleon's small size is striking.  Napoleon's smaller  cousin, the Brown-headed Nuthatch, is resident in Georgia year-round, but I rarely see him except in winter.  He is pictured side-by-side with Napoleon, below.  If you hear what sounds like a dog's squeaky toy high up in the trees -- it's probably the Brown-headed.  

Brown-headed Nuthatch on Cup

Brown-headed Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch on Cup

White-breasted Nuthatch

Smaller-still is the Ruby-crowned Kinglet.  He's about the size of Georgia's Ruby-throated Hummingbird when they are at their heaviest just before heading south in the fall.  The Kinglets are only here for the winter -- darting around from suet-feeder to suet-feeder.  I remember when I first met the Kinglet.  He was in the tree nearest the feeder -- giving me major grief for getting in the way of his meal.  When he came at me, I knew we hadn't met before -- me and this Chihuahua of the bird kingdom.  

The male Kinglet's red head feathers are shown in the picture (right).  If excited, he will actually raise these feathers into a "crown" -- a picture I may get one day.  The last two pictures show a size comparison between a Carolina Chickadee and the Kinglet.

Kinglet - Red Head
Chickadee on Suet

Carolina Chickadee

Kinglet on Suet

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

Summing it all up:

  Length, In Weight, Oz
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 3-3.75 0.1 - 0.2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4.25 0.2
Brown-headed Nuthatch 4-5 0.4
Carolina Chickadee 4-5 0.4
White-breasted Nuthatch 5-6 0.7
Carolina Wren 5-6 0.7
Mourning Dove 12 4-6

Filed Under: All the Others, Feathers Tagged With: Bird Size, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Chickadee, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Small Birds, White-breasted Nuthatch

Don’t You Just Hate It … When Your Feeder is Stolen?

January 31, 2018 by MoJo

I've seen five species of Woodpeckers on the property.  Of these, the two smallest -- the Downy and the Hairy (pictured here) -- are really difficult to tell apart.  Their markings and coloring are nearly identical.  When viewed side-by-side, it's clear the Hairy is the larger (10" compared to the Downy's 7").  If you see one of these guys solo, the best I can offer is this:  The Downy's beak is about 1/2 the length of it's head width.  The Hairy's beak is the length of it's head.

Okay, okay.  I'm done.  Hopefully you don't have a headache!

Now to the story of the Stolen Feeder ...

The other afternoon when I went out to fill the feeders, the wind was brutally-cold.  I don't know why I never thought of this before -- but I decided to bring the suet logs inside and fill them there.  I didn't think about the fact that the birds typically descend on the feeder the second I disappear back into the house.  Among the descenders was the Hairy Woodpecker -- ready for his fill of fresh suet.  Yep.  Don't You Just Hate It:  When Your Feeder is Stolen?!

Downy vs Hairy Woodpeckers

Woodpeckers: Downy (left) - Hairy (right)

https://www.feathersandfuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Stolen-Feeder-Video.mp4

Filed Under: Feathers, Woodpeckers Tagged With: Downy or Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker

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