1:00 AM – Cardinals on the platform feeder. In this little drama, the male tries to share with the female, who is unenthusiastic. Will he prevail? You know he will.
Carolina Chickadee on the mealworm feeder:
Here’s an Eastern Phoebe and a Tufted Titmouse, a couple of drab birds that don’t get too much attention.
1:00 AM – Birthday Bluebird retrospective! Sad to say the many Bluebirds we had in the yard have all gone somewhere else. We hope they’ll be back, but until then, here are videos of Bluebirds of yesterday.
In the first part of this video there’s one on the platform feeder. This is not their usual hangout lately, but I think there were a few mealworms in the mix. That will attract them. In the second part, they’re at their usual feeding station.
We have a number of these clips of juvenile Bluebirds terrorizing the other birds. In this one, a young Bluebird takes on a Dove twice his size, runs him off, then looks around for more victims.
Bluebird mealworm brunch, attended by up to four Bluebirds at a time. I wonder how many would cluster around if the feeder was bigger.
Here are some juvenile Bluebirds being approached by a juvenile Robin. I’m pretty sure the Robin wants to be friends, but the Bluebirds aren’t having any of that.
1:00 AM – Blue Jay on the platform feeder. This is the only place the Jays feed, unlike the Cardinals and other birds.
The Brown Thrashers are around all the time these days, so we’re showing a lot more videos of them than before. We can’t tell if it’s just one, or a whole flock. If it’s more than one, they’re pretty much identical. If it’s just one, it’s the cleanest bird in the yard – he baths a couple of times a day, and for a long time.
Cardinal on the mealworm feeder:
1:00 AM – Another visit from one of the raccoons. He doesn’t find anything he likes in the platform feeder, and moves on.
Another Brown Thrasher bathing.
And a Thrasher eating. They really are very handsome birds.
1:00 AM – The Red-bellied Woodpecker is now a regular at the mealworm feeder. In this video he’s clearly enjoying the worms. It occurs to me that the mealworm feeder would be the perfect place for old, worn out woodpeckers, with arthritic beaks.
Brown Thrasher on the platform feeder:
Carolina Wren eating and posing. Note the black cat lying crouched on the path in the background. His yellow eyes are glued to the Wren, and he doesn’t move a muscle.
1:00 AM – Yesterday we had the female House Finch feeding a young one. Today, we see a male House Finch doing the same.
The domestic House Finch behavior seems to be part of an influx of House Finches. Several of the Finches appear to be young, so I’m speculating that a brood of them left the nest and came to the platform feeder.
Squirrel posing in the platform feeder, like a little rodent fashion model.
1:00 AM – Unusual video of a female House Finch feeding a juvenile in the platform feeder.
Blue Jay eating on the platform feeder:
Another video of the Brown Thrasher bathing:
1:00 AM – Here’s a good video of Mr. Cardinal bathing. He’s really thorough, and seems to be enjoying himself. Maybe not. It’s hard to tell bird emotions.
Something unusual – three birds of different species drinking at the same time. As I watched, I expected to see a fight break out, but nothing happened. Maybe the abundance of food and water here has made the birds more agreeable.
The first part of this video is in slow motion, showing a squirrel with his paws in the water, before scampering off. The second part shows a squirrel (possibly the same one) getting a dainty drink of water.
1:00 AM – Acrobatic Red-bellied Woodpecker on the mealworm feeder. We see him there a lot lately.
This Brown Thrasher – one of our favorites – is feeding, when something catches his attention. Whatever it is, he’s taking it seriously, keeping a close eye on it.
We see the Brown Thrasher on the platform feeder, followed by a Cardinal couple.
1:00 AM – This Cardinal seems to be ‘whetting’ his beak on the edge of the bird bath. That’s probably not what this is about, but I’m not sure what he’s really doing. Maybe the point of it is to make that scraping sound, as a signal to other birds.
This Carolina Wren is bathing his head, but also seems to be honing his beak on the rim of the bath, like the Cardinal above. Is this new, or has it been going on for a while, and we didn’t notice it?
A Robin at the birdbath, but he’s not drinking or bathing. He seems to be paying attention to something in the yard, possibly a cat.