3:10 AM – More from the new Birdbath Cam. A series of birds, and a squirrel, at the watering hole. They are a Bluebird, Chickadee, Mourning Dove and Squirrel, in that order. The dove is different than the other birds – he doesn’t get water in his beak and tilt his head up so it rolls down his throat. He just sticks his beak in like a straw.
Bluebirds have been all over the place the last few days, chasing each other in and out of the trees. We don’t have video of that, but here’s a couple at the birdbath.
2:34 AM – As planned we took down the platform feeder on the deck and focused the camera on the birdbath. The number of doves decreased dramatically, once they were convinced the food was gone. Here’s a couple looking for the feeder.
In this video, a couple of our first customers at the new setup – a Cardinal and Bluebird. At the beginning, one Bluebird chases another away, before settling down for a drink.
3:24 AM – The title of this video is “Dove Bathing”, but it ought to be “These Mourning Doves are Getting Out of Hand.” There are six or seven on the clip, and more out of camera range. We’re going to pull the platform feeder for a day or so, and aim the camera at the birdbath. All the other birds use the Squirrel Buster or mealworm feeder. Only the doves stick to the platform. Maybe this will encourage them to find another back yard to pollute.
Here’s a Cardinal flapping/quivering and eating at the same time. We don’t know what that means.
4:27 AM – A video from a few days back – Cardinal finding no seed after the doves have ravaged the feeder. This version is with an original soundtrack.
The on-going story – Mourning Dove tries to discourage another bird, in this case a Bluebird, from getting a drink of water. It doesn’t work this time.
The Bluebirds are showing up at the platform feeder more frequently the last few weeks. Here’s some eating and drinking, and living it up.
2:57 AM – Assorted birds on the Squirrel Buster feeder. We have a Cardinal, a female House Finch and a White Breasted Nuthatch. The Finch and Nuthatch come and go, but nothing keeps the Cardinal from his meal.
It’s sometimes hard to tell the Purple Finch from the House Finch. The mediocre quality of our cameras doesn’t help (though they do pretty well for budget security cams). In this case, the color of the bird looks purple, not red. But he’s got stripes on his belly, which Cornell Labs tells me is the mark of the House Finch. On the other hand, I’ve found images of the Purple with stripes too. I’ll call it a Purple Finch. It’s a pretty bird, either way.
4:00 AM – Just a couple of Bluebirds, at the mealworm feeder. These guys are all over the place, several of them.
Maybe it’s the increase in the Dove population that’s making them more aggressive (crowding causes irritability in humans and birds). Here’s another Dove fight video. I hate to say it, but it’s really the only interesting thing about them. Otherwise, they’re pretty drab.
2:00 AM – Cardinal and Chickadee at the feeder, an odd couple. The Cardinal sits and eats. The Chickadee grabs a few bits, flies off, comes back and does it again. And then there’s the size difference.
Looks like the Mourning Doves got all the seed, and Mr. Cardinal doesn’t look happy about it. I read somewhere that birds only get about 25% of their food from feeders – the rest they get from natural sources. So, get back to nature, Mr. Cardinal, and find a bug to eat.
3:56 AM – It rained most all of yesterday. Of course that didn’t keep the birds from the feeders. Here’s a Purple Finch discovering that the Squirrel Buster feeder is empty.
A few weeks ago we saw a bird we couldn’t identify. Since then we’ve been informed that it’s a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak. It matches the picture on the Cornell Labs website (our Bible of Birds). The Grosbeak is a migrator, and only seen around here on it’s way to and from Central and South America. Here’s a couple of videos of our sighting.