4:08 AM – Busy time a the platform feeder. The sparrows get into a free-for-all, until a Bluebird comes along and runs them off. Note the sparrow that flies at the Bluebird. That’s bold behavior by the little bird.
When the water is frozen a good part of the day, and most of the night, the animals get thirsty. This raccoon is really lapping it up. Fortunately the cold snap is about over, and temps at night will be above freezing.
4:27 AM – As mentioned before, peanuts are very popular, particularly in freezing weather. Here are a couple of montage videos of heavy traffic on the platform feeder.
In the first clip (in order of appearance) we have a Bluebird, male Cardinal, Brown-headed Nuthatch, White Breasted Nuthatch, female Cardinal.
Second clip has a Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Sparrows and a Dark-eyed Junco.
3:56 AM – The White-breasted Nuthatch is a small, very active bird. He darts in, grabs a seed, and flies off. Here he is on the platform feeder. Today, he’s mostly after peanuts, a big favorite in cold weather. A Carolina Chickadee makes a guest appearance, and finally a big male Cardinal. The Nuthatch isn’t intimidated by the bigger bird – he just flies in, picks out his peanut and takes off.
I’ve got no idea what this Mockingbird is pecking at. Or maybe eating.
4:02 AM – Brief video close-up of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
The birds are getting used to us. Here’s a White-breasted Nuthatch landing on the platform feeder, while I’m sitting a few feet away. It was cold and I had a poncho on.
One more, to make up for the brevity of the first two clips. Here’s a Cardinal and a Dark-eyed Junco feeding. Nothing exciting happens. It’s that way a lot of the time with the birds. They just eat, excrete and flap around, mostly. Every now and then they squabble. That’s life in the wild.
4:11 AM – Downy Woodpecker, smaller than the Red-bellied or Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. It still holds it’s own as a consumer of seeds on the cylinder.
Bright Cardinal on the platform, eating black oil sunflower seeds. Cardinals are one of the biggest customers on that feeder, rivaled only by Doves.
3:55 AM – Merry Christmas, my excellent and beloved wife. I wish I could have prepared a Christmas themed set of videos today, but the birds refused to wear their little holiday costumes. Except the Cardinals, of course. Here are some Retro-Videos of those red birds.
A drab, but entertaining Mockingbird, shown from an unusual angle.
The One-eared Squirrel. I think. Actually, this might be a different squirrel, with damage to both ears. Or the same one, with another lost ear, making him the No-eared Squirrel. In this video, it’s not clear but he was not successful in his attempt to reach the suet feeder.
4:16 AM – More platform feeder activity. Yesterday’s videos showed some scuffling and squabbling. In today’s clip the birds seem to be a little more tolerant, though there are a few moments. Maybe more than a few, but in general, they’re all grazing peacefully next to each other. Like cattle.
Bluebird and Pine Warbler on the cylinder feeder. Nice colorful birds on a gray afternoon.
4:02 AM – Typical day on the platform feeder, with various birds showing up – all regulars. In order of appearance we have a Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Sparrow (of some variety) and Cardinal. The peanuts seem to be particularly popular.
Sometimes Cardinals don’t like to share. Here’s Mr. C with a couple of Sparrows. It doesn’t take him long to decide he wants to dine alone.
2:59 AM – Our first video of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. It’s not a great clip, but it does show the red patches on the neck and top-of-head that marks the male Sapsucker. Obviously they’re related to the woodpeckers we already have in the yard. By the way – his belly isn’t yellow.
We don’t see the Cardinals on the mealworm feeder too much, but every now and then one will stop by for a snack, often when the platform feeder is empty.
We moved a camera over to the cylinder feeder, hoping to get a video of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker we saw the other day – the first one ever. (And we did – see above). We did get this one of a Downy Woodpecker.
3:13 AM – Continuing our “Bluebirds Behaving Badly” series, we have these young birds squabbling on the mealworm feeder. They’re a quarrelsome lot.
Here’s a cheeky juvenile talking back to an adult. The good part is repeated in slow-motion.
In this one a small young Bluebird attacks a much larger Cardinal. Those Bluebird adolescents must be full of testosterone.