3:01 AM – The mealworm feeder is empty, and the birds don’t like it. In order of appearance: Mockingbird, Bluebird, Eastern Phoebe, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Chickadee and Carolina Wren.
Earlier, when the feeder was full, this Pine Warbler eats some mealworms, then takes one away. We assume that means a nest somewhere, with mate and possibly chicks.
2:46 AM – This is a long clip – about three minutes – of the action on one of our ‘satellite’ feeders. It’s a Squirrel Buster stationed away from the deck out in the yard. The video was taken with our new camera, so the quality of the video is a little better than that of the security cams.
There are several parts. In approximate order of appearance are Sparrows, White Breasted Nuthatch, Red-bellied Woodpecker, House Finches. The last clip is a dance between a House Finch and Sparrow, around the feeder.
To balance the previous lengthy video, we present a short clip of our new resident, the Eastern Phoebe. We hadn’t seen one for a couple of weeks, but it looks like they’re here to stay, for a while. This one (or more) are carrying off mealworms, I assume to nesting mates or chicks.
3:12 AM – Our new bird, the Eastern Phoebe, seems to be settling in for a stay. He’s been carrying mealworms away, presumably to a nest somewhere to feed his mate and/or chicks.
Archive video, this time of a Red-bellied Woodpecker drinking. This is from November 2016.
12:27 AM – This is the first time we’ve seen one of these, and we’ve tentatively ID’ed it as an Eastern Phoebe. The video is choppy because our camera started ‘pixilating’, and we had to edit it. The Cornell Labs website says they can be winter migrators or permanent residents here in Alabama. It also says they’re from the Flycatcher family of birds, who usually eat insects and so are not often seen at feeders. These seem to like the mealworms pretty well.
More from the Archives. This was recorded in November 2016.