During a stormy Sunday, saw many birds eating from the feeder I have on our deck. The Cardinal was so pretty.
Tag: Black-capped Chickadee
WHY BIRDS ATTACK CARS AND WINDOWS
It’s a new routine. Wherever I park my car on a particular wooded lane, I return to find mama Cardinal attacking the car’s reflective surfaces, both side mirrors and the windshield. She perches in the branches above chortling a medley of warning songs and then swoops in to peck and gnash at herself. I have tried moving my car further down the lane and have covered the mirrors with bags, but still, she perceives my car as “the enemy” and finds a shiny surface at which to strike.
Northern Cardinals, American Robins, and Turkeys are the species we most often hear attack cars and windows. Northern Mockingbirds and American Goldfinches fly at reflective surfaces as well. The behavior is a territorial display; the bird sees in the object its own reflection and imagines the image is competition, or a threat to its nestlings. Some birds, like Mourning Doves, don’t require a large territory whereas I have read that Black-capped Chickadees will chase off interlopers in as much as a 17 acre territory. The mama Cardinal may continue for the entire nesting season, which is of concern as I don’t want her to wear herself out. Next time when at the wooded lane I’ll try parking even further away.
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CAPE ANN WINGED CREATURE UPDATE
Featured: Brant Geese, Black-capped Chickadees, Black-crowned Night Heron, Blue Jays, Cardinals, American Robins, Mockingbirds, Savannah Sparrows, House Finches, Red-breasted Mergansers, and Common Grackle.
Beautiful iridescent feathers of the Common Grackle.
Spring is a fantastic time of year in Massachusetts to see wildlife, whether that be whale or winged creature. Marine species are migrating to the abundant feeding grounds of the North Atlantic as avian species are traveling along the Atlantic Flyway to summer breeding regions in the boreal forests and Arctic tundra. And, too, the bare limbs of tree branches and naked shrubs make for easy viewing of birds that breed and nest in our region. Verdant foliage that will soon spring open, although much longed for, also obscures nesting activity. Get out today and you’ll be richly rewarded by what you see along shoreline and pond bank.
Male Red-winged Blackbird singing to his lady love.
Once the trees leaf, we’ll still hear the songsters but see them less.
Nests will be hidden.
Five migrating Brant Geese were foraging on seaweed at Loblolly Cove this morning.
Red-breasted Merganser Bath Time
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Everyday Backyard Birds of Essex County and What to Feed
During this snowiest of winters, I’ve been refilling the bird feeders several times a day. We usually only purchase safflower seeds because squirrels do not much care for the hard shelled seeds. Recently though I thought that with all the snow cover, our bird friends would benefit from some variety and decided to add black oil sunflower seeds to the mix. What a colossal error! This morning at the feeder a fight broke out over the sunflower seeds, with no less than five squirrels defending their new found cache. The sunflower seeds also drew two fat black rats to the feeders last night. We’re back to strictly safflower seeds!
The following are eight common birds that we see at feeders at this time of year and these eight species are content with the safflower seeds provided.
Male Cardinal
Song Sparrow
House Sparrows
Mourning Dove
Carolina Wren
White-breasted Nuthatch
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Safflowers seeds are available in bulk at the Essex Bird Shop.
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Keeping the Bird Feeders Well-stocked for the Songbirds
The Massachusetts state bird, the Black-capped Chickadee, is well-known at bird feeders. We’ve strategically placed one of our bird feeders adjacent to an iron trellis. The chickadees pop in for a safflower seed and then hop over to the trellis to crack it open against the metal.
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First Snowstorm of 2014: Snapshots From East Gloucester ~ What a Difference from AM to PM!
From earlier today, while the storm was still blowing ~
Benjamin Duckworth Building an Awesome Fort
Super High Tide
Don’t forget our feathered friends. I filled the bird feeders three times today!
Mourning Dove
White-breasted Nuthatch
The sun started to break through mid-afternoon. I headed to Smith’s Cove and then drove (precariously) to Eastern Point to catch the setting sun. Happy Snow Days!
North Shore Art Association
Our Lady of Good Voyage
Eastern Point Lighthouse
Good Morning Gloucester 