Large Scale Central

Bird behavior?

General Discussion
#1

We have a couple bluejays that we’ve been feeding for a long time. Usually we feed them raw peanuts in the shell. They end up hiding most of the nuts, burying them in yard or stuffing them in trees and shrubs. This makes sense – they can come back and find at least some of them at a later date.

Occasionally we feed them mealworms, and they do the same thing. To me, it seems like a bad idea. If the worm is dead, it’s not going to last very long, and if it’s alive, wouldn’t it crawl away? But animals are usually pretty clever in areas where they need to be clever, so maybe the jays know something I don’t?

#2

The Bluejays are the bullies at the feeders. They chase the other birds until they are finished eating. I put out oiled-sunflower-seeds and thistle for the finches and smaller birds, some suet and a nut and seed mix for the squirrels and chipmunks.

Watching the birds is more entertaining that television in the past 10 years or so.

#3

I don’t put thistle out as bird feed any more, I had a bout with thistle in my yard.
I have enough trouble with weeds now. The finch can find their thistle in the wild where it abounds.
We have been watching birds since the kids were little.
My wife does all the TV watching here.

David Hill said:
The Bluejays are the bullies at the feeders. They chase the other birds until they are finished eating. I put out oiled-sunflower-seeds and thistle for the finches and smaller birds, some suet and a nut and seed mix for the squirrels and chipmunks.

Watching the birds is more entertaining that television in the past 10 years or so.

#4

David,

Watching grass grow is more entertaining than television.

Bob C.

#5

I may take that up as a hobby, after I put a loop of track in the grass.

Dave

#6

My wife gets fed-up with me because I don’t set and watch TV with her.
She says “You always go down stairs and let me up here alone”.
Well I said , You can come down with me.
She told me she didn’t want to.
:slight_smile:
David

#7

I saw an interesting sight this AM early, while outside with the dog, the property was surrounded with fog, about a 200 feet visibility. A large shape of a bird flew over the house flying straight as an arrow and a huge wing span. I believe it was a Crane of some type, long legs and neck and the wiiiiide wing span.

That should be a good luck sign or something. Very awesome.

#8

I doubt it was a crane, as they don’t frequent your neck of the woods. Sounds like it might have been a Great Blue Heron - or if it was white, a Great Egret.

#9

"…doubt it was a crane, as they don’t frequent your neck of the woods. "
the weather has changed a lot of bird migrating patterns in the last couple yrs.

Early this weekend i was placing out the latest bag of compostable after supper, scanning the bkyd saw feathers coming down out of the sky/trees drifting down onto the layout and other portions of the yd. stepped out further on the deck and saw more coming out of a bkfence evergreen went bk in for a coat and camera. Walked out closer to the tree and up mid-way on a limb was a raptor having its latest catch for supper. Still camera was not good enough went bk in for vid’cam Lookng at vid’, It was likely a female merlin chowing down on a northern flicker (at first thought it was a robin) but found yellow and red tipped feathers on the grd/layout. Too bad the crows were too big for a merlin to take out . . . as those black devils last yr. hunted out, raided every nest and fed on every (except 1 that i saw later with parents) baby robin in the neighbourhood.

The robins are back but alas also that gang of crows !

doug c

#10

There is only one bird feeder in my back yard: few seeds germinate on the track. The many other feeders my wife has put out for the birds are, fortuitously, in the front garden where trains do not run. lol

Gulls can be a nuisance; but as we do not feed them - the bird societies do not recommend most of the sort of food humans eat - their intrusion is minimal.

#11
David Kapp said:
My wife gets fed-up with me because I don't set and watch TV with her. She says "You always go down stairs and let me up here alone".
Mine insists on me watching TV with her, too (the remote control is firmly in her control) and makes a fuss if I don't. Then she asks why I get nothing done :(
#12

I found the key to a happy marriage is… to marry them young and raise them right. (as he looks over his shoulder)