[Tweeters] bird activity

[Dennis Paulson]

Hello, tweets.

I’m having trouble getting any work done because the yard is aflutter in avian activity, and it’s hard to take my eyes away from the window. At one time I saw nine goldfinches and three siskins fighting for the six perches on our tube feeder. There are at least 30 and possibly up to 50 juncos.

We have three hummingbird feeders out, but they are freezing within an hour of putting them out. We have a light (Wild Birds Unlimited) attached to one, however, and I just photographed three Anna’s Hummingbirds drinking from it at once, a first for our yard. At least one of each sex, wasn’t sure about a poor view of the third bird. I guess the male gave up vigorously defending the two feeders he could see at once.

Two or three male and a female Varied Thrush are in the yard all the time. We put out mixed seeds on the window ledge outside my second-floor office, and it is thronging with birds, those visiting today including Steller’s Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick’s Wren, Varied Thrush, Song Sparrow, House Finch, Pine Siskin and Townsend’s Warbler.

The warbler has been drinking from a central cup on the hummer feeder that we always fill up, but I’m surprised to see it apparently swallowing millet seeds on the ledge.

Two flickers and a Pileated have visited the suet, along with chickadees, nuthatches, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet and a Yellow-rumped Warbler. Song and Golden-crowned Sparrows and Spotted Towhees are scarfing up millet that we sprinkled all over the yard.

I hope everyone is putting out lots of food for the birds today. I don’t think there are many if any feeders very near us, which I guess is why we have so many birds.

Dennis Paulson
Seattle