Feeding Frenzy

The chickadees and juncos are reaping the benefits of my bird feeder these days and because it is right outside the window I am really enjoying their visits – a constant stream of them in fact. They don't eat much though as the food level in the feeder has barely moved at all. As long as the bluejays stay away I will not have to be constantly refilling the thing. Having adjustable tension on the perches works brilliantly. Another bright sunny day and I am enjoying the luxury of having lots of power for a change.

I'm currently sitting at the kitchen table, the sun’s first light washing across the surrounding tree tops, steam gently rising from a cup of ginger tea while sparrows, dark-eyed juncos, chickadees and a solitary goldfinch, dressed down in it's winter plumage, visit the feeder suspended at arm’s length from the window where I sit. Snowflakes, the big fluffy kind, tumble earthward adding to the snow already blanketing the ground, the already burdened branches of white pine, spruce and cedar straining under its weight. When I rise and cross the room to throw another log on the fire staving off the -20° temperatures hugging the walls the cabin, the birds, startled by my sudden movement scatter in every direction, settling on the sumacs nearby. By the time I take my seat again, moving slowly and deliberately this time so as not to disturb them, the feeding frenzy has resumed. 

It would appear that the chickadees are in charge here. The juncos hold back and rush in only when the chickadees are not feeding. Considering the diminutive and delicate build of the chickadees this is a little surprising but then the juncos only surpass them in size and weight by a barely noticeable amount. As I continue my observations, a new arrival has flown in – a red breasted nuthatch has joined the frenzy and it's appetite appears to far surpass that of the other two visiting species so if it brings its relatives in I may have spoken too soon about the necessity of refilling the feeder frequently. It would also appear that even though it's the smallest of the three species the pecking order has been shuffled in it's favour. At least it would appear that way based on about three minutes of observation. The chickadees remain by far the most abundant so we'll see what happens. There's actually a bit of a feeding frenzy going on here and I suspect it's due to the need to replenish body energy/heat after the cold weather.