A while back, when I asked for suggestions as to what I should put in upcoming Wednesday Wandering posts, I had several requests for an update on Skinny the Thrasher.
Who’s Skinny? You can read about him here and here, as well as in other posts about our local wildlife.
Upon being requested, Skinny, in the way of wild creatures who are not being paid modeling fees, promptly vanished. (Actually, it probably had more to do with our taking a hiatus from putting out a birdseed block after a squirrel ate almost all of the last one in just over a week.)
However, Skinny’s been around lately, enjoying both the birdseed and suet from the new suet feeder the cats gave to Jim for Christmas. He’s been joined by some of our winter residents, including two (sometimes as many as six) scrub jays.
We’d been concerned that they’d get competitive with each other, but we’ve seen them sitting on the same tree limb, although Skinny often goes to check out where the jays have been perched after they move along.
We also are delighted to have a plethora of smaller birds, including fox sparrows and two types of juncos (dark-eyed and gray-headed). Since we leave those plants, we’ve seen the birds foraging from in place for much of the winter, our avian co-residents don’t just use the feeders, but also continue their natural eating habits.
Jim’s responsible for all the pictures featured here (as well as on my blog in general), so he and the birds get the credit for this week’s bit of brightness. Take care!
January 13, 2021 at 1:45 pm |
Yay!! This is so perfect. In an email to a friend last night, I proclaimed that today, Wren’sDay, would be “BirdyDay”. Mother Nature has been kind enough to honor my proclamation.
The gulls had been absent recently and I saw them return while I watched sunrise. The crows have been entertaining, and a Raven stopped by to sing for a while.
I heard, but didn’t see the Parrots traveling to today’s feeding spot this morning, and hope to see them at sunset.
Another blog I follow posted a photo of a Jay and a Cardinal at her feeder, and now Jim’s awesome pictures.
Happy Birdy Day, Jane. Please thank Jim for the beautiful pictures. Thank you for posting them!😁🐦🕊
January 13, 2021 at 3:06 pm |
We are definitely on the same wavelength. That delights me disproportionately!
January 16, 2021 at 10:33 pm |
Very nice! Good way to commemorate the day.
January 17, 2021 at 2:03 pm |
Great capture, Jim certainly has the knack.
Seed and fruit eating birds can be messy eaters and spread many species of plants, feeding a lot of ground critters in the process. Pet birds are no different. My Girlfriend’s birds make a mess and toss seed and fruit pellets around the room which I end up throwing to the wild birds in the winter.
I gave a lot of the sweepings to my farm neighbors in Crescent, Ok. They load the feeders with it and poke the, mostly spent, millet sprigs in the tops of fence posts. Out of their kitchen window, the largest gathering of cardinal that I’ve ever seen were going insane over the new treat, tossing much to the ground in the “brawl”. The chickens wanted in on it, but the cards were too aggressive (we tossed a some to the yard birds too). Jim would have had a laugh while trying to catch some photos.
If you know anyone with exotics, hit them up for their sweepings. healthy pets won’t have pathogens that can harm their wild cousins, but will help out in the lean months.
January 18, 2021 at 10:36 am |
That’s a great anecdote. I bet the cardinals were lovely!