Theresa
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Most of the most common (visible) birds in the southeastern US are songbirds who either do not migrate, or that do, but because they come from farther north, as well as being local, like Robins, are almost always around, whether living here, or passing through on their way both south and north. Most of such birds that live in conjunction to humans raise several clutches of chicks per breeding season, and both parents are equally involved in caring for them. It is comical to see the fledged and nearly grown chicks, often as large as their parents, trying to extend their "childhood" by badgering their parents to keep feeding them, as the parents try to "kick them out of the nest," as is often said about human parents.
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The way that they retract their tongues to wrap around the inside of their skulls was amazing. A month ago, I would have been surprised to learn that they do eat meats like insects and spiders, but I recently saw a ruby-throated hummingbird go to a suet feeder that is hanging in a tree in our backyard.
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Yes, although it's the only species that visits our region (central North Carolina). I have bee balm, crocosmia, red and 'Hot Lips' salvia, and hosta flowers in my gardens, and the ruby-throated hummingbirds are frequently around. I have even seen a hummingbird attack bees in the bee balm so they can claim the nectar for themselves. They also like to perch in my corkscrew willows, I think because other birds are too heavy for the curled twigs, and the flickering light green curly leaves provide cover for them.
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I sat on a low gardening stool to the side of both a suet feeder on the left and a wooded area to the right. I have found (and was surprised) that some of the smallest birds (chickadees, Carolina wrens) are more tolerant of my presence than a larger red-bellied woodpecker. A chickadee was flying from a moss bird house, hung in a tree quite near to my spot, and the feeder. At first I thought that it was preparing the house (building a nest inside?) but then saw that rather than pulling pieces of moss from the roof to add to the indoor preparations, it was actually placing seeds between the rows of moss. Since chickadees do store seeds in places like between the rows of bark on tree trunks or in tiny holes created by other birds or insects, it seemed reasonable to assume that it was doing the same here. It flew from a tree deeper in the wooded area to the feeder and then to the bird house. There is both an arbor and a trellis to the east of the suet feeder where many birds, especially Caroline wrens and cardinals, wait their turns at the feeder and the bird bath that sits on the deck rail just beyond the arbor. During the same period, a red-bellied woodpecker would fly to the feeder from a tree at the far edge of the wooded area. It took several tries before I could see him in a spot on the feeder to quickly snap an unblurred photo of him, whereas I was able to video the chickadee going about its work on the bird house without startling or chasing it away.
Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)