What They Will Do For A Meal

Song Sparrow

Autumn has hit, and the warm weather is gone. The leaf change in eastern Maryland has already reached its peak, but there a many trees that still have a ways to go before their barren limbs line all of the highways. We have had as any as six or seven Gray Squirrels in our yard at a time. A few weeks ago, there were four male Northern Cardinals at one time around the area near the seed feeder - I have never seen more than one at a time before. Waves of Black-capped Chickadees and Tufted Titmouse come and go, picking one seed at a time. The Dark-eyed Juncos have arrived, as well as Song Sparrows, House Sparrows, Northern Blue Jays, Carolina Wren, and House Finch. I sure there is at least one more sparrow species, but I have to figure out what it is.

Squirrel self-suspended

I haven't been doing a good job of keeping the seed feeder full. Squirrels have gnawed at the plastic dikes that hold back the seeds - allowing the birds to pick them away, and then gravity should replaces the level of the seeds for the next bird. With the small barriers below the opening gone, with the right jiggle, the seeds flow freely until a natural bridge is built on its own that keeps the reserve in check. The rope that holds the suet feeder has given out, and that feeder lies empty on the ground. A squirrel probably climbed onto the feeder to taste the concoctions of either peanut butter of blueberries imbedded in the fat. The dexterity of the squirrels is shown in the photograph to the right - amazing how these little critters can do what they do - the value of opposing toes. Just as man's brain sets him apart from other animals, the squirrel's opposing big toe sets it apart from man.

Last Saturday, an extended morning that turned into a lazy day, a Downy Woodpecker was sampling the seeds in the finch feeder in the back yard. I was making a cup of coffee when Jan, looking through the open blinds over the window, spotted a Red-bellied Woodpecker in our ornamental cherry in the front yard. She didn't know what kind of woodpecker it it was, but was impressed by its size and the large red hood patch on the back of its head. It didn't make sense to her the name "red-bellied" when there was no sign of one.

Also adding to the list of birds in the back yard, there have been at least six Mourning Doves at one time working the spilled seed covering the ground, along with the squirrels. The food web maintained - each with its own role to play.