What I Have Learned About Birds

In the past month in my new home, I have probably done more bird-watching than I had in the prior 50 years combined. I have a large arched picture window outside my family room, with three feeders on hooks just outside the window: a hummingbird feeder, a suet feeder, and a seed feeder. I have spent countless hours watching the birds, trying to identify the less familiar ones, and even working on matching the songs and birdcalls I hear in the trees to the actual birds landing on the fence and the feeder. It has been quite an education. Here is what I've learned about the birds that have visited:

1. Titmice like to holler. They hardly ever land at the feeder without screeching their presence. They are not stealthy birds.
2. Ditto for bluejays. They crash-land on the hook then yell for a while before they think about eating.
3. Baby bluejays have super whiny voices.
4. Titmice travel in packs. It's incredibly rare to have a single titmouse visit the feeder without another arriving either with it or immediately afterwards, and often 3 or more.
5. Finches and titmice are good sharers. They are happy to eat at the feeder with other birds there, of the same or different species.
6. Woodpeckers are shy, and will wait until all the other birds are gone before coming to the feeder. They also usually sit on either the hook or the feeder for several minutes, looking nervous, until they get up the courage to eat. This occasionally includes sliding down the pole, ever-so-slowly, pretending they meant to do that.
7. Robins HATE bluejays. Like, HAAAAAAAAATE them. The robin will chase the bluejays out of the yard if they dare to approach the feeder while the robin (which, by the way, does not eat from any of the feeders) is in the yard. Even when it's one robin to three bluejays.
8. Bluejays are giant cowards.
9. Hummingbirds are tiny little bullies. They will take on any other bird that's nearby, from another hummingbird to multiple bluejays. They are not good sharers.
10. It's difficult to distinguish individual birds of most species; however, occasionally one individual will exhibit a distinctive behavior. Although some hummingbirds eat while hovering and some land on the rail and stand while they eat, we have one male who sits on top of the hook for a few minutes before and/or after he eats, as if establishing his sovereignty. He will not only chase away other birds, he will follow other hummingbirds around the yard, hollering at them in his squeaky little hummingbird voice. I have dubbed him "Cap," which is short for Captain Hook. It suits him.
11. Hummingbirds SQUEAK?!?? Yes, they do. Usually while flying, and nearly always when chasing another hummingbird.
12. Carolina wrens like to hang around near the feeder and sing, but rarely come to eat.
13. Goldfinches will sit at the feeder for 5-10 minutes at a time while they eat, never leaving their perch.
14. Titmice grab a single seed, fly to the top of the hook, hold the seed with their feet, peck it open and eat it, then FLING the seed hulls into the air before returning for another seed. They will do this for several minutes at a time.
15. Cardinals only graze on the ground, never on the feeder. They rely on the messy birds to knock seed onto the ground for them. Fortunately, there are plenty of messy birds.
16. Bluejays attempt to eat from the suet feeder, but they are so large and clumsy that they set the feeder to swinging and have to wait for the movement to stop so they can eat. After several attempts, they usually give up and eat the bits that have fallen into the rhododendron bush below, which provides much firmer footing (as well as some degree of concealment from the attack robin).
17. Hummingbirds only eat from the hummingbird feeder.
18. Bluejays only eat from the suet feeder.
19. Titmice prefer the seed, but will also eat the suet.
20. Woodpeckers prefer the suet, but will also eat the seed.
21. Hummingbirds like to hover in front of the window and peer inside, either before or after they eat. If you are outside, they will occasionally do the same to your face.
22. Everybody hides when the shadow of the turkey vulture passes overhead.
23. Chickadees are heard much more often than they are seen. Ditto for cardinals.
24. Hummingbirds can be very small. Dragonflies can be very large. They are easily confused, until they move. Hummingbirds occasionally drive away dragonflies. Not sure if they are also confused and think the dragonfly is another hummingbird, or maybe they're just jerks. I'm leaning toward the latter.
25. Much like children, birds often hang around and pose adorably right until you get your camera handy, at which point they either leave or present you with their least flattering side.

Oh - and one more thing to know about birds: Watching them is good for the soul.