I was just making breakfast looked out at the feeder and couldn't believe what I saw. A garter snake curled up while a squirrel and chipmunk were foraging. A bluejay hopped by a couple times and the snake barely moved. I then slithered into the overgrowth. Hopefully it catches the mouse I saw there the other day.
I have to break out my trail camer!. The last 2 times I put out a block of suet, it was gone the next day. Nice need to understand how and who.
My suet started disappearing, or at least being greatly reduced overnight in the spring. One early morning I caught the culprit - a raccoon. Haven't seen a raccoon in forever - at least since I left my previous house 11 years ago. I'd actually been expecting an opossum. I had been tempting fate with the local bear population anyway (which had not yet visited), and the coon's greediness convinced me it was time to bring in the feeders until next winter.
I was thinking that the snake was lucky the blue jay decided it wanted the seeds instead of meat for its meal.
Recently the crows found the suet and along with the Stellar Jays and two particularly greedy Flickers. They have been going through the cakes in a day here also. On the feeders, between the Pine siskins and Finches, the black oil sunflower seeds are gone in a day also. The Finches, in particular, mob all the perches and exclude the other birds. They continue to stuff themselves until the seeds exhausted. I finally pulled the plug and stopped both the seeds and suet. If I knew bird language I would put out a sign that said "Can you spell forage? Can you use it in a sentence? Alrighty then, start doing it"!!
Lots of parent birds bring their youngin's to the feeders. Tonight we got to see 2 juvenile Oriel's hanging with pops. He was feeding them suite. We put the feeder with some oranges and jelly out for them after we seen them. Trying to get photos too!
Just missed pops feeding the lil one in the fuzzy first pic. Pops reloading with suet and they headed off to the trees! Couldn't get the camera to focus with the sun. Have to wait until the evening feeding for more pic's.
The male oriole checked out the jelly but didn't seem to interested. The ones that came to us at the lake house loved it. Here they basically say "meh"!! The wife even put the jelly glass in the blue bird feeder so the babies can get to it easier than the other feeder we have. They check it out, But don't stay long.
We have an Oriol feeder out with grape jelly. We must go thru 2+ 32 oz jars a week. It is nice to watch the different birds that come to eat. We have seen rose breasted grosbeaks, sparrows, catbirds and small wood peckers. It is fun to watch the adults feed the babies.
Wow, You must get a mess of them. We only get one pair with 2 babies. Each baby has different taste. One is a jelly eater. The male parent also likes the jelly. We've only seen the female on the suet. She rarely comes. The other likes the orange's.
Mr. & Mrs. goldfinch. They have been very sporadic here. (the other birds are female house finches) Watched this catbird forage on the deck. they don't eat seed and I hear them all the time in the undergrowth here and at wood storage. Couldnt get a clear pic as it kept moving plus zooming.
These 4 hens have been bringing their young to us for the since we moved here. The previous owner used to feed them so we have also been feeding them too. I couldn't get them all in the picture, But 4 hens and 14 littles total. Last year they brought 18 littles. First year was 12 lil ones.
Just happened to catch these two strolling by the feeder. They spook easily Seen often but rarely near the feeder.
