Birders' Nest

[owlice]

We're now becoming so used to having coal tits in the window bird-feeder that we've come to expect to see them there when we're making a pot of tea, but it raises a question. The coal tits are by far the most frequent visitors to it; blue tits are second most frequent. Apart from an occasional great tit, that's it.

Now my question is: why? What does it tell us about coal tits? Are they the bravest? The most foolhardly? The hungriest? Why don't the goldfinches try it? Or the robins?

There's some weird birdosaur psychology going on here, and I don't understand it.

A lot of birds will defend their feeding areas; other birds might be intimidated by the Coal Tits, so may not visit the window feeder, especially since food is readily available elsewhere in your yard. Or it could also be the inverse: the other birds use the other feeders and defend them, so the tits come to the window feeder instead (and apparently share nicely with other tits!).

I've noticed that my local chickadees tend to be brave in getting food, though don't seem to act to defend the source from others, so I suspect the second of the scenarios above may be what is happening in your garden.

[Elgarian Redux]

I am now home, have spent at least 12 hours in my own bed, and am now finishing my morning coffee... in bed, where I plan to spend most of my day.

This is wisdom in action.

As I have in the past, I offered use of my spare camera to my safari guide. He accepted the offer on the condition that I teach him how to use it, as, other than his cell phone camera, he'd never used a camera before. Just as previous guides have done, he learned quickly and well, and after a few days' use of the camera, started posting some of his pics to WhatsApp; the feedback he got was very positive, with his friends asking how such pictures were possible. ("Did you get a new phone?? Which one???" and so on.)

He continued to improve throughout our travels and now has a nice portfolio of animal photos to show for his efforts. I've set up a website for him to use if he chooses to share any of his photos online, and if he does and allows it, I will share some of his efforts here (appropriately credited, of course).

Looking forward to that! Twice the value!

Most of the birds we saw were familiar to me from previous trips to Kenya/Africa, but there were some new birds, too, including these:


Grasshopper Buzzard

Magnificent.

Silvery-cheeked Hornbill

That structure on the top part of the bill is extraordinary. Does it have a purpose, do you know?

Black-necked Weaver

Beautiful and cheeky all at once. I suppose the character we seem to perceive in birds is a product of our own minds, rather than their actual nature, but sometimes ... well, it's hard to imagine a black-necked weaver doing anything really nasty, don't you think?

[Elgarian Redux]

A lot of birds will defend their feeding areas; other birds might be intimidated by the Coal Tits, so may not visit the window feeder, especially since food is readily available elsewhere in your yard. Or it could also be the inverse: the other birds use the other feeders and defend them, so the tits come to the window feeder instead (and apparently share nicely with other tits!).

I've noticed that my local chickadees tend to be brave in getting food, though don't seem to act to defend the source from others, so I suspect the second of the scenarios above may be what is happening in your garden.

Yes, there must be something like that going on (there is something for everybody in the various feeders - eg nyjer and sunflower for the goldfinches), and the result is that we see very few squabbles on the ordinary feeders, and none at all on the window feeder. They behave really nicely with each other, except when a starling drops in looking for trouble.

On the window feeder they actually queue up! There's a flowering currant bush about a foot from the feeder, and we often see a coal tit in the feeder while a blue tit (say) waits patiently just a few inches away on a branch, for its turn. It's all so civilised!