Breakfast with the Birds

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I am single. In fact, I have been single so long I can qualify as a professional single. And one of the curious habits of singles is we tend to eat a meal over the kitchen sink on a regular basis. After all, why fuss with setting up a table place for one?

A year or so ago I started having strange encounters with wild birds. I came to the realization that they were trying to communicate a message to me, albeit an obscure one, as I was unable to figure out what they were trying to tell me.

However, it did get me to notice birds. And the more attention I paid, the more infatuated I became. Eventually I hit on the idea of feeding the birds. There was a perfect tree outside my kitchen window from which to hang feeders. This would be the perfect place to watch birds! And that is how wild birds became my breakfast companions.

At first I hung only a couple feeders; a nectar feeder for hummingbirds, a tube feeder for seeds, and a bird bath that doubled as a drinking pond. But once the word got out on the chirpagraph, the flocks started coming by for brunch. All the birds were inviting their friends and family to eat for free. That created a big battle of wing flapping to see who got to sit at the feeders.

So I began experimenting with different types of feeders and seeds. Through trial and experimentation, I have developed a great feeding system that attracts many different types of birds. The essential principle to attracting different species is feeding on the level theory. There are basically 4 different levels that wild birds feed on:

1. Take Out – These birds (Chickadees, Titmouses, Woodpeckers, Jays) come to the feeder alone, select the choice nut or seed and take it away to eat (or bury) somewhere else. They spend very little time at the feeder. They like to eat from open trays and/or suet feeders.

2. Dine In – These birds (Finches) come to the feeders in flocks and stay for long periods of time, sometimes all day. They like to perch on long feeders and thistle socks.

3. Curbside Service – These birds (Sparrows, Juncos, Towhees, Quail, Doves, Robins) do not perch but scratch for seed on the ground. They feed alone or bring some friends and family.

4. Nectar Feeders – These birds like sweet and syrupy fluids (Hummingbirds, Orioles).

It’s scary how I never noticed or even heard birds until my mid-50s and then, wow! I see birds every where. I know they must have been there all the time. It’s spooky what we don’t pay attention to or take for granted.

I can’t really identify what triggered my interest in bird watching. It just seemed to happen over night. All of the sudden I became obsessed with identifying birds. I purchased every major bird field guide available. I watched DVDs, listened to CDs with bird calls, and took bird watching workshops. I even got the iBird application on my phone. I had real difficulty in identifying the different birds at first. I figured the more pictures of birds I had, the easier it would be to find one that resembled what I was looking at. Bird identification is a good way to train your eye. It teaches your eye to focus on details and spot variances. Taking photographs is even better. I have learned that what I thought I saw wasn’t nearly as factual as looking at a still photo of the same bird.

I began to carry wallet photos of my birds like others carry pictures of their kids or pets. I soon had so many feeders hanging from my tree my neighbors began calling me the Birdman of Clayton. But the feeders were great conversation starters since people would no longer walk by the house without complimenting the birds.

And that is how the battle with the homeowners association began. They served me with a letter saying the feeders had to be removed. I couldn’t let them go. These birds had become so close to me and such a daily pleasure to watch. So I decided to fight back. I posted a notice on the tree for all homeowners to call the association in support of the bird feeders staying. It took several months but the association finally reversed their decision on the condition that I would submit an architectural application with photos. I hold a special thanks in my heart to all my neighbors that supported me in the quest to keep our wild birds.

The peak of bird activity is 8 to 10 in the morning. Maybe it's not true that the early bird gets the worm. Maybe the worm gets got about mid-morning. I am sure it is because they are hungry from the long night. Not too many birds like to hang around at dusk. I guess they have to rush off to wherever they sleep for the night.

I marvel at the differences between the species. Some birds hop (like Robins and Jays). Others walk or swish (like Doves and Quail). The bigger the bird, the slower the movements and the smaller the bird, the faster the movements. The ground feeders dig around in the dirt completely oblivious to an entire feeder full of seeds just 6 feet above their heads. The perchers would never think of lowering themselves to the ground to search for seeds. Some birds (like Jays, Crows, Titmouse, and Chickadees) like to work for their food by picking shelled seeds to eat. Other birds (like Finches) only like the fast foods like shelled seeds and seed bits they can gobble up.

When the big Jay comes he clears the deck. All the other birds co-exist, taking turns peaceably except for the occasional alpha bird that just has to show off. But when the Jay comes every other bird vanishes instantly from sight. Jays love take away but they like shopping, too. They will pick up and drop each shelled peanut until they have determined which is the biggest. Then they take it away to bury it. Jays, like squirrels, are hoarders. Once it's buried he returns to repeat the process again, weighing each peanut before making his choice.

When I put out sunflower seeds and thistle I get a flurry of Finches. They hang out in flocks and have been called flying pigs. They can chow down a $20 bag of seed in a few days! My Finches have to be some of the fattest on the planet because it seems like they hang out at the feeder all day.

The Chickadees are dive bombers. They come to the feeder like carrier pilots lined up to land on a deck. They grab a black oiled sunflower seed and off they go to eat it in private.

The Sparrows, not the robins, are the early birds. They usually arrive first and stay the latest at dusk.

The Hummingbirds are hovercraft that refill on the fly, suspended in air while feeding from the bright red nectar port.

A single tiny Kinglet comes to hang out with the big birds. He is always alone and cavorts in the bushes never still for more than a second.

When the Titmouse sings, he sounds like he has a sore throat. I love the way his feathers stick up on his head, like a big dab of Brylcreem wouldn’t make them lay flat.

The Towhee and Sparrow look like little Irish dancers doing jigs in the dirt, trying to churn up more seeds.

It is impossible to feed birds without having at least one obligatory squirrel. I call mine Mr. Squirrel because he does deserve respect for being smart and ornery. Mr. Squirrel is a stealth Squirrel. He thinks he can down the fence and up the tree without me seeing him. Some days he is like a dog sitting below the feeders waiting for scraps to fall. Other days he sits on the fence and contemplates how much he wishes he had wings like the birds so he could get to the feeders. One time I put a squirrel baffle on my feeder pole and it took him only a day to learn how to bypass it. Once my suet disappeared in less than a week. I was so excited to think I was attracting some Woodpeckers but over the weekend the mystery was solved. I saw Mr. Squirrel climb very precariously down a 5 foot hook to the suet feeder suspended in air. (view photos of the acrobatic squirrel here).

Humans are like snowflakes: No two really look alike yet all the birds of a species are identical. (How do they tell each other apart? Or am I the only one having trouble telling them apart?)

Why is calling someone a bird brain an insult? I should think it to be a complement. Birds are smart. They can construct nests, they can weave, they can drop nuts in traffic in order to crack open the shells, they can impale lizards on thorns, they can migrate without maps by day or by night, they can fly thousands of mile and land in the same tree year after year.

Do people try to see every species of other types of animals like they do birds? Have you ever heard of fishers, or mammalers, or buggers? Well, maybe, but not in the context that I am referring to.

Top 10 Reasons Why I Like Birds

1.   They are lovely to listen to.
2.   They are beautiful to look at.
3.   They are fun to watch.
4.   They have wonderful innate skills to admire.
5.   They are symbols of Nature, The Wild, and Freedom.
6.   They are messengers between Father Sky and Mother Earth.
7.   They are outdoor pets to love with no indoor cleanup required.
8.   There is no pet poop pickup.
9.   There is no daily dog walking required.
10. There is no cat hair on the furniture and your wardrobe.

Cutest Award: California Quail Callipepla californica
(What is that goofy thing on their heads? This is the state bird of California, where I now live)

Most Amazing Award: Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris
(These tiny birds migrate 18 hours non-stop over the Gulf, a total of 600 miles)

Most Beautiful Award: Cuban Tody Todus multicolor
(They look like little puffs of multi-colored cotton candy)

Most Entertaining Award: Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus
(These birds are probably the hardest working birds on the planet)

Most Sexy Award: Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis
(Bright red for passion, this is the state bird of Ohio, where I grew up)

My "Spirit Bird" Award: Steller's Jay Cyanocitta stelleri
(This is the bird that watched over me during Vision Quest)

Longest Migration Award: Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea
(Migrates 21,000 mi/yr, roundtrip Arctic to Antarctic)

Longest Nonstop Time in the Air Award: Sooty Tern Sterna fuscata
(Spends 4-5 years in air without landing)

Because They Are Hermits Award:
                                                Hermit Hummingbird               Phaethornis
                                                Hermit Thrush                         Catharus guttatus
                                                Hermit Warbler                      Dendroica occidentalis

1.   American Goldfinch               Carduelis tristis
2.   American Robin                   Turdus migratorius
3.   Anna’s Hummingbird            Calypte anna
4.   Black Phoebe                     Sayornis nigricans
5.   California Quail                    Callipepla californica
6.   California Towhee                  Pipilo crissalis
7.   Chestnut-backed Chickadee Poecile rufescens
8.   Dark Eyed Junco - Oregon    Junco hyemalis oreganus
9.   Golden Crowned Sparrow     Zonotrichia atricapilla
10. House Finch                           Carpodacus mexicanus
11. Mourning Dove                        Zenaida macroura
12. Nuttal's Woodpecker             Picoides nuttallii
13. Plain Titmouse (Oak)            Baeolophus inornatus
14. Red Shafted Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus cafer
15. Ruby Crowned Kinglet           Regulus calendula
16. Western Scrub Jay                Aphelocoma californica
17. White Crowned Sparrow        Zonotrichia leucophrys

Corn (cracked & whole kernel)                          Mealworms
Millet                                                                   Mixed Seed
Nectar                                                                Peanuts (shelled & unshelled)
Safflower Seeds                                                Suet
Sunflower Seeds (black & regular)                   Thistle Seed (nyger)