Growing Up

My birdfeeders have been very busy this summer – goldfinches, purple finches, house finches, evening and rose-breasted grosbeaks, nuthatches, blue jays, hairy woodpeckers, downy woodpeckers, and catbirds.

Of course, in the spring and early in the summer it was mostly the adults. But gradually the youngsters have started appearing. By now, they're about the same size as the adults and have similar markings, but their behavior often gives them away.

Several times I've seen a white-breasted nuthatch come flying across the street to the feeder, followed rapidly by three or four others landing on the branches above in the pine tree. As the youngsters hide in the branches, they start their begging "murmuring" until the adult flies back to the woods with the juvies zipping along close behind.

Sometimes the youngster is given away by its grace – or lack thereof. This downy woodpecker was out on his/her own one day and attempted to land on a thin pine branch . . . and whoops . . .

Then s/he settled down tight on the branch and watched me for awhile:

But eventually the suet feeder was the target for a perfect landing: