All points bulletin! Have you seen this bird? Some may find him beautiful, with his brown head and iridescent black feathers. But don't let those black, beady eyes fool you. He's a dangerous home invader! I'm learning more about birds, their names, what they like to eat, in order to lure more songbirds to the backyard. We've had quite a few bright yellow goldfinches this summer. They like to perch and eat dried cone flower seed heads. They are so lightweight that the flower stems don't even bend while they are eating.
The cardinals love sunflower seeds, and the small finches like Nyjer (thistle) seed. The mourning doves will scrounge on the ground for anything that gets kicked out by the smaller birds. Our hummingbirds have returned. They love our Rose of Sharon, garden phlox, and butterfly bush, in addition to the hummingbird feeder's sugar-water mixture.
My favorite birds to watch are definitely the bluebirds. They are shy birds, usually perching on our fence or the top of their nest box late in the afternoon. Since bluebirds feed on insects and berries, they never visit the feeder.
Yesterday my husband saw a brown hawk perched on the roof of our neighbor's house, checking out the birds in our yard. We've seen him before, and although I know his intentions are not honorable, he is lovely to look at. Hawks have their place in the food chain, which could mean some of our songbirds may be sacrificed if they don't fly fast enough or can't find a place to hide. I do hope the hawk prefers mice or snakes to songbirds, though.
I know God created all birds, but there are some that I literally hate. I open the door and clap my hands to scatter them when they appear. It's those disgusting, noisy starlings, grackles, and brown-headed blackbirds.
The brown-headed blackbird is called a "Cowbird". They have the terrible reputation of being brood parasites. In other words, cowbirds are lazy. They lay eggs in nests they didn't build. They don't sit on the eggs they lay, expecting other birds to incubate, feed, and raise their young. They are welfare dependent, deadbeat parents! Sounds vaguely familiar, doesn't it?
If a host bird recognizes the cowbird's egg as an intruder and destroys it, the vengeful cowbird may return, ravage the nest, and destroy all of the host bird's eggs. Often baby cowbirds are such voracious eaters, the host bird's own babies are crowded out of the nest and die.
Mr. Cowbird, you are indeed a nasty bird, and you are not welcome in my backyard. Please move on!
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Resources: Roof, J. 1999. "Molothrus ater" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed July 17, 2011 http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Molothrus_ater.html.
Copyright 2011 Charlotte Laney
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