Seward, Alaska
Ava’s Place was hopping with
birds, literally! Scores of PINE SISKINS squabbled over the sunflower seeds
spilled below the feeders while others tried to dominate the actual feeders.
Wide-eyed fuzzy and less aggressive fledglings took notes for future reference.
A young RED CROSSBILL fed
happily on loose sunflower seeds in a hanging platform feeder, occasionally
driving off a pesky Pine Siskin. A golden female, possibly his mom, expertly
used her tongue to help extract sunflower seeds from a wire feeder. Then she
manipulated the hard-shelled seed into her nutcracker, shucked the shell and
ate the heart.
A large fledgling HAIRY
WOODPECKER male figured out how to hang onto the vertical log suet feeders and
gobbled up Ava’s special suet mixture. His worried mother also collected gobs
of suet for her son, often from the same feeder, and tenderly fed him. She
looked a bit ragged; he looked fat and healthy. Lucky boy!
A male adult Hairy Woodpecker
also blasted in to gather suet; I suspect he had babies still in the nest or
nearby to feed.
Both a mom and dad DOWNY
WOODPECKER gathered suet and carried it off to their babies. It will be fun to
see their fledglings!
PINE GROSBEAKS fended off
Pine Siskins on the railing feeders, apparently there to dine, not gather.
Another female gorged on unripe May Day tree berries until her crop was full to
bursting, presumably to feed the kids.
A SONG SPARROW flitted about
the ground, deck, and railing. In a pause between woodpeckers, it flew up to
the log suet feeder and hung on precariously, chowing down on suet. A
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH female also zipped in to get the rich suet for her
babies.
I heard a RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD
at a sugar water feeder but too many leaves were in the way to see it.
Ava’s Place is such a great
place to watch and listen to birds year-round! She really appreciates donations
to help with the expense of feeding these fabulous birds.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
