Blue Jay

A pair of blue jays took turns at the feeder this morning, leaving a line of sparrows waiting for them to move on.

Sparrow Dirt Bath

A few sparrows enjoying sun-baked dirt for a little bath. They dug bowls (or bathtubs?) in the ground by scooting around on their tummies, then fluttered their wings to kick the dirt over themselves.

Momma Squirrel and the Hungry Birds

For a while a little black squirrel and a larger gray squirrel would visit our feeder for breakfast each day, and sometimes for an afternoon snack. Sometimes I try to chase them away because they spill birdseed from the tube and toss aside less preferred morsels as they dig through the tray in search of the good stuff.

In addition to being messy eaters they keep the birds away. The other day I noticed several sparrows standing on the sidewalk, watching the bird feeding station longingly as if they were helpless to feed themselves. I followed their gaze to the giant gray squirrel sitting in the tray. Poor little birds were waiting for her to leave!

I was just about to run out there in my pajamas and spout something crazy like, "get outta here, you varmint!" But then the squirrel reached up to the tube to grab a sunflower seed and I noticed she had recently nursed (I won't describe her personal details here, but I've included her picture so you can see for yourself). I stopped myself - I can't bring myself to shoo away a squirrel who is nursing babies!

So for now, as long as momma squirrel is nursing, I will leave her to stuff her face with as much bird food as she needs. The birds will just have to wait their turn.

Sock Feeder

Because of an increase in goldfinch activity, I bought a nyjer seed sock feeder to accommodate these sweet birds. It went unnoticed for a day, but now even the sparrows and chickadees are enjoying it. I positioned the tray underneath the sock so the seeds won't drop to the ground and plant themselves, and the sparrows have found it's a convenient platform from which they reach up to the sock to grab a few bites, and it's also a great place to politely wait one's turn.

Salt and Pepper

My sister-in-law gave me these salt and pepper shakers for my birthday this year. Aren't they perfect?