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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJanuary 09, 2003 - Victuals for back-yard visitors The Suffolk Times • January 9, 2003 • lc ��. s or ac - ar � . �T1S1 � OrS i a:� °� ����� I'M wtziz�iN�Txis oN one of the many dreary �� �. days we've had lately.Yet outside there is a F��°��, r°� �� ��- world of birds enjoying the spoils of our feed- � "x` �'� � $ ,� .: ers.First of all we have the woodpeckers that ,^ ` �� � ��"� �', come to our suet.I wonder how many of you = `"' � �'` ' �`k� ask for suet at your local meat market.Put it --��s � � in an old orange bag or the equivalent and you ���' � are bound to attract a family of woodpeckers. � F In this area we have basically three different � �, �� � �� kinds of woodpeckers that regularly visit our ..� feeders.One of them is �;� �� � ' the red-bellied,a relative FOCUS newcomer to the area. '; ' ��° A ON Fifty or 60 years ago � ���*'','��, " " there were none here.I � 1�[ATURE can remember when by Paul Barbara and I were first � � �� ~ '' „�r���� � Stoutenburgh married we had one call- � ing in the woods. It has an �� � � unusual call and so it ����� F drew our attention.I traced it out to a dead � : � ' ��. .,� � � F .tree that it had declared its home site,where it -�'�'� �y � � ,��� = was chipping away and in between making a call that I assumed was to attract a mate. Today the red-bellied woodpecker,which is �, ` g , ' about the size of a robin,is one of the most - t; � ' common woodpeckers about.It has a real . �R ,.�� . �;, � �� vivid blotch of red on its head.Why they call it �,�, �5� '� '` a� e� F��, � a red-bellied woodpecker,I don't know,for �`°�`� � � �� _ �� ��� - � �� there is hardly a trace of color on its belly. _ R � �� �«� � Moving down in size,we have next the hairy ��- �� ��� ; � woodpecker,which is the typical black-and- `8< �� �`°' white. ladder-back woodpecker.It's less com- '� �,'�:;'^. mon than the smaller black-and-white downy ��`� �,,. ` woodpecker,but both enjoy our suet.Then 4��� 'xR ��,u;;; _. there's the yellow-shafted flicker,which is fair- �� �: ,� � ly common throughout the East End.They �' � � : \' � ` ,. .. dOri't fPEqUCrit OUL SUOt aS IT1UCh 8S The Oth81"S. Tirnes/Review photo by Paul Stoutenburgh Those are basically the four woodpeckers If this photograph were in color, you eould tell this was a you'll find here. male downy woodpecker because of the red on the top of More often you'll find titmice,chickadees his head.The female has no red.They are the most common and nuthatches visiting your suet.After all, woodpeckers on the North Fork, and putting out suet is the suet is a powerful source of protein and in best way to attract them. winter all sources of this valuable resource are tapped. seem giant-sized.He was busy pec cing away at our suet.Not a very regular visitor,but when he does visit he seems to take over the area. And then occasionally we'll get a really rare visitor.One time we had a Brazilian cardinal. By its name alone,it tells you that it is truly an oddity.Evidently it had escaped from some- one's birdcage and was trying to make it through the winter.It stayed around for a week or so feeding on the small birdseed,then it disappeared.Then there was the neighbor who had an odd visitor at his feeder:a European goldfinch,quite different from our regular yellow-and-black goldfinch that feeds at our special thistle feeders. ne of the most colorful birds attracted to Each year we have a short visit from a fox our birdseed is the common cardinal.Sunflower sparrow.When we speak about sparrows we seeds are what they thrive on. Put that out on the are talking about birds that spend most of ground or in a feeder and you're pretty sure to get their time feeding on the ground.The fox cardinals.Sunflower seed is best for the chickadees sparrow is a little larger than most sparrows. nuthatches,titmice and even the little finches.The Its breast is streaked rusty-red and it's rusty- female and immature finches are nondescript, red on its tail.We see this visitor on its annual brownish-streaked birds with heavy beaks for migration from northern Canada,where it opening seeds.During the spring and summer they nests.You'll find it scratching like a chicken are cheerful singers. among the leaves and thickets. It's a great bird And,of course,as soon as you put the sunflower to see.We find one or two almost every year seeds out,you are bound to attract the big bully, on our Christmas Bird Counts.When it does the blue jay. It will come in and take up to 10 or visit us,it's usually feeding with the other more sunflower seeds and carry them away.It will birds. then fly off to hide the prize behind the bark of a A sparrow you might confuse with the fox dead tree or in a crevice someplace for future sparrow is the smaller song sparrow.It has a feasting.It's a hog and the only way you can limit streaked breast with a dark spot on its chest. its aggressive appetite is by putting the sunflower �'his sparrow is seen commonly throughout Long Island and its cheerful song in the spring seeds in a feeder of some sort where it's a little ng in your gard noy to hear.Look for it nest- more difficult to get at. A different twist on feeding birds brought Don't forget the ground feeders.For them we use to mind the collection of gulls I saw yesterday some of that wild bird feed thaYs made up of a mul- in someone's back yard.Evidently this person titude of little seeds and we spread it on the ground throws out table scraps or pieces of bread. and on the patio.It invites the juncoes,those small Almost anything will draw in seagulls.Of gray birds with white bellies some people call snow- course,if one gets a free mea�;others soon fol birds.They have a little white in their tail feathers, low. which is particularly noticeable in flight.We have 10 to 15 that visit our ground feed each day,along with the finches and doves and,of course,the house sparrow,which seems to enjoy almost anything you It reminded me of when I was going to put out in the line of food for birds. grade school at the Depot Lane school.In those The nice part about bird feeders is that you days,the janitor burned all the trash right where never really know what you'll attract.One morning we kids could see him out the window.After lunch, we looked out and on our suet,which is probably when he burned all the papers and garbage from 30 feet from the house,was a big black crow.I say the lunches,the seagulls would take over.That was big because when you get up close to them they my first experience in seeing someone attract seag- ulls to feed.So if you don't mind waiting and trying out something new,perhaps throwing a little bread out in the back yard will attract some seagulls.If you feed every day at the same time you will soon have them showing up on a regular basis.So feed- ing birds,whether it is the big seagull or the tiny chickadee,is an experience well worthwhile. One last thing.Don't be surprised if you find a gray squirrel trying to enjoy your bird feed.They become pests and it's quite a challenge to keep them from raiding your seed,but then that's part of the game.Don't let them discourage you.