The Zen Birdfeeder

Wordless Wednesday

Who is this guy?

A Night Time Visitor at the Feeders

Its first visit was a week ago Wednesday morning when we awoke to find three feeders in the back yard fallen over like matchsticks.  We suspected deer.  Deer aren't numerous around our area, but I had sighted one in our yard recently.  I figured that a good size deer eating from the feeders would have no trouble knocking them over in our loose, sandy "soil".

I left those feeders down, yet the next morning awoke to this in the front yard:

This feeder setup just came up from the sand soil with no damage to the pole or feeders.

This feeder station had the 16 gauge steel pole of the WBU Advanced Pole System bent, the feeder intact with no damage, but empty.   We thought bear, but found no tracks, no scat, no major damage from teeth or claw. 

The feeders on the other setup were also intact. In fact, the peanut butter suet feeder was left on the ground uneaten, the mesh peanut feeder was left filled and undamaged, and the seed cylinder was only half-eaten. These seemed like significant clues as to who our bandit wasn't - we couldn't see a bear leaving all that food uneaten. And we figured a deer, standing on its hind legs, might very well have the weight and leverage to bend steel.  Male whitetails can weigh up to 400 pounds, females up to 250 pounds.

We cleaned up the mess, but still had two other feeding stations standing.  And they were intact Friday and Saturday mornings.  That changed last Saturday night.

I was half-asleep at about 10:30pm when I heard the sound of knocks on wood.  My old cat Jess tries to climb the stairs occasionally and when she does, her old bones and joints make clunking noises on the bare wood stairs.  I thought she was venturing upstairs and whenever I hear her attempting the climb, I usually get up to give her a lift.

I was at the top of the stairs, didn't see Jess, and the noise continued.  Through the casement window at the base of the stairs I saw the source - a small Black Bear pawing at the window trying to reach the suction cup window feeder!

He saw me and ran off into the night.  Looking out through the windows with a flashlight to illuminate things, I saw that he had ripped a mounting flange out of a 4"x4" pole to access three feeders on this feeding station.

He hadn't bothered the feeder out front, but at 10:30pm at night with a bear on the prowl, I decided to leave it be.

In the morning, I saw he had returned.  Since his visit at 10:30pm, he had snapped this pole to get at the large feeder on top, then walked off with the feeder.  He also took off with two feeders from his earlier vandalism.

We found all the feeders in the woods, empty but no worse for the wear. Through it all, though seven feeding stations were toppled holding 13 feeders, only 2 feeders had minor damage (I have to put in a plug that these were all Wild Birds Unlimited quality feeders!) and 2 base poles need to be replaced.

The window he had been pawing at had two foot prints below it - the only tracks we really found. And the window is smeared from his fur swiping at the window trying to reach the window feeder. One paw print is visible on the window. This was not a large bear: Black Bears (Ursus americanus) stand 5-6 feet tall - this guy was unable to reach the window feeder that was mounted six feet off the ground.

Black Bear Facts

• An average adult male weighs about 300 pounds while females average about 170 pounds.
• Black bears are omnivorous, eating grasses, berries, fruit, nuts, seeds, insects, grubs, and carrion, as well as human sources of food like corn, honey, bird seed, trash, and pet food when available.
• The Adirondacks are home to a population of almost 4,000 bears, which is the largest black bear population in New York State and the 3rd largest population in the US.
• Bears are Curious - They spend a great deal of time exploring for food, and this can bring them close to humans.
• Bears are Intelligent - Bears learn from experience. If an activity results in food, they will repeat that activity. If an encounter with a human is negative, they learn to avoid humans. Also if an encounter with a human doesn't result in a reward (food), they will not have any reason to have contact with humans.
• Feeding Bears is Bad for Bears - Bear's natural foraging habits and behavior can be changed.

Never deliberately feed bears and avoid unintentionally feeding bears. If you avoid attracting and rewarding bears, you, your property and the bears will all benefit.

If you have bears in your area and like to feed the birds, here are some suggestions:

• Bring all of your feeders in at night.
• Don't leave spilled birdseed lying on the ground.
• Keep your birdseed supply indoors.
• Don't hang your bird feeder from your front porch.
• In areas where bears are very prevalent, don't feed birds during the months when bears are most active (late March through November).
• If you do have a bear in your yard, don't approach it.

Read more at New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's site, "Discouraging Black Bears Around Home and Camp".

Back on the home front, we have been diligent in bringing in ALL of our feeders every night right before dusk. We leave them out as long as possible before nightfall for the night-migrating birds before they take flight.  And we put them back out first thing in the morning, though not early enough for some of the earliest risers.

Sure, it's a pain.  And we have fewer feeders out right now than usual.  But I don't want to see bears pawing at my windows again.  So we're hoping Mr. Bear moves on so we can resume our feeding stations as usual, and soon!

Spring Arrivals and Departures (2008 #4)

Here's my fourth report of arrivals and departures this spring.

STILL AROUND
White throated Sparrows (numerous)

Tree Swallows (though we don't have the right habitat for them, we do have lots of Black Flies and other flying insects around)

 

NEW SPRING ARRIVALS
Rose breasted Grosbeak (two females on May 4, males the next day; in 2007, both male and female arrived 5/11). Digiscoped image below; notice the reflection off the feeder.

Savannah Sparrow (May 4; a new yard bird!  One day visit only)  Digiscoped image below.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (a female on May 4; in 2007, both male and female arrived on 4/27)
Northern Flicker (May 5)

DEPARTURES
Fox Sparrows (last seen 4/20)
Song sparrows (last seen 4/17)

OTHER VISITORS
Grape Hyacinth

Creeping Myrtle

Immature Sharp-shinned Hawk

Black Flies  :(
Black Bear (more on that in another post)

STILL TO COME
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Grey Catbird
Eastern wood Pewee
White crowned Sparrow
Indigo Bunting
Yellow-rumped Warbler and Black-throated Blue Warbler (both nest in our area)
Other warblers

Here's links to 2008 Spring Arrivals and Departures Report 1 from April 3rd, Report 2 from April 13, and Report 3 from April 21

Fledgling Sapsucker

We returned from Florida yesterday to a yard full of empty feeders.  Leaving for a period of time and allowing feeders to go empty is not detrimental to the birds, especially during the summer when natural food supplies are plentiful.

We knew that we'd be returning to some fledgling birds and we weren't disappointed.  Hairy Woodpeckers have fledged as have the Yellow bellied Sapsuckers.

This well-camouflaged fledgling sapsucker was tucked in a notch of the mountain ash in the corner of the yard.  This tree has had multiple years of sapsucker use, though you can see some newer holes oozing sap.


When dad came to the tree, junior got vocal...

...then watched dad drill more new sap wells.

Sapsucker wells are often visited by other birds such as hummingbirds, orioles, and nuthatches, as well as other creatures like bats, red squirrels and insects such as this Red Admiral.

When the young sapsuckers tuck themselves up close to a tree, their brown streaky pattern keeps them well camouflaged.  Note the strong wing streak.

Sapsuckers primarily eat the sap that flows from the wells they drill.  Sap holes usually produce for 3-4 days before they become plugged.  Sapsuckers will work the holes to keep sap flowing.  When new holes are needed, they drill them close to the old holes.  Besides sap, they also eat a large quantity of insects.  Mayflies and ants are the most important insects in their diet.

Welcome to the world, young sapsucker!

Pop Goes the Weasel

Photo courtesy of www.weforanimals.com

After seeing a weasel in my yard today, I got on GoogleTM to find out more about it.  As soon as I entered w-e-a-s-e-l-s in my Google search bar, it autofilled with "Weasels Ripped My Flesh".  Just the sound of it made my blood curl. 

Curious, I checked the Weasels Ripped My Flesh link anyway, and listened to samples of the lead cut and title cut from this 1970 Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention album.  I quickly discovered why there were no Frank Zappa albums in my home when I was growing up.  But I digress.

Anyway, I was again enjoying an afternoon on the deck when something long and slender poked its head out of a hole not 10 feet away.  I got just a quick look before it ducked back in the hole.  That gave me time to position my binoculars (where was the camera??), and after I visually followed a vole running across the yard (was he fleeing the weasel?), the weasel stuck his head out again, turned and stared me straight in the binoculars. 

I got a great look at his top half - dark brown head and body, long slender neck, very shiny fur, rounded ears, and dark eyes.  I saw about 5" of him - he retreated without me ever seeing the bottom half of his body.

My Peterson Field Guide to the Mammals helped me narrow it down to either a Shorttail Weasel or Longtail Weasel.  Total length and a marking on their hind legs are the differentiating features, neither which I was able to observe.

They are chiefly nocturnal but do hunt during the day.  They are expert mousers, with the Longtailed Weasel taking other small mammals up to rabbit size.  They may also eat birds and bird eggs. 

Here's a link to more information on the weasel.

Weasels play an important role in the ecosystem.  They are generally considered a beneficial predator as they seldom endanger the long-term welfare of the animal populations they prey upon (see link above).

I'll try to keep an eye on the Grey Squirrel, Red Squirrel, and Eastern Chipmunk populations around the house to see whether I notice any decrease in their numbers that could be attributed to the weasel.