I've really leaned into being the little old lady with too many birdfeeders. To be fair, I started with a new feeder earlier this year, but I didn't really get the appeal until a pandemic. Now I am glued to my patio window like I'm watching some soaps.
Chickadees are adorable. I have a new appreciation for such tiny little birds who hang with us all winter even in the cold.
Nuthatches are pretty cute and kinda shy. I see them every once and a while.
We have a male and female cardinal who visit us early in the morning sometimes, but more often closer to dusk. The boy with his bright red keeps watch and his less garishly dressed lady friend peeps in for seeds. Sometimes you'll even catch them feeding each other.
We have three kinds of woodpeckers. Hairy, Downy, and Red-bellied. Go ahead and do a google image search on that last one. Are you as confused as me? Good. Gabe and I are pretty sure by the time white people got around to naming this one, they were like "oh look at that red-headed woodpecker! Well, we can't call it that - we've already got one of those. I guess, red-bellied?"
Blue-jays come from time to time but only when I leave out peanuts and since they are my personal favorite, I make sure to leave out lots of peanuts.
There are assorted other little birds, junco, sparrow, some finches. I hear crows and see them circling, but they rarely stop in my yard.
We have a hoard of grackles and redwing blackbirds. I know to most people they are nuisance birds, but I don't mind them. We also live by a swamp, it's their prime habitat. I am not a farmer trying to grow corn, so c'mon my dudes - soups on at my place I guess. I kind of love the redwings. They sing beautifully. They dive-bomb through the trees like fighter jets. Some of the boys have bigger red-orange patches on their wings than the other boys. They puff out more too. We call them, "big king shits" cuz they act like they are.
Since we live in the swamp we also see Canada geese, mallards, and we've had a pair of wood ducks stop by a few times. None of the water birds stick around a long time. Except for this year we've had a boy and girl mallard for several weeks. I know this because I have nowhere else to be but my patio right now.
I noticed them a while ago and was just happy to see them. They come up in the yard sometimes. The little lady duck for sure wears the pants in the family. If she wants something she sets a course, and boy duck better just keep up. She waddles with a determined pace quacking the whole time. She isn't as flashy as he is with his beautiful teal and navy blue head, but in the sunlight, she is just as beautiful gold and black feathers, and one flashy stripe of blue. He is always her shadow and looking out for her.
A few weeks ago, before we were super close friends, I heard a commotion of quacking in our neighbor's yard, only to see girl duck being harassed by a different boy duck. She was trying to get away but he wouldn't leave her alone. Her protector was with, but pretty ineffectual while the rouge mallard was harassing her. It was pretty traumatic and I was rooting for him to defend her.
A few days later I saw boy and girl duck in our back yard this time, and another male following behind. I have no idea if it was the original harasser, but either way, I didn't like the cut of his jib. So I kept watching. Girl duck was not happy and started quacking loudly while the boy duck kept a close tail on her. I happened to be in the yard and just circled around my new neighbors, and made sure the new mallard boy knew he was not welcome. He eventually got the memo and buggered off so the boy and girl duck could resume normal un-molested duck activities in my yard. That's what you do in times of crisis. Watch out for your neighbors.
They lay in these grassy spots near the swamp and nap. I've started buying critter feed, it's mostly corn and sunflower seeds. It's a huge hit. I feed them around noon when I am taking my lunch break. A few weeks ago I was just tossing seeds around to see who would come, now if I am not with the critter chow at noon girl duck is on my patio tapping her foot waiting for the grub. Based on the way she quacks I assume she gets low-blood sugar and kind of hangry, so I try to not be late. They are still cautious of me, and I don't want them to get used to me, but we have our ritual now. I walk out with my little jug of critter chow and sprinkle it back by the swamp. She leads the charge and heads in for lunch while I walk back. Social distancing is something to always practice with your duck neighbors.
Girl duck makes her beeline for lunch. Her dutiful beautiful drake boyfriend keeping a quick pace behind her. She walks like she is on a mission, and he walks like he's up for wherever she wants to go. She chows down and he keeps watch but sneaks a chance to get some food. When she is done, she is done. No time for small talk after, she starts waddling back to the swamp usually quacking, but more softly this time as she goes. Boy duck usually finally starts eating in earnest when she is done. Sometimes he isn't paying total attention as he scoops up as much as he can while she is half-way home. He then usually speed chomps so he can get back to her as quick as possible.
I feel like the goddamn Jane Goodall of backyard birds. I hope they find it a good enough place to camp out and think of laying some eggs, we shall see. In the meantime, I am super happy to get to know my new neighbors.
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