The Hangout

We've had a Downy Woodpecker hanging out at our feeders the last couple of weeks.  She really likes the peanut butter mix that I make.

A photo I took back on January 1, 2015, had a little different critter hanging out at that same feeder, also enjoying the peanut butter.  Somehow this little guy didn't get the memo that staying in your nest is a good way to spend the winter.  I think this is his first winter, and perhaps he didn't stock up too well.  Lucky for him we had a mild winter!

The photo of the squirrel is my Index No. 9247

which I am linking with Gaelyn's Foto Friday Fun 103.

I am also linking with Eileen's Saturday's Critters 66.

Chickadee Snacktime

A little Chickadee spent some time at my feeders snacking on sunflower chips this afternoon.  If you look closely you can see a chip held between its feet.  So far the Redpolls haven't shown up at the feeders and the Chickadees are making good use of the time before the crowds arrive. 

Speaking of Bird Feeder Thugs.....

Oh, sure, he looks like a sweet thing, young and innocent.

 But the reality is he's one of those unwelcome visitors, a bird feeder thug.  Several people have posted recently about the unwelcome visitors to their feeders:  grackles, starlings, hawks, jays, etc.  Well, here in Fairbanks, as the long winter comes to a close, the moose have used up their reserves and are looking for anything they can find to maintain them until breakup occurs.  For the last several years that includes our bird feeders.  This year we've had a young moose coming for the last few weeks, and he's progressively gotten more thorough, making sure he's gotten all the goodies possible.  These photos were all taken through the kitchen window, which is not exactly clean at this time of year, and also the light was not quite right, so on some of the photos I've added filters to bring out the details.  The feeder below was easy to access.....

.....but this one presented more of a challenge.  First he got most of the seed out by tipping it and shaking it out the bottom, but then he began chewing on the lid when the seed was all gone.

And then there's the ferris wheel feeder.  Hmmmm.......

Ah, yes, tipping the cups up works just fine!

He managed to go through a lot of seed, but I don't think it was quite enough.  I do believe he was making a statement with that stuck out tongue.

As a result of his assault on the feeders, two were broken, and others chewed upon.  We decided to take most of the feeders down, only leaving up a thistle feeder and a suet feeder.  As for the sunflower seeds and chips, we've been scattering them on the snow for the birds.  The Redpolls have been going through a lot of sunflower chips, but nothing compared to the amount the moose went through.  That's getting a little too expensive for me!  It did provide a good photo shoot, though, so guess it's not all bad.

I previously posted photos of moose at our bird feeders.  Click on the titles to see those posts.  In 2010, Moose at the Bird Feeders, and in 2011, If a Moose Comes for Breakfast and, If a Moose Comes for Dinner.

Redpoll Lunchtime

Today it snowed and covered the sunflower chips with a layer of powdery snow.  As I watched the Redpolls feeding it appeared they were getting more snow in their beaks than seeds.

I went out and brushed the snow out of the cups on my ferris wheel feeder.  As I worked my way around the feeder, one of the cups tipped over as it got to the top, dumping all the seeds out.

I refilled the cup with fresh seeds.....

.....and wouldn't you know that one cup became the one everyone wanted.

As the snow continued to fall it soon didn't make that much difference anyway.

The Redpolls do like to quibble over the best spot for feeding, and the other guy always seems to be in that best spot!

My Suet Feeder

Several people asked me about the suet feeder in my last post. The Chickadee is the featured bird on the feeder so the following images show a Chickadee at the feeder.Many years ago at a craft show here in Fairbanks a gentleman from Anchorage had a booth with a lot of bird feeders that he had made and with paintings showing many different birds. I have not been able to track him down and I suspect that he is no longer making the feeders.

It is a relatively simple design, cut from probably a small birch tree. It looks to have been painted first with a finish like Varethane, the designs painted on, and then given another coat of Varethane. Of course, small perches were added and holes drilled for the suet, and a hanger at the top.

It has held up very well and always provides a nice background for whatever bird is perched on it, whether it is the little Chickadee or the larger Hairy Woodpecker or Gray Jay. I've taken a lot of photos of those birds on it, and you can see more views by checking my Label section in the sidebar under those three birds. It hangs about six feet from my kitchen window and most of the photos were taken through the window.

I'll Have More Peanut Butter, Please!

Over the last several days my feeders have been visited by a pair of Gray Jays. Gray Jays are found in Canada, Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and the Rocky Mountains. There are variations in color in the different areas and here we have the Taiga population.

Around Fairbanks they are more commonly called a Camp-Robber.

They will stash food in the trees for the winter, and they have been very busy doing just that.

Their favorite treat at my feeders seems to be the peanut butter mixture I put out. When that runs out they will settle for the commercial suet.

The peanut butter mixture has been going in the top two holes on my suet feeder. You might have noticed that those two holes are pretty well cleaned out in all the photos. These photos are from the last three days, and every day I have refilled those two holes with a mixture of peanut butter, oatmeal, cornmeal, shortening, and dried fruit. The Chickadees have gotten a few little bites, but the Jays have cleaned out the peanut butter mixture pretty thoroughly.

Their acrobatics while going after the food is quite entertaining.

I perhaps will need to buy peanut butter in the gallon container.....

A Downy Woodpecker

My granddaughter went home last night, and the house is much quieter. We had a lot of fun with her, but I know she was very happy to see Mama and Daddy. I'll be catching up with everyone's blogs over the next few days and work in another visit to the Ice Park, hopefully one at night.

In the meantime, here are some photos of a Downy Woodpecker. I've seen a pair at my feeders a couple of times this last week. As far as I can tell the Woodpecker in these photos is a female as I can't see any red patch on the back of the head.

A few weeks back I posted photos of a Hairy Woodpecker that was at this same suet feeder. The Downy is smaller and has a shorter bill.

For a comparison in the size, the Downy in the above photo is sitting on the perch that is just above the head of the Hairy in the photo below. The painting on the feeder is of a Chickadee and you can see it from slightly different angles in the two photos.

Below is a photo of a Chickadee at the same feeder to help with the size comparisons.

Redpolls at Rest

Today we got a little snow, and the Redpolls were even busier at the feeders. They flit about and are quite active, but the guy below sat with a sunflower seed in his beak for a bit. The bird in the photo above is a male with his rosy breast. Below is a female.

They both seem to be in deep thought, probably about whether it was really a good idea to grab that sunflower seed, or just what to munch on next.

Redpoll Antics

The Redpolls have been very busy the last few weeks. We've had more daylight, enough for them to feed from around 9:00 to 5:00, and we've had some bright sunshine. It's been fun to watch their antics. "Look at me. Betcha can't do this!"

"Oh, yeah, let's show him what we've got."

Top this if you can!"

"What a bunch of showoffs. I'll just sit here and soak up the sun."

"I'll catch the sun in my wings."

"When the sun shines I just wanna dance."

"The sunshine through my wings is magic."

So I did a little magic in Photoshop to put more sunshine in his wings.

"Life is good when the sun shines!"

And that's the end of our little tale.

Woodpecker Surprise

I was surprised when I looked out the window late this afternoon and saw a Hairy Woodpecker at the suet feeder. I don't see them often at the feeders or in our yard. They are listed as uncommon for our area, but they do stay here year-round.

Today was cloudy and it was late in the afternoon, so the light wasn't the best. The little Redpolls were unconcerned about this larger bird, and kept on eating before night fell.