.
.
I got a shot of this Chipping Sparrow feeding an immature Brown-headed Cowbird yesterday, and after conferring with Feller DeWitt, (local Genius) he explained to me that Cowbirds will often lay eggs in Chipping Sparrows nests, and when they hatch, the Sparrows will unwittingly raise them as their own! (Does that mean the Cowbirds are "deadbeats" or the Chipping Sparrows are "saps" -- or both) in any event, it was interesting.Also, out of the blue, about a week and a half ago, my typical 3 to 4 Ruby-Throated Hummingbird daily visits, turned into 10 to 20 at a time around the feeder! They're constant from dawn to dusk, and will empty my 32oz. feeder (filled to the brim) in a little over two days. Going by the gauge on the feeder, it's saying I'm feeding more than 30 birds. Here's a video of the feeder activity; the ones actually "at" the feeder are just a portion; the rest are in the trees, etc. around the yard. (Please excuse the quality; YouTube would only record 31seconds at "high-def." so I went to 640 x 380 to get a longer version. I'll fix the problem for your future cinematic pleasures. ;)
.
Mike VanderStelt
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17oiBPsBnZ8&feature=plcp
.
1 comment:
Note;
I talked to this guy in alabama (Fred Bassett -- Hummingbird expert) He said it's the start of the migration from Canada, and I'm VERY lucky they chose to stop here, as not many get to see this happen.
He also said that if I'm getting 10-15 "regulars" (which I'm averaging 12-14) withing a few ft. of the feeder, then I can safely multiply that number by 6-7 to get a pretty good indication of what is sitting in my Trees/Bushes/etc.
at the same time WOW
Post a Comment