The Birds That Visit Your Bird Feeder May Have A Terrific Memory

Your Bird Feeder

This is a fabulous article about the memories of birds. Click the link at the bottom to read the full article-it's well worth it. 

If someone calls you a “bird brain,” they don’t mean to compliment you. It turns out, however, that birds you see every day can accomplish astonishing feats of memory.

What’s truly amazing isn’t the sheer number of seeds chickadees can store, but that they remember most of them! Black-capped Chickadees have been observed storing close to 1,000 seeds in one day. That means thousands of seeds each winter. They've been tested to remember these locations for at least a month if not longer.

Bird brains: Feathered friends that boast incredible memories

Cooper's Hawk Vs. Squirrel At The Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

When a pair of the squirrels scooted up a nearby tree, things got testy, in an adversarial kind of way. Perched on a thin limb that gave it a great vantage point to observe the goings-on at the feeder was a meat-eater, a predator, a Cooper's hawk.

Backyard standoff ends in peaceful parting

Check Out The Painted Buntings At The Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

Click the link at the bottom to see some great photos of the Painted Bunting.

While Blue Jays, Northern Cardinals, and American Goldfinches will all show up at bird feeders here in the northeast and share their brilliant blue, red, and yellow visages, we have no bird at our feeders to compare to the Painted Bunting. While I have mentioned their technicolor dreamcoats before it never hurts to mention again that a bird made of blue, yellow, red and green is absurd and proof that nature is awesome.

Painted Buntings at the Bird Feeder

Some Reasons Birds Aren't Visiting Your Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

I don’t think a passing bald eagle or even an infrequently soaring hawk would cause birds to shy away from feeding areas for any length of time. A sudden local shortage of birds can result from a frequent, unwelcome visit from a resident hawk. When a sharp-shinned or Cooper’s hawk appears on the scene, birds appear to “freeze” without any movement and can remain motionless for as long as a half-hour. 

Several factors could account for ‘shortage’ of birds

Is The Summer A Slow Time At The Bird Feeder?

Your Bird Feeder

In the summer, birds are busy raising young and try to remain hidden as much as possible. The waterfront — with its waders and shorebirds — is usually the best place to be during the summer if you want to see birds.

The so-called ‘slow season’ isn’t so slow

Your Bird Feeder Will Determine The Birds Who Will Visit

Your Bird Feeder

And you can increase the number and variety of birds by putting out additional feeders with different kinds of food.

Your feeder can decide your birds

A May Afternoon At The Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

An early May afternoon at the feeder finds the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Cardinals, Blue Jays and Red Bellied Woodpeckers fighting for position.

A May Afternoon at the Bird Feeder at Journey's End

Snow Bunting At The Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

Nice post about the snow bunting:

Naturalist and commentator Ted Levin says that this time of year, migration sometimes brings surprises at the bird feeder. 

Levin: The Snow Bunting

Observing Bird Behavior At The Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

Nice article noting the behavior of various birds and comparing it to humans.

There is a platform outside my office window where I feed birds, and therefore watch birds.

Dablemont: Bird watching shows distinctive behavior patterns

A Day At The Bird Feeder

Your Bird Feeder

See how many species of birds you spot on this bird feeder.

336 images of my bird feeder on January 20, 2011. Many species of birds visit my feeder throughout the day. How many did you count?

A Day in the Life of My Bird Feeder