This winter, unlike previous ones, we've been besieged by jays. I've counted, what I think is probably an extended family of 7 or so all fighting for control of the one platform feeder and/or the two cylinders in which I offer sunflower seeds. The jays seem to be top dogs, and it irks me, because I know they're just filling their crops and storing seeds somewhere where they'll forget about later. I have to fill the feeders that much more often. But I do love corvids, and they are fun to watch.
I've noticed that they're not at the very top of the dominance hierarchy, however. They move aside quickly when the red-bellied lands on the feeder. Looking at the comparative armament, I don't blame the jays. We have fewer hairies, and they interact less frequently with the jays. The hairies and the downies do seem to prefer the suet to the seeds, whereas the red-bellieds take seeds from both the platform and the cylinders frequently. Tom V On Mon, Feb 8, 2010 at 7:30 AM, Marie P Read <m...@cornell.edu> wrote: > > > Contrary to many bucolic paintings, I have never seen two species > > feeding together. Suet is survival. > > I have seen (and photographed) Downy and Hairy feeding together (in fact > it's a photo I've strived for because it shows the difference between the > two and points out how to tell them apart), but the Downies are definitely > the more timid of the two. > > Marie > > > > > > Marie Read Wildlife Photography > 452 Ringwood Road > Freeville NY 13068 USA > > Phone 607-539-6608 > e-mail m...@cornell.edu > > http://www.marieread.com > http://www.agpix.com/mari > > > -- > > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html > 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html > 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- > -- A. Thomas Vawter, Ph.D. Prof. of Biology & Environmental Science Chair, Biological and Chemical Sciences Herbert E. Ives Professor of Science Wells College Aurora, NY 13026 315.364.3269 tvaw...@wells.edu -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
