06:50

White, still, quiet and wet

Birds Sighted in Order of Arrival:

1. mwlblb (Tame Bird)
2. unbanded juvenile
3. unbanded juvenile
4. banded juvenile
5. mrgo (Mr. Go)
6. unbanded adult (Shopper)
7. mlbob (Mrs. Go)
8. mwrg (Wringer
9. lbpmp (Princesa)
10. mlbrg (Trapper)
11. unbanded (Rusty Bill)
12. mwbw (Checkers)
13. mgrr (Droopy)


Notes:

Shopper is especially aggressive this morning. He is chasing one of the baby jays, here to practice opening peanuts. He swoops fast, through the feeding area, between tree branches reminding me of a bully on the playground. His ratty tail feathers give him an undignified look as he flies. If there were to be a male take-over at this feeder, I bet he would win the contest. He is unlike the others, who show patience and understanding for the young birds. He makes a loud “chooka, chooka, chooka, chook,” temporarily displacing all the birds. Crest plastered back, he crouches low like a jaunty-capped road racer, focused on making good time.

The jays have paths by which they navigate through the trees, branch by branch. They hop and glide through the familiar territory with speed and agility, landing solidly, on spindly legs that belie their strength. They make sharp, familiar turns through networks of leaves. Negotiating openings, they weave their way through levels of space the way we negotiate a river crossing, hopping, then wading, from stone to stone.

Maybe because it’s wet and dewy this morning, the tail feathers of all the birds appear worn and frayed. Molting is progressing at a rapid rate, the new row of feathers, visible beneath the wings when the birds dip their heads down, inches its way posteriorly. I wonder at what point will these new feathers replace the old? I’m saving the loose feathers I find on the ground, a permanent record of the season.

Two juveniles land on the bench, face off, and beg, bill-to-bill. Mr. Go lands; one juvie flies off, and the other begs to the adult male. This is the second time I’ve seen this behavior. It leads me suspect the two are siblings, and possible offspring of Mr. and Mrs. Go.

Again outnumbered by males, the females this morning include plbmp, mlbob, and mgrr. Pia told me yesterday it takes about 16 days for eggs to incubate and 16-20 days for the young to fledge, which means the nesting females could be missing from the feeder for well over a month. She described how the young birds gradually fill the nest until they are too big to fit any longer. They begin flapping their wings and move out onto branches. It is during this period that the fledglings are most exposed and most vulnerable to predators. One pair of adults lost all four of its progeny to ravens at this stage of development; after which, they were forced to begin again, repeating the process of mating, egg-laying, nesting, and feeding their young.