Blog 3 7/2/07

0713-0813
Clear blue skies, still, quiet

Bird List in order of arrival:

➢ mrgo (chases mwbb successfully—cheep/cheep/cheep/cheep/cheep)
➢ mwbb
➢ mbobl (chooses seed over peanuts)
➢ unbanded shopper (chases mrgw successfully)
➢ mbrg
➢ pbmp
➢ mblow
➢ mwrg
➢ unbanded juvenile comes with mrgo
➢ mrgw (drinks water)
➢ unbanded adult
➢ unbanded right shoulder tuft
➢ mgrr
➢ mwblw
➢ morb*
➢ banded juvie
➢ mpblw*

* new birds to the feeder


Droopy arrives at 0812, looks around cautiously, lands near a pile of seed and picks out the very smallest bits of millet, storing them in her bill. She crouches nearly parallel to the ground, tucks her crest back, maintaining a veritable low profile, grabs one peanut and flies up to the roof. Her lift-off looks labored and awkward, as if she’s out of practice. She doesn’t return again during this note-taking period.

The birds are quiet except for mrgo, who emits a shrill “cheep” now and then vocalized as one, three, four or five “cheeps”--the final syllable always emphasized. I also hear him in a soft conversation with mbobl, his mate, when they are near each other, perched in the crabapple tree. I have yet to identify a way to characterize these conversations in terms of their sound; however, they seem to take place when the juvies are around and have an informal, chatty tone that indicates a kind of intimacy between the two. In the distance, now and then, I hear a “chooka, chooka, chooka, chooka, chook” that I think occurs most frequently during flight and just before a landing. My sense is that the call comes in vocalized groupings of 3, 5, and 9. Sometimes the chooka and cheep are combined in a “chooka, chooka, cheep, cheep.” Finally, Mr. Go has a different kind of cheep—low, rather than shrill, that he utters while perched in one spot, fluttering his wings up and down, in what looks like a begging posture.


I’ve read recently that the jays are quieter during nesting, brooding season and this seems to be the case here. The loud, raucous, continuous shouting match between jays is not occurring now. The still quiet in the morning is distinct.

Total Number of Birds: 17

Babies are messy eaters no matter what species. These baby birds dip down into seed piles, and unlike their parents, who precisely pick out seeds without disturbing the pile, come back, head up, with seeds flying everywhere--seeds clinging to their gape and seeds falling out of the sides of their mouths like rain. It is a spectacle that inspires a giggle even when I’m sitting in a room alone with no one to enjoy it with me.

Two new birds to the feeder came today: mp/blw and morb. I have no previous recollection of these birds. They both flew in very quickly, grabbed one peanut and left—not taking the time to shop, they swooped in and out again.