Day 256: Shortly after the Evening Grosbeaks show up in the spring, the Rats-with-wings also appear. Okay, they're Band-Tailed Pigeons, a different breed than your average city pigeon, and they are a native species. Now while I don't mind in the least putting out several hundred pounds of black-oil sunflower seed every year for the Grosbeaks, I do resent the pigeons' gluttony. In an effort to foil them, I bought a new feeder yesterday to replace the open tray feeder in the front yard. The walls of the seed chamber slope outward from bottom to top and the perching rail is set fairly close to the base so that it does not easily accommodate a pigeon's large body. The Steller's Jays barely fit, but it suits the shape of a Grosbeak quite nicely. They and the smaller birds have been able to eat without interference from the pigeon population today and although I've gone through more seed, at least I am comforted to know that it went where I wanted it to go. This female Evening Grosbeak (one of my regular guests) seemed quite grateful for the improvement to her dining table.
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