Sunflower Seed

Day 254: Let me introduce you to Sunflower Seed. That's the name I've given to any number of young visitors who are at great risk of getting their little Pine Siskin bottoms stepped on because they are so well camouflaged against the hulls scattered by the birds at the feeders. My vision is not particularly good, and several times during periods of low light, I have come narrowly close to tromping one of my dear children. Siskins are friendly creatures even as adults, but the youngsters are as innocent of the world as any bird I've met. They often take seed from my palm or perch on my hand to eat, and those feeding on the ground don't seem to understand that the great lumbering animal approaching them constitutes any sort of threat. I've taken to shuffling down the sidewalk, but even so, they often refuse to budge. I'd never forgive myself if I stepped on a Sunflower Seed.

Siskin Days

Day 192: While Pine Siskins (Carduelis pinus) don't ordinarily like to share their territory with Chickadees, the last few days have seen them here concurrently. Although they don't sit elbow-to-elbow, they seem to be willing to have a "my side, your side" agreement in effect for the seed feeders, but space at the suet is another matter. Everybody wants a piece of the action, except perhaps the Porch Parrots and hummers. Jays, Towhees, assorted sparrows and finches all contend for the prime seat, and if you've never seen a Pine Siskin brazen down a Steller's Jay, you've missed a real show of territoriality. I don't usually feed suet year-'round, reserving it for a high-calorie treat in the cold winter months, but the 'dee-dees have been demanding it of late, to the point that if I fail to fill the basket, they literally knock on the window until they get my attention. I may have created a monster by feeding them out of my hand. One poor soul tried repeatedly to force his way through the glass last night when he saw me standing inside. If I'm at the computer, they come around to the front window where I can't help but notice their antics. The other birds are picking up on the Chickadees' confidence. I have at least two Grosbeaks who won't move off the feeder until I'm within a foot of them, and one "raspberry" Finch has come close to landing on my hand on several occasions. A friend refers to me as the "Bird Whisperer." Nah, I'm just one of the flock.

Siskin Dear

Day 29: When lockdown mandates were relaxed a few months ago, Washington residents were advised to restrict their contacts to a small handful of friends. Mine included a dozen or so Chickadees (mostly Chestnut-Backed), but I've expanded my list to include Siskin Dear as of yesterday. Pine Siskins and Chickadees generally avoid each other, and I begin to understand why. Siskin Dear has made it abundantly clear that he is not to be budged from the handful of seed until he's done with his meal. The 'dee-dees hover like hummingbirds an inch or two away from my palm, but Siskin Dear doesn't bat an eye. One desperate 'dee landed on the nearly empty can of seed tucked under my other arm, holding tightly to the rim in order to dip inside for a seed. During one feeding, Siskin Dear remained on my hand for a full five minutes except for a ten-second flutter as my neighbour drove out, and I would swear that tiny little bird packed away at least 100 seeds without a noticeable bulge appearing in his crop. Meanwhile, our surroundings were filled with the sound of loudly expressed Chickadee cuss-words, and several beat their wings through my hair in an effort to draw my attention to them. This is hardly the first Siskin to perch on my hand, but with each one, I feel privileged in the experience.

Siskins At The Feeder

Day 118 (catch-up post): Although we really didn't need 18" of the white stuff to do the job, snow tends to bring Pine Siskins (Carduelis pinus) to my feeders in droves. Keeping priorities straight, my first job was to shovel a path so I could fill the boxes with fresh seed. While the snow was fresh, I took a standard corn broom to it (my neighbour had thoughtfully plowed my driveway), in my opinion, an easier method than shovelling when the fall is light and fluffy. As soon as I'd laid out the seed, the Siskins began appearing. Towhees and juncoes quickly picked up what they scattered, the Towhees descending out of sight into the deep "well" around the base of the pole.

As of the evening of the 8th, I still had no landline, but at least my cell service had come back to life. On my way to work, I saw repair crews at two locations and several spots where branches were still laying across the wires. On the morning of the 9th, a recording from the company claimed that normal service had been restored, but I still had no landline. I put in a repair ticket and have settled in for another wait.

Pine Siskin, Carduelis Pinus

Day 195: I did a rough census of birds at my feeders yesterday and came up with a total of 17 species. Today, we'll make that 18. As soon as I hung up the thistle-seed feeder, the Pine Siskins came rushing to the table. Given that they are reported to be in decline in most other areas where they occur, I am overjoyed to have them here even if it does mean I'll never see a Chickadee in my yard. The two species are known to avoid proximity, so occasionally, I do see Chickadees in the brush across the road. That said, the Siskins are equally friendly toward humans, and will sometimes sit in my hand for a feed.

If you're curious with respect to those seventeen species yesterday, the list included Ravens, Crows, Steller's Jays, Band-Tailed Pigeons (unwelcome), Eurasian Collared-Doves (also unwelcome), Starlings (even more unwelcome), Robins (boring), Brown-Headed Cowbirds, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Purple Finches, Goldfinches, Golden-Crowned Sparrows, White-Crowned Sparrows, Dark-Eyed Juncos, Rufous Hummingbirds, Spotted Towhees and of course Porch Parrots (i.e., Evening Grosbeaks). I usually have Song Sparrows as well. As I remarked to friends, "This is why my birdseed bill is bigger than my grocery bill."