Backyard Birding – An Amateur Guide
My husband and I got into bird watching during the pandemic. We were staying home a lot and tired of looking at each other, I guess. So, when the weather was nice, we took it outside. I am familiar with common Arkansas birds like robins, blue jays, house wrens, and cardinals, what I wasn’t familiar with was the bird feeder politics. Here is what I’ve discovered after conducting my own, not at all scientific, research.
The most ruthless of all the birds, despite their reputation for being nice, are house wrens. It could be because we have roughly 6,000 of them in our backyard and there is strength in numbers, but these guys dominate our platform feeders and are ready to fight at all times.
Blue jays are a close second. Notoriously mean, I think, in our case, they’re only second to house wrens due to the wrens’ numbers. They will also dive-bomb you for no reason at all.
Do you know who minds their business? Downy Woodpeckers – we have two, Wolfgang Peck and Robird Downy Jr. – and the gaggle of blackbirds who hang out on our string lights, patiently awaiting their turn at the suet cakes. They will rarely mess with the platform feeders, so it’s nice to have a variety of feeding options for a variety of birds.
Mourning doves might be the timidest of the birds. They actually prefer to eat off the ground, so be sure to toss a few hands full of seeds in your yard to keep them coming. I place the ground seeds a pretty good distance from my platform feeders because I am convinced Prince and Apollonia are scared of the house wrens. I might be projecting my own fear of the house wrens.
Your local Farmers Co-op locations offer multiple options for bird seed. See what your store offers.
Ryanne Harper – Farmers Cooperative