BULLIES AT THE BIRD FEEDER

I love watching the birds at my feeder but I can’t ignore the bullying that is going on. The Red-bellied Woodpeckers are one of the larger birds that patronize my feeder and they really “throw their weight around”. Even the acrobatic Nuthatches will flit to the other side when the Woodpeckers land on the railing to feed. I’m not able to tell if the Woodpecker is giving the other birds a quick peck to encourage their leaving but I am suspecting that is what is happening.

Unfortunately, it is a chain reaction. Then the Nuthatches, with their longer beak, chase the smaller Downey Woodpeckers away. I’ve also observed the Downy running the smaller Titmice off the rail and also away from the suet basket that hangs nearby. So far I haven’t seen the Titmice bullying the sparrows or finches.

The beautiful Cardinals aren’t left out. Though they seem to come when the other birds aren’t around. If one comes up you only need look around at the branches surrounding the feeder to see his/her mate and perhaps another pair or two. But, there definitely seems to be a “pecking order” for them also. You seldom see two males side by side at the feeder. I suspect that there is some type of hierarchy involved in the taking of turns at the feeder.