Food Fight

 

The migrators have been holding a feeding frenzy.  

 

So busy at the thistle feeder that I had to deploy a second feeder.  

 

And am refilling both twice a day.     

 

Various assorted finches, warblers and pine Siskins.  I can go a long time without seeing a Siskin. 

 

Remarkably, these birds show little or no fear of my approach.  As a matter of fact a Siskin continued to perch on the hook while I refilled the tubes.    Has me wondering if they're from so far north they haven't any natural fear of people.    

 

Or maybe they're just hungry?

 

Edit to add:

 

Today I emailed our local bird expert - Charlotte - for insight.  She had this to say about the large number of Siskins: ‘They breed in the mountains and way up in Canada far from large population centers and have no fear of humans due to little experience with them. This year they have invaded the US and have already been seen near the Mexican border. Some years we hardly see any here in winter. I’ve had as many as 40 in my yard and feeders for the last few weeks. In fact I am planning to write about them for my November 6^th Peninsula Pulse Door to Nature story.’  

 

Following with some additional web research I learned this this: ‘While August had few reports of the bird outside of northern boreal and pine forest areas, Siskins have now been reported attending to cones and feeders across the West, Midwest, New England, and even into the south of Louisiana, Texas, and coastal North Carolina.’  

 

An irruption of Siskins. 

 

Very cool. 

 

Fetching more seed tomorrow…..