FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Poke flowers--field sparrow food!

[Dthomp2669@xxxxxxx]

Greetings from the Charlotte Park area of West Nashville just a little east 
of the old Cleece's Ferry.
For years, I have had a nice, big poke berry plant that comes up under the 
area where I put the peanut butter for my mockingbirds.  This poke berry plant 
is now about six feet tall and it's top is visible from my kitchen window on 
the deck level of the house.  Yesterday, my field sparrows were perched on the 
poke, which is in full flower again after producing a crop of berries.  These 
sweet little creatures were actually eating the flowerettes from the poke.  I 
watched them for several minutes as they gorged themselves on poke flowerettes 
before they went back to eating the seeds scattered on the deck floor.  Since 
the poke is such a large plant, there seems to be plenty of flowers left to 
produce berries for everybody.

My humongous all-around-the-deck grape arbor now has grapes in every phase 
from bloom to ripe, and it is full of birds hiding within its confines eating 
away to their little hearts' content.  Lots of cardinals, jays, the 
mockingbirds, Carolina wrens as well as starlings and the other usual suspects. 
 The pair 
of house wrens finished their family chores and left, so the Carolina wrens 
moved back to my area.  It was funny to me that the Carolina wrens did not come 
around as long as the house wrens were occupying the gourd under the deck or 
while they were feeding their young.  Maybe it was due to the house wrens' 
constant singing and/or fussing. While the bird was sitting on the nest, the 
other 
sang constantly.  Once the babies arrived, there was a constant fuss from 
both parents.  Two years ago, the Carolina used that gourd for a nest.

By the way, with 7 mamas and 7 papas, my cardinal babies have been almost 
nonexistent this year.  After one pair brought their three babies to feed 
earlier 
this year, I have seen VERY few more.  I DID have a horrific insurgence of 
baby cowbirds instead, and I think the probably had occupied all the cardinal 
nests.  I DID NOT see any parent cardinal feed any baby cowbirds, BUT, by the 
time the baby cowbirds came to the feeding area, they seemed to be totally 
capable of taking care of themselves.  After a week or so of growing and 
strengthening themselves at my feeder, a big flock of mama & papa cowbirds came 
in for a 
couple of days to claim their children who flew away with the cowbird flock 
when it left.  My cardinal couples feed here constantly and seem so alone with 
NO little "black-billed cardinal babies" to feed.  It has really made me sad 
because I have always loved watching the baby cardinals as they developed beaks 
strong enough to pop the hulls of the sunflower seeds.  For some reason, it 
seems that I have had fewer "babies" of any kind this year than I have in the 
past even though I've had as many parent birds as always.  Anyone else noticing 
this?

By the way, my deck has become a real solarium for the doves, rock pigeons 
and a few other birds who perch out there and stretch their wings out on the 
deck where they take sunbaths until they are sun sated.  Right now, there is 
one 
mourning dove and two rock pigeons sunning with wings and tails totally 
aspread in utter relaxation!  I did find the very decomposed body of a pigeon 
back 
under the grape canopy at the corner of the deck a few days ago.  It had been 
there awhile as it was down to feathers & skeleton, and I hadn't know about it. 
 

Cheers & prayers,

Dee Thompson
Nashville, TN


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