I put out cat kibble for the Gray Jays. At least one Varied Thrush ate it.
I've had 30 VATH at once on the seed on the ground the past month. Most
have ignored the kibble, all have ignored the suet. A very few have served
themselves from the above ground feeder that mostly attracts finches,
grosbeaks, chickadees. VATH numbers dropped dramatically this week at my
place in the woods.
I read somewhere that it takes two years to get a chickadee flock
coming to a feeder. We had a mixed flock for years, then were absent two
winters. I have been stocking the feeder from November to present during
which time a single Chestnut-backed has visited. I hear them throughout the
day very nearby, and the feeder area is swarming with Juncos, etc..
On Fri, Mar 22, 2019, 11:38 AM Steve Jaggers <sjjag@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
It feels a bit late to be seeing this bird given our recent weather. This
female has been on the deck all morning, about 3-4 hours.
Usually when the V.Thrushes are about it is briefly and early.
Additionally interesting is its effort to get at the suet feeders. They
are caged (starlings) but she has been gleaning dropped pieces from above.
She has twice actively chased away a Starling from a dropped bit and
claimed it for herself.
In more spring like news, there is a pair of N. Flickers
actively excavating a new nest hole in a nearby Maple tree.
Steve Jaggers
Milwaukie/Jennings Lodge
