[TN-Bird] Phoebe-Cowbird
- From: "Ella Howard" <birder3@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "TN Bird List" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 14 Oct 2005 16:28:43 -0500
Greetings,
We have a phoebe acting like a cowbird, something I had never seen before,
but in some respects it is not surprising. Two years ago we had a pregnant
deer who, we think, because of her hunger dared to come very close to our house
and eat some of the grain we were spreading on the ground for our ground
feeding birds. She was small, but very obviously heavy with her pregnancy so
we began to add a little bit of cracked corn to the spread. She kept coming
and eventually had triplets
Greetings,
We have a phoebe acting like a cowbird. Two years ago a very pregnant deer
starting coming to the area where we would spread out mixed seed for our ground
feeding birds. She was small and looked very uncomfortable so we thought she
dared to come so close to our house because she was very hungry so we started
adding some cracked corn to the mix. She continued to come daily and
eventually had triplets! Then they came with her to eat until they grew up.
Now she continues to come this year with her new set of twins and her last
year's daughter comes with her fawn. (The two sons of the triplets came early
on, but have not been around lately.) Now each morning when the deer come a
phoebe perches on a low limb above the feeding place and swoops down and grabs
tiny insects that are obviously around the deer or on them. The phoebe
sometimes lands briefly on the back of a deer, grabs its prey and goes back to
its perch. The creatures continue to be a delight to watch
While I am telling about our interesting creatures I might as well tell
about some of the night ones. Several times each evening if I am home I take a
flashlight and scan through our back window under the bird feeders. Other
animals come at night to clean up seed the birds have knocked out during the
day. One is a skunk we have named Grouchette because she is totally black
except for heavy white eyebrows reminiscent of Groucho Marx who had heavy dark
black eyebrows. We know she is female because I happened to see her mate with
another skunk who was the more common kind with white stripes down both sides.
Sometimes she is out there digging while raccoons eat sunflower seed beside
her. On two occasions she was there along with a raccoon and an opossum. No
conflicts arose and each apparently went about their business without bothering
the others.
J. N. Howard
South Pittsburg, Tn.
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