Interspecies Etiquette
Songbird etiquette says that, when dining at feeders, incoming birds take precedence. This basically allows everyone a turn. A bird (or group of birds) may eat their fill, as long as no-one else is waiting. If another bird (or birds) show up, those who have been dining fly off and let the newcomers eat. After a bit, they may return and, as newcomers, now, themselves, replace the bird(s) who had replaced them. It works fairly well, as long as everyone plays by the rules.
Some birds, however, don't seem to get it. For example, doves. Not surprising, I suppose. Doves are essentially pigeons, and if ever there was a bird lacking in couth... well, anyway. It's slightly amusing to watch blue jays being frustrated by oblivious doves who just won't get out of the seed tray. (Another example of dove/pigeon rudeness: sitting in the tray, instead of perching on the edge as the other tray feeding birds do). They fly up and... the silly dove won't budge. Wait a moment. Nothing. Fly off for a few minutes, come back. Stupid dove still just sits there, pecking desultorily at the seed, and knocking half of it to the ground. Every now and then I take pity on the jays or cardinals or whoever and scare off the feeder hog.
Now, I've noticed that crows will sometimes observe songbird etiquette, and sometimes not. I don't know if it depends on the individual crow, or whether it's a matter of how hungry the crow is. We have a lot of crows in the area, but they don't really frequent our feeders that much. So I was interested yesterday to watch a crow taking his or her turn among the other tray feeders, and then yielding place to the newcomers. That crow was easily twice as large as any of the other birds there, four or five times as large as some of them, but was nonetheless courteous.
As was the chipmunk.
Absolutely boggled me. We've been having a chipmunk (or possibly more than one--they do look much alike) visiting the tray feeder. And it appears that our visitor with the stripes has absorbed songbird etiquette, taking turns with the birds (though, like a pigeon, Stripes does sometimes sit in the tray while eating). In fact, s/he will enforce etiquette upon pidgies. Where the other birds act annoyed and baffled by the doves' behaviour, but don't seem to know what to do with them, Stripes will chase them out of the feeder after a suitable interval.
Not just inter-species, but inter-class etiquette. Cool.
Some birds, however, don't seem to get it. For example, doves. Not surprising, I suppose. Doves are essentially pigeons, and if ever there was a bird lacking in couth... well, anyway. It's slightly amusing to watch blue jays being frustrated by oblivious doves who just won't get out of the seed tray. (Another example of dove/pigeon rudeness: sitting in the tray, instead of perching on the edge as the other tray feeding birds do). They fly up and... the silly dove won't budge. Wait a moment. Nothing. Fly off for a few minutes, come back. Stupid dove still just sits there, pecking desultorily at the seed, and knocking half of it to the ground. Every now and then I take pity on the jays or cardinals or whoever and scare off the feeder hog.
Now, I've noticed that crows will sometimes observe songbird etiquette, and sometimes not. I don't know if it depends on the individual crow, or whether it's a matter of how hungry the crow is. We have a lot of crows in the area, but they don't really frequent our feeders that much. So I was interested yesterday to watch a crow taking his or her turn among the other tray feeders, and then yielding place to the newcomers. That crow was easily twice as large as any of the other birds there, four or five times as large as some of them, but was nonetheless courteous.
As was the chipmunk.
Absolutely boggled me. We've been having a chipmunk (or possibly more than one--they do look much alike) visiting the tray feeder. And it appears that our visitor with the stripes has absorbed songbird etiquette, taking turns with the birds (though, like a pigeon, Stripes does sometimes sit in the tray while eating). In fact, s/he will enforce etiquette upon pidgies. Where the other birds act annoyed and baffled by the doves' behaviour, but don't seem to know what to do with them, Stripes will chase them out of the feeder after a suitable interval.
Not just inter-species, but inter-class etiquette. Cool.