Momma Squirrel and the Hungry Birds

For a while a little black squirrel and a larger gray squirrel would visit our feeder for breakfast each day, and sometimes for an afternoon snack. Sometimes I try to chase them away because they spill birdseed from the tube and toss aside less preferred morsels as they dig through the tray in search of the good stuff.

In addition to being messy eaters they keep the birds away. The other day I noticed several sparrows standing on the sidewalk, watching the bird feeding station longingly as if they were helpless to feed themselves. I followed their gaze to the giant gray squirrel sitting in the tray. Poor little birds were waiting for her to leave!

I was just about to run out there in my pajamas and spout something crazy like, "get outta here, you varmint!" But then the squirrel reached up to the tube to grab a sunflower seed and I noticed she had recently nursed (I won't describe her personal details here, but I've included her picture so you can see for yourself). I stopped myself - I can't bring myself to shoo away a squirrel who is nursing babies!

So for now, as long as momma squirrel is nursing, I will leave her to stuff her face with as much bird food as she needs. The birds will just have to wait their turn.

Another Installment of Weekend Birdservations!

• A baby chickadee with a particular bald spot on his forehead finally learned how to eat from the suet grate.

• Never before seen in our yard, a white-breasted nuthatch made an appearance. Since the visit I've heard their nasal "yaank yaank!" call from both ends of our front yard. I was able to get pretty close to one too as he waited in the tree for me to fill the bird feeder.

• A raptor (falcon? kestrel?) stalked the feeder until he snagged his evening meal of sparrow. He came back for a second meal Sunday morning, and later awed the guests of our Father's Day picnic as he flew across the backyard.

• The hungry baby chipping sparrow I mentioned the other day ended up being a baby cowbird that a family of chipping sparrows fostered. I guessed this because the markings on the baby was not consistent with sparrows of any kind, was twice the size of its parents, and much hungrier than most sparrow babies. A week after I captured those photos I noticed them again and learned that those sparrows are actually raising two cowbird babies. 

• Juvenile robins have been practicing their songs as the afternoons fade to evening. A little sputtery at times, but sounding more and more like their parents every day. 

Our Little Black Squirrel

He's back at it. This time he put his butt in the water tray so he could reach the sunflower globe. He gave up on the suet grate after nearly falling off. I think he's cute.

Naughty!

This picture should get my dad all worked up.