More October Yard Birds!

It didn't take long for Blue Jays to learn that we started stocking our bird feeder for the fall/winter season. Before I even had a chance to get back into the house, a Jay was alerting other birds that sunflower seeds were ready for the taking!

The black bridle across the face, nape and throat varies extensively and may help Blue Jays recognize one another!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Blue_Jay/overview

In a matter of only minutes, 9 species of birds were spotted in our yard. White-crowned Sparrows continue to visit the feeding station.

White-breasted Nuthatches are regulars during the winter, but this is the first one I have seen in the yard in a few months. They forage up, down, and sideway over tree trunks and around large branches probing into bark crevices to find food.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-breasted_Nuthatch/lifehistory

The ever adorable Black-capped chickadees were quick to heed the call of food! Every autumn, Black-capped Chickadees allow brain neurons containing old information to die, replacing them with new neurons so they can adapt to changes in their social flocks and environment, even with their tiny brains!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/overview

Mourning Doves tend to feed busily on the ground, swallowing seeds and storing them in an enlargement of the esophagus, called the crop. Once they've filled it, they can fly to a safe perch to digest the meal. 

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mourning_Dove/overview

A Red-breasted Nuthatch searched for insects high in our neighbour's Tamarack tree. I struggle to differentiate between the sound of the Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches. A description about the Red-breasted Nuthatch states: "Their excitable yank-yank call sounds like tiny tin horns being honked in the tree tops." I shall listen for tiny tin horns the next time I hear Nuthatches nearby!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Nuthatch/overview

The white "spectacles" on the Blue-headed Vireo helped to distinguish it from other vireos. This species does not visit birdfeeders. It hunts for insects and larva along tree branches.