This is currently a page of experimentation as I figure out the best way to document my regulars.
Blue Jays
Sunflower
Blue Jay
bird husband of Lapis
Identification
- Faint and nonexistent eyeliner around his eyes and less substantial black around his brow/near the beak
- Steady visitor throughout the year
Personality/Traits
- Male traits: Slightly larger than Lapis, the frequent visitor during nesting season as Lapis is very busy. He will gather superworms but seems less keen on mealworms.
- LOVES sunflower seeds, loads up til his crop is maximum capacity before flying away.
- He does like the usual blue jay foods (peanuts, peanuts in the shell).
Lapis
Blue Jay
Bird wife of Sunflower
Identification
- Bolder eyeliner than Sunflower, thicker brow markings. Her blues seem to shift in intensity but she’s a bit greyer than Sunflower as well.
- The ultimate peanut in the shell thief.
- Disappears during nesting season, as the female blue jays will stay on the nest 24/7 and the male is responsible for bringing food for all of them.
Personality/Traits
- Heccin’ LOVES peanuts in the shell. The second she sees a pile of them, she spends the next hour flying away with every single one to hide for later.
- Once all peanuts in the shell are gone, she returns and looks confused. Who took all the peanuts? It was her.
- Only occasionally begs from Sunflower.
- Grudgingly eats shelled peanuts and sunflower seeds as well. Sometimes suet nuggets. Only if there are no peanuts in the shell for several days.
- Does squeaky hinge call on feeder sometimes
Black-Capped Chickadees
Bird Profile: Scruffy Cheek
A chickadee named Scruffy Cheek. Bird spouse to Unnamed Chickadee 1
Traits and Personality
Personality: Chickadee. Okay I can barely tell these two apart.
Leery around humans but can get close if you’re not moving towards the feeder or them.
Identification Markers
- Its left cheek white feathers always seems a bit scruffier than the other chickadee’s.
Bird profile: Unnamed Chickadee 1
A chickadee I have not named yet. Possibly bird spouse of Scruffy Cheek.
Traits and Personality
Personality: Chickadee. Cannot tell them apart very well at all.
Identification Markers
- Smoother white cheek feathers than Scruffy Cheek. Overall a bit better put together.
Red-Breasted Nuthatches
Blurb
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
Bird husband of Blurbette
Identification
- Typical male black cap, but with a separation between the white facial ‘eyebrows’ on the front of his face.
- Very zippy. In and out, sometimes throws down with the house finches if they aren’t off the long feeder fast enough..
Personality/Traits
- So named because he is a birb who is so fast he is a blur, hence ‘Blurb’
- He was single for a while but then Blurbette showed up! There is a second male he coexists with but I think that might be one of their offspring.
- Pretty sure he’s the one yelling YANK YANK YANK in the distance near our yard
Blurbette
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
Bird wife of Blurb
Identification
- Female nuthatch: Greyer cap. Gets chased away by her mate sometimes but often visits solo. Nuthatches defend specific territories so I’m reasonably sure she’s the only female nuthatch visiting me.
- The white ‘eyebrows’ on her face meet quite closely in the middle, a nuthatch unibrow
Personality/Traits
- Bolder than the chickadees. Sometimes lands on the feeder when a human is right there, though she hasn’t tried to eat yet.
- Likes doing flippies around the feeder arms while waiting her turn at the feeder.
House Finches
Bird Profile: Tangerine
Male house finch with lighter, orange color. Observed with full blown eye disease in right eye May 26, 2023, returned June 16, 2023 with a mostly healed eye and seems lively.
Traits and Personality
Typical house finch personality
May have died of avian conjunctivitis. Not sure yet.** He did not die of conjunctivitis!
Identification Markers
- Tangerine-colored feathers, unlike the deeper scarlet that is typical.
Miscellaneous
Bird Profile: The bushtits
The flock of bushtits who live in our neighborhood. Bushtits are somewhat rare in this area but they have been spreading readily! I hear them all the time now and their little flock has grown. Estimated 10-15 but hard to tell with this species.
Traits and Personalities
Most bushtits will swarm suet feeders, but this flock prefers peanuts and sunflower hearts. They ignore my suet.
Females have silver eyes.
They blow in and blow out from my feeder in 5 minutes or less.
Identification Markers
- Tiny pips and chirps from trees or bushes
Bird Profile: Unnamed Downy Woodpecker
An unknown downy woodpecker male who visits rarely and looks very cute.
Traits and Personality
Scales anything remotely vertical in the vicinity as he cases the joint.
Identification Markers
- Either there is only one male who visits us or it’s several males, I have NO idea.
- There is a female who also visits.
Bullock’s Oriole (female)
Traits and Personality
Likes mandarin oranges
Grabs a peanut chaser after every visit
Attacks the camera if I leave lemons out instead
Identification Markers
- Mostly her behavior, eating orange and then dropping down for peanuts