Apparently a couple of gals studied 100 of them and put them through the paces of caching food and then finding the caches of seeds and things and discovered that people who feed birds are not doing them a disservice. Whew.
There was no difference between the rural and urban little guys... all found their caches about the same ..
There is plenty of info on the fact that the size of a chickadee hippocampus changes with the seasons... (we always joke about it when they stop coming to the feeder as often when it finally warms up) and the fact that they need, or don't need, to find and cache more food at certain times of the year. Hopefully this latest study took all of that into consideration.
They also don't show up in moulting season because they are too embarrassed to be seen with big bald patches...like one I saw a year or so ago. Poor little thing was hiding in the lilac leaves so I wouldn't see him.
I was pretty mean and did take his photo anyway.... I feel kinda bad showing it. Awww... poor wee thing.
The recent article also said more study was necessary to see if urban vs rural birds had differing responses to "novelty".... not sure what that means. It didn't explain.
However, I like to think city birds have a very curious nature... and love to explore new things .. like this little guy having a shower and a bath and a drink in my new little fountain...about 3 minutes after I filled it and turned it on.
I had one come last year to the other fountain...about the same time frame after we turned it on... maybe it is the same little curious guy/gal? Who knows with chickadees? ..
All I know for sure is they sure have all the "c" words going for them. Cute, clever, curious, clean,
....etc...............
First of all....isn't this the cutest little water fountain you have ever seen? $60 at Home Depot. Love it.
So did this little guy.....
First, he sat on the edge and had a sip of the waterfall...then, he jumped right into the centre of the leaf and had a bath...then he got up on the edge... and then..he jumped into the leaf above. I was waaayyyy too slow to get more than these two photos.
I was peering through the slats of a venetian in the kitchen window and didn't want to put it up and scare him off. Silly me... I finally did put it up and totally ignored me. Darn! Why didn't I just do it sooner? I could have had much clearer shots.
Linking to Stewart's blog for Wild Bird Wednesday. Click on his name or the photo below to be immediately transported.........
8 comments:
Love the little fountain and obviously, the birds love it as well. Great photos. Have a good day Diane
Great photos of the wee chick at your fountain (and that's a great fountain too - assume it's electrically operated??). We have pretty much been forced to give up feeding the birds here because the food gets dropped on the ground (thanks be to greedy blackbirds and starlings) and it's attracting a lot of squirrels who are creating a ton of damage to the vehicles in our parking lot. Apparently car manufacturers, in their so-called wisdom, decided that it would be smart to make things like fuel and a/c hoses out of something that's soy-based....which is mighty tasty to squirrels. There have been at least six people whose cars have been targeted, along with massive repair bills, so we made the difficult decision to get rid of the feeder so as not to attract the bad element.
Interesting post...Never gave the subject much thought....But I guess city birds do behave differently than country ones..They would have to, I think...Love your fountain..very sweet..A nice drinking fountain for the birdies..
I often wonder if I'm doing the sparrows a favor in winter by feeding them seeds. When they start to fly by the windows to demand food, it tickles me but, at the same time, worries me.
I do like the fountain and the poor little moulting guy. I never thought about them having human traits.
My Corner of the World
The other consideration is that while birds are moulting their ability to avoid predators can be compromised. less feathers - less efficient flight.
Hi Vee. I love the water fountain, and obviously the birds do too.
Interesting to read about the study.
You've taken lovely photos too.
Have a great week :D)
I learned with our turtle that survival is instinctual, and even if we feed them, the animals will know to keep looking for food on their own regardless.
That's interesting. I feel that the urban birds/wildlife need all the help they can get due to humans taking over more and more of their habitats. I've seen so much destruction of bushland in our region this past year alone. Breaks my heart.
Such cute pics of the bird at the fountain! I love to see birds at our birdbath in the back garden.
Thanks for dropping by my blog today, Vee...I did reply but I was so happy to see a comment from you. I lost touch with a lot of bloggers after my Dad passed in 2015. It doesn't pay to stay away for too long.
I hope you have a lovely week!
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