Frequent Frequentors

Posted By Cindy Boucher

PURPLE FINCH!! With coffee flying and a mad dive for my camera, to snap a few shots before he flew off, two things hit me.  One: the pain of hot coffee seeping through jeans and two: my favorite birds had arrived to the Cork.  Now, I know they’re all lovely creatures, and the stains are removable, but there is something about these birds that just make me regress to a childlike state of glee upon their arrival.  Their stunning colors of reds and browns capture my attention like no other.

This particular one was very displeased with the squirrel who threatened his feeder.   Here’s what happened:

Two pictures….same bird.

Dog went out….squirrel left.

Result:  Happy Purple Finch.   (Also, the dog did not hurt the squirrel….just the squirrel prefers to make a quick exit upon the dog’s arrival.  It’s a personal space thing.)

So, now that you’ve become acquainted with one of my favourites, lets see who else decided to stop by for a visit.

The local friendly, the Black-capped Chickadee visits daily along with his buddies.  They’ve such charming personalities and I’m getting closer to having them eat from my hand.  Did you know, that the Black-capped Chickadee is the provincial bird for New Brunswick?  Or, that they can remember hiding something for up to 28 days and here’s the real kicker, they can keep thousands of hiding spots in mind at one time.  Remember that when, like me, you set your glasses somewhere and are unable to recall their location.  Some things are so unfair.

The Common Crow is usually not far away.  Something you may find interesting is that these birds can throw down a nut and wait as a car passes over it to break the shell, then swoop down to retrieve it.  True story.  They have excellent reasoning skills.  David Suzuki, one of my favorite people, made a documentary called, “A Murder of Crows”.  Well worth watching.  Here’s a link for those interested in viewing it:

http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/natureofthings/2009/murderofcrows/

The American Tree Sparrow visits daily, however I find they’re a bit more timid.  Something you may find interesting is that despite their name, they actually build their nests on the ground.  They also prefer to spend their winters in New Brunswick, unlike sparrows who fly south.

Well, that’s all for today.  Catch me next month for more birding escapades from the Cork.  Enjoy your birding adventures!