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Bird Poop Thread 1: About Bird Poop !

My wife gave me a sweeeet Shorebird coffee mug, my mom gave me an oystercatcher coffee mug and my niece gave me a golden quail tape dispenser. It was a great Christmas for me.
 
Q for birdman.

I've got a bird-feeder that I keep filled with enough bird seed to keep a steady stream of birds coming to get a snack. Just for yucks I'm going to say it's an arrival rate of about 1 every 15 seconds.

I let my bird-feeder stay empty for an extended period (around 10 days). What I found surprising was that no birds came for a couple of hours once I finally replenished the seed. I thought they would quickly restart feeding at the same rate, that they had some means of detecting food availability. Now, I didn't notice when the first bird discovered seed in the feeder, but once I did check on it, the arrival rate had been pretty much restored.

So, my 2 questions, and forgive me for how dumb they may be:
1). Do birds have an ability to detect food from a distance or is it happenstance when they discover it?
2). That the arrival rate went from 0 to normal made me suppose that birds have some means of communicating where food is available. Is that the case? Is this communication cross species?
 
DeacHead said:
Q for birdman.

I've got a bird-feeder that I keep filled with enough bird seed to keep a steady stream of birds coming to get a snack. Just for yucks I'm going to say it's an arrival rate of about 1 every 15 seconds.

I let my bird-feeder stay empty for an extended period (around 10 days). What I found surprising was that no birds came for a couple of hours once I finally replenished the seed. I thought they would quickly restart feeding at the same rate, that they had some means of detecting food availability. Now, I didn't notice when the first bird discovered seed in the feeder, but once I did check on it, the arrival rate had been pretty much restored.

So, my 2 questions, and forgive me for how dumb they may be:
1). Do birds have an ability to detect food from a distance or is it happenstance when they discover it?
2). That the arrival rate went from 0 to normal made me suppose that birds have some means of communicating where food is available. Is that the case? Is this communication cross species?
Click to expand...

1). Do birds have an ability to detect food from a distance or is it happenstance when they discover it?
This would vary among species pretty significantly. Feeder birds at this time of year are probably operating within loose territories that they patrol looking for food. They most likely remember that your yard was, at one, point an easy and plenty source of food and so they check in every few hours or days to see if the bounty has been restored. It you leave it empty at some point again, before you fill it up keep an eye on it and you'll probably see a bird stop by to check it out every once in a while. The initial discovery of your feeder (prior to the lapse) was probably because feeder birds are out there looking for feeders. They have a search image in their brain for what these hanging piles of seeds generally look like and they check out anything that might be a big score.

2). That the arrival rate went from 0 to normal made me suppose that birds have some means of communicating where food is available. Is that the case? Is this communication cross species?
This time of year feeder birds are generally traveling around their foraging circuit in mix species flocks of a dozen or more individuals. They will have Chickadees, titmouse, downy wood peckers, nut hatches, cardinals, and other seed eaters. They join up in mixed species flocks because they get the benefit of "safety in numbers" with out the negatives of surrounding your self with competitors, since each species typically are targeting slightly different foods using slightly different foraging techniques. The birds in one of these flocks are constantly communicating about food, predators and competitors, using common "language" or they have learned to understand each others calls. For example, the warning call that a cat is in the area is really really similar for wrens, titmouse and chickadee. That's probably a convergent evolution thing. So it is entirely possible that the titmouse in the flock decided to jump over and check out the feeder and upon discovering it full quickly call over all it's friends.
 
birdman, when you see big flocks of birds flying seemingly randomly but all changing direction in lockstep how is this happening? Does one change direction and they all react to it, are they all changing due to some trigger they all see? Do they ever bump into each other?
 
bmoneydeac said:
birdman, when you see big flocks of birds flying seemingly randomly but all changing direction in lockstep how is this happening? Does one change direction and they all react to it, are they all changing due to some trigger they all see? Do they ever bump into each other?
Click to expand...

Different species probably have different mechanisms for navigating in flocks. But the most complex flock fliers are starlings and there is some cool research on them. The ones on the edges are watching out for and responding to things like predators and obstructions while the ones on the interior are responding to the movements of their neighbors. At least that model pretty accurately describes their movements. They do bump into each other, but not often.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/how-do-starling-flocks-create-those-mesmerizing-murmurations/
 
My dad snapped this photo of an owl roosting on his propane tank. NW mountains of NC. Maybe trying to stay out of the wind, it's down in a sheltered area by his basement. Great horned owl? What say you birdman?
5e8791cab65f9e12cb1dc39f47e6998c.jpg
 
Deacon923 said:
My dad snapped this photo of an owl roosting on his propane tank. NW mountains of NC. Maybe trying to stay out of the wind, it's down in a sheltered area by his basement. Great horned owl? What say you birdman?
5e8791cab65f9e12cb1dc39f47e6998c.jpg
Click to expand...

Good find! Looks like a dark phase Eastern Screech Owl:

https://www.google.com/search?q=eas...z9_YAhUM8GMKHYX9A6oQ_AUICigB&biw=1920&bih=849

Great horned owls are massive birds, nearly eagle sized:

https://www.google.com/search?q=gre...z9_YAhUR3mMKHedCDT0Q_AUICigB&biw=1920&bih=849
 
Nothing like a pair of Barred Owls making you jump out of your skin walking through the timber pre-dawn.
 
Snowy Owls have been chilling up by my house north of Denver. I am going to try to make it up to the spot this weekend to sneak a peak.
 
Pro tip for finch feeding: if you are using thistle (or Nyjer), know that it has a limited shelf life. Apparently the birds squeeze out the oil and discard the husk. But if your seed is old there’s little to no oil and they will ignore it.

I put out several different kinds of feeders a couple months ago and was perplexed as to why the (10 year old but not moldy) thistle was being ignored. Replaced it today with fresh and they’re all over it.
 
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