Tuesday, January 6, 2015

one feisty little bird



This little yellow warbler showed up day before yesterday, flitting all around the shrub, flying at the tea cup and veering off, hovering in front of the window all morning until it finally got up the courage to land on the tea cup.


Once there though, it could not be budged.


The other visitors have their patterns. The cardinals dine in until they are done; the titmice do kamikazi runs, grabbing a seed and flying off; the chickadees grab a seed and then flit to the shrub to eat.


This little warbler, smaller even than the chickadees, stays and stands it's ground. The chickadees and the titmice cannot budge it much to their dismay.


Usually, all it takes for a smaller bird to give way to a larger bird is for the larger bird to fly to the cup. Not so this little warbler. It defends the cup, fending off the larger chickadees and titmice.


The warblers winter over down here. I see them every year in the front around the regular bird feeder but this is the first year one has discovered the tea cup.






12 comments:

  1. Very interesting behavior as you are correct in that they all usually fly off when another bird or larger bird flies in.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You've got me wondering where I could hang a teacup feeder. I think I know.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Adorable! And feisty - I love it :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. That reminds me of a pitcher and bowl that I have.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Warblers migrate through OR, and I never know what kind they are, but they are a delightful little bird. So sweet.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Looks like you have a permanent resident there!

    ReplyDelete
  7. The little warbler really liked hanging around, didn't he. I had one of these little fellows at my feeder on new years day.

    ReplyDelete
  8. That's truly a face that says 'I will not be moved'!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Cute, but maybe a little too greedy!

    ReplyDelete
  10. The teacup is such an elegant way for them to feast.

    ReplyDelete

I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.