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Thursday, February 27, 2014

Not a pretty picture

Don't be taken in.


Things are not as they seem.


Our small, and exceedingly cold world
Has been swarmed by cruel invaders.


The cowbirds and starlings
Have located Camp 61!


A chickadee at the cupboard,


The cupboard is bare,
Emptied in one day by a starling.
Most on the ground.
Perhaps he's in league with the squirrel.

World affairs in the front yard!
Ukraine?

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26 comments:

  1. The Odd EssayFebruary 27, 2014 at 6:44 PM

    When I lived in Ohio, I could tolerate the bluejays wreaking havoc with my feeder... I rationalized... they're hungry critters... why should I discriminate? I could even close my eyes to house sparrows (we didn't have many of them, so it was fairly easy)... but... starlings and cowbirds! (really bad language here).... while I don't think I could bring myself to shoot them (like a woman in town did), I'd probably spend all day out there screaming obscenities at them. It would be one thing if they ate what they needed, but they are so damned wasteful!

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  2. JoyfulFebruary 27, 2014 at 6:47 PM

    Wow! That was fast.

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  3. Janie JunebugFebruary 27, 2014 at 6:53 PM

    I did not know those birds are wasteful gluttons.

    Love,
    Janie

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  4. rochefleuriegardenFebruary 27, 2014 at 6:56 PM

    That reminds me of the grapes I grew when I lived in town. There would be a great number of beautiful bunches of grapes hanging on the vine and then it would rain starlings which would eat every grapes within an hour.

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  5. LindaFebruary 27, 2014 at 6:57 PM

    I have to say that I love your photos, Joanne. I wasn't aware of the gluttony of these birds.

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  6. AnonymousFebruary 27, 2014 at 6:59 PM

    This is exactly why we stopped feeding the birds...the blackbirds and starlings and squirrels cleaned us out daily. Our lawn is a mess of stuff growing up through the grass.

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  7. Starting Over, Accepting Changes - MaybeFebruary 27, 2014 at 7:23 PM

    My hubby gets upset when the doves eat the finch's food. He thinks they should know better

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  8. AnonymousFebruary 27, 2014 at 7:25 PM

    Well, at least the birds entertained you. Lol.

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  9. Kathy GFebruary 27, 2014 at 7:25 PM

    I moved to a finch feeder for precisely this reason. The finches snub it, though, so no birds to watch for me.

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  10. AnonymousFebruary 27, 2014 at 7:48 PM

    That's a pretty house. Poor chickadee.

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  11. Jane and ChrisFebruary 27, 2014 at 8:32 PM

    A hungry belly is a hungry belly...especially at this time of year.
    Jane x

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  12. Elephant's ChildFebruary 27, 2014 at 9:12 PM

    Pigeons here. As the food goes out a zillion of them materialise. And stand on each other to attempt to get in first. One of the cockatoos drags them off the feeder by the tails. Drag and drop. Someday I will capture it on video.

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  13. bettyFebruary 28, 2014 at 12:27 AM

    Never a dull moment at the bird feeders!

    betty

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  14. lindaFebruary 28, 2014 at 12:59 AM

    Suck it up!! It is cold and ALL birds are hungry...I know you agree so open your purse and refill the feeders. Soup Kitchen don't discriminate......

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  15. RiverFebruary 28, 2014 at 1:53 AM

    Now that they have found you, they'll be back every year. You'll be spending a fortune on bird seed.

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  16. Linda StarrFebruary 28, 2014 at 2:06 AM

    they get hungry too but they do seem glutinous

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  17. Jenny WoolfFebruary 28, 2014 at 2:25 AM

    ONE DAY? I am (seriously) surprised it could even fly! English starlings go in flocks, I don't know about the ones where you are, but they wouldn't get very good pickings if they did, if that is how much they eat!!

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  18. BadPennyFebruary 28, 2014 at 3:23 AM

    umm... I think they came to you via my garden !

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  19. The BroadFebruary 28, 2014 at 3:29 AM

    Gosh! You are still in the depth of winter over there. My parents' greatest problems came from blue jays and squirrels. We found the antics of the squirrels to be fascinating -- no matter what contraption my father spent money on as 'squirrel proof' -- the only real guarantee was that they would always 'figure out a way'! We would see a slew of them on the ground looking at the thing coming up with a new plan of attack and no matter how many times they failed would be back again with another plan...

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  20. Tom StephensonFebruary 28, 2014 at 3:34 AM

    You've been saving lives!

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  21. MartyFebruary 28, 2014 at 8:09 AM

    Funny - similar story here, except our raiders are squirrels who have outwitted the distance, wires, and baffles we've set up between them and the feeders.

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  22. Nessa LockeFebruary 28, 2014 at 8:38 AM

    The Hunger Games! Nice!

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  23. ellen abbottFebruary 28, 2014 at 12:06 PM

    Ours get emptied on a daily basis. We don't even bother to fill it when the grackles come through.

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  24. Amy SaiaFebruary 28, 2014 at 12:20 PM

    And don't forget the bluejays! Those 'blue meanies' scare everyone off with their sharp cry and swooping tactics.

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  25. jenny_oFebruary 28, 2014 at 8:05 PM

    And this is why we only fed the birds one winter. I always felt I couldn't do enough. Then I read that if the birds are not fed, the ones that can migrate will do so. That's most of the birds around these parts. If there's a food source they will stick around - which means if we start to feed them we need to keep on, or they will starve. Good luck with your unexpected guests :)

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  26. KayMarch 1, 2014 at 12:26 AM

    Sigh... I remember those days of blackbirds and squirrels.

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