Questions, Identification, Feeding and Anting

Q. I recently noticed a Hairy Woodpecker feeding another at the feeder. I thought they might be courting but it seems late in the year, when I took a closer look they were both females, I thought it might have been an adult feeding a young bird but the one being fed was actually the larger of the two. Any ideas what I’m seeing?

A. It is an adult feeding a young bird, most fledglings appear slightly larger than their parents, mostly because the fledglings have brand new feathers, making them seem larger than the parents who’s feathers are very worn at this time of year. All those trips up and down the tree trunk looking for food along with going in and out of the nest cavity take a toll on the feathers. Luckily a new batch of feathers is right around the corner.

Q. Today there was a Blue Jay laying on the ground with it’s wings spread out and trembling, thinking it was hurt I approached the jay but it took off seemingly uninjured. The spot it was laying was the beginning on and ant hill and it looked like the jay had been scratching the surface. Was he taking a dust bath?

A. What you most likely observed is called “anting”. Several species of birds have been known to lay in an ant hill and let ants crawl over their bodies and feathers, this is referred to a “passive anting”. A bird may also pick up an ant and rub it through on it’s feathers, when it’s done with that ant it may be eaten or discarded for a “fresh” ant, this is referred to as “active anting”. Ants secrete formic acid and it’s thought to help rid the birds of parasites.

I’ve seen both forms of anting a few times and my first thought is there’s something wrong with the bird, but observing from a distance with the aid of binoculars or scope will reveal this odd bird behavior.

Q. I wanted to feed small birds without being bothered by the pigeons and black birds that have become such a problem in our back yard. I switched totally to nyjer tubes but I’m only getting Goldfinch now. It said on the feeder package that chickadee would use it but they’ve all disappeared. What can I do to get the chickadees to return?

A. Most of the nyjer feeders I sell have chickadee listed as one of the species that will visit the feeder. Although I have seen the very odd chickadee with a taste or nyjer it’s not the feeder you’d use to attract them. They favour good old black oil sunflower seed and luckily it’s half the price of nyjer. There are several feeders that fall into the category “clingers only”, they are usually small feeders with no tray or perch, if hung by a string or chain they will swing around if a large bird tries to land. Small birds are good at hanging on to the hole and retrieving the seeds. If you have any of your old sunflower tubes you may be able to convert one by removing the perches all together. Hang it close to your house where you can monitor it for pigeon activity. The most important thing is to not use mixed seed, the small birds will drop the parts they don’t like and the pigeons and black birds will be attracted to the ground, then they start to look up to see where the seeds came from.

Almost daily I hear someone say they don’t want to feed sunflower because they only want small birds, but if you want chickadees regularly you have to offer them their favourite. Small seed doesn’t necessarily equal small birds, one of the smallest seeds is millet and it is a magnet for some of the largest birds (pigeons) that come to feeders.

Pigeons are creatures of habit, so if you’ve been pigeon free for a while it may be a good time to offer a small feeder full of sunflower, if pigeons come to the feeder try something else before they add your yard to their routine.

A few weeks ago I started giving the pigeons a little treat when I arrived at the market, don’t tell the MPP (Moncton Pigeon Police). Now they recognize my van and swarm as soon as I shut it off. It’s strange because I’m only there once a week and it’s one of several white cargo vans, they don’t bother with the others, maybe they can read...

Q. I saw something flying over Main Street, Moncton, my first impression was bats, but it was early afternoon and when they circled close I could hear them (I didn’t think you could hear bats). I heard of a disease in bats where they were being observed flying in the day time, could this be the case?

A. My guess is you saw Chimney Swifts, they seem to be around a lot the last couple of years. They fly fairly high and fast, once you learn the sound you will be hearing it a lot. On a trip to Fundy Park last week we heard them in Hillsborough, Edgett’s Landing, when we slowed to go through Riverside Albert and when we arrived at the Park. I too have heard them downtown Moncton, so hopefully this little bird is making a comeback. I recently found a plan for a fake chimney that attracts the swifts, I hope to install one on the back of my shop over the winter. The Chimney Swift was the subject of my very first bird watching trip, when I drove to Wolfville NS and watched with dozens of people as the swifts returned to their roost at dusk.