Action at my feeder this week

[Habibi]

Wow, yesterday I saw a Common Grackle kill and eat a sparrow! I had no idea they did that, but I guess it happens occasionally.

I've had a mallard pair visiting my yard for the last month. They trough at the feeder and the female likes to stand in one of my birdbaths. They seem very comfortable in the backyard and visit nearly every day, but I'm puzzled as to why they are still together at this point. I thought mallards only formed short pair bonds that ended once the female laid eggs? I wonder if they just failed to breed this season and the drake hasn't quite figured it out yet.

[Theres-a]

1. Ack!

I saw a red tailed hawk DROWN a bluejay in the river once.I was traumatized! I have Grackles and sparrows,I hope I never witness such an event!

Last week there was a big black snake eating a fish in the river.It was sotra cool in a national geographic kinda way.I really wanted to save the fish,though...

[Habibi]

3. Yikes!

I'd be traumatized, too! I saw what looked like a "tiff" between the two birds and thought I'd run out there and break it up, but by the time I got out there, I saw the blood, and decided there was nothing I could do. A few minutes later . . . eww.

[semillama]

2. I find myself really hoping for a Cooper's Hawk

to stake out my feeder and take out some House Sparrows. That would be really cool to watch, and there's no lack of House Sparrows. I live in an urban environment, and my list of yard birds is very paltry, and my list of actual feeder visitors is worse:

Yard:
Northern Cardinal
House Finch
Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Mourning Dove
Starling
Common Grackle
American Robin
Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Feeders:
Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Mourning Dove
Starling

[Habibi]

4. I've had a red-tailed hawk (I think)

land in my yard a couple of times. Man, does the rest of the bird world get all quiet-like when *that* happens! We do have peregrines in the area as well, would love to see them in my back yard (although I'd rather not see the kill).

You've had about the same assortment of birds as I've had, although I've also got brown-headed cowbirds and red-winged blackbirds. And, of course, pigeons, curse their mangy little heads!

[Gato Moteado]

5. i'm surprised your yard birds clam up when a hawk is around....

...usually, the presence of any kind of raptor causes every other bird in the vicinity to start scolding and dive bombing the intruder.

[Habibi]

6. I haven't seen that

only that all the other birds seem to disappear, as if by magic. Of course, I haven't seen a hawk around here during nesting season, either, so that might explain it.

[Arkansas Granny]

7. One time I saw a Grackle pecking at a sparrow carcass in my

yard, but I assumed that it was just scavenging. It would have never occurred to me that the Grackle might have killed the sparrow.

[semillama]

8. Speaking of action at bird feeders

check this out!

http://pasty.com/discus/messages/1853/2298.html#PN