Speaking of Nature: The return of feeder politics: It’s autumn, and the baby birds aren’t babies anymore

None of us present that day were emotionally prepared to witness a fully-deployed “nut butt!”

None of us present that day were emotionally prepared to witness a fully-deployed “nut butt!” PHOTO BY BILL DANIELSON

By BILL DANIELSON

For the Gazette

Published: 09-24-2024 3:43 PM

On Sept. 22 we observed the official change in the seasons from summer to autumn. This was the Autumnal Equinox, the day when we technically saw 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. With each passing day we will now see less and less of the sun and the change is happening quickly. We lose three minutes of daytime every day and those of us who go to work early in the morning are going to see a lot more stars than we did just a month ago.

The change in light levels has been happening since late June, but at first it was difficult to tell. Now, even the trees can sense what is happening and they are shifting from full summer mode to the preparations for winter. The amount of light and its intensity are now at low enough levels that the deciduous trees are swapping out green chlorophyll for the reds, oranges and yellows of the carotenoids. This is an effort to capture the last energy of the season before they eventually call it quits and drop their leaves altogether.

Another noticeable change can be seen in the behavior of the birds. Hordes of the insectivorous species that swarmed northward to take advantage of a bloom of insect life that came with the arrival of springtime are now bailing out and headed back to the warmer areas near the tropics. Those bird species that will stay for the winter are also shifting gears from reproductive mode to survival mode and the little feeder birds are starting to show changes in their personalities.

In the summertime, a certain amount of slack is granted toward young birds who are just starting their lives. Now, the gloves are starting to come off. The feeding platform down by my Thinking Chair has been very busy of late and the details of avian politics are starting to show themselves. The baby birds aren’t babies anymore and some of them are starting to assert themselves. Older birds don’t necessarily appreciate this and conflict is now brewing.

I find it next to impossible to visually distinguish one black-capped chickadee from the next and when there are eight or nine of them present in the same place at the same time I am at a total loss. Behaviorally, however, the differences are much easier for me to tell. There are chickadees that will come right up to me and grab a snack with tremendous confidence, while there are others that are far more cautious. Some will land on my head and sort through the morning’s offerings, searching for the ideal morsel to spirit away. Others are totally unwilling to execute this maneuver and look for treats in more distant locations.

All the while, the birds appear to be sizing one another up and establishing a pecking order. There is a great deal of posturing now and much more fighting and squabbling than I remember seeing a month ago. Survival is on the line and no one is taking this lightly. I see the same thing happening with the tufted titmice, but their numbers are not as high as those of the chickadees, so the level of conflict is somewhat lower.

The most dramatic display of aggressive displeasure that I witnessed last week came in the form of a highly irritated white-breasted nuthatch. This particular individual seemed to lose its patience when the amount of birdseed that had been placed on the feeding platform started to dwindle. Chickadees, titmice, song sparrows, downy woodpeckers and even a couple chipmunks had all voraciously attacked the pile of birdseed and the nuthatch seemed to reach the end of its rope.

The bird flew to a stick that was right above the feeding platform and then went into full Hulk mode. Wings were dropped to its side, the feathers on its back were raised like the hair on an angry cat’s back, and then — and this was huge — the bird flared out its tail. A male wild turkey might do this to appeal to a group of females, but a nuthatch will reserve this as the ultimate in anger and aggression. The bird started swaying from side to side, which cannot be seen in a still photo, but what you can see is the fully-deployed feathers known as ”undertail coverts.”

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A white-breasted nuthatch has black feathers on the cap of its head, white feathers on throat and belly and gorgeous blue feathers on its wings and back. The undertail coverts, on the other hand, are a gorgeous burgundy. I’ve never understood why this color was favored by the species, but it is quite clear that my understanding is completely irrelevant to the birds. When the situation gets “real,” then you must prepare yourself to be subjected to fully-deployed “nut butt!”

After taking today’s photo I had to put down my camera and regain a semblance of my emotional composure. All of us who witnessed this display — birds, chipmunks and photographers alike — had to take a moment. It was powerful stuff and we all needed to pause and take stock of our lives, the choices that we have made and simply process the magnitude of the moment. Then an adolescent blue jay showed up and everyone ran for their lives.

Bill Danielson has been a professional writer and nature photographer for 27 years. He has worked for the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, the Nature Conservancy and the Massachusetts State Parks and he currently teaches high school biology and physics. For more in formation visit his website at www.speakingofnature.com, or go to Speaking of Nature on Facebook.