[NatureNS] Birds tapping windows for food

From: "Andy Dean" <aadean@ns.sympatico.ca>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
References: <BAY102-F33442704E9F13DA1102620B51D0@phx.gbl>
Date: Thu, 5 Oct 2006 11:36:12 -0300
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I forwarded this item to Margie Millard in Whites Point and this was her 
response.
Andy Dean

I can't see why this would be a surprise. I know my hummingbirds will
contact me by way of the windows. They do it regularly. They are curious
when I am down in the workshop painting and sometimes will sit and watch me
for quite a period of time. What surprises me is that we think they can't
have brains that would work well enough to understand how to communicate
with us....I know it is a reach back for them, evolutionally (is that a
word?) but I think it is great they try......Wonder if they have 'thoughts'
that would rank us a  challenged species.

> Marg in N.S. Zone 6b
> http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/mmillard/index.html

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "James Hirtle" <jrhbirder@hotmail.com>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2006 3:31 PM
Subject: [NatureNS] Birds tapping windows for food


> This is an interesting article if anyone is interested in pursuing the 
> topic further.
>
> To quote Jim Ferguson from the Renfrew Mercury, Sept. 26th.
> jamesh@nrtco.net
>
> "Who is that tapping?
> Once birds have come to recognize you as a provider of food, you can 
> expect therm to hassle you a bit when the suply becomes low. One tactic is 
> to tap on windowpanes. A bird will tap over and over again on the glass 
> with its bill, to add emphasis to their plight they will sometimes flutter 
> their wings to get your attention.  Window tapping is not like the window 
> striking birds do in the spring when they see their image in the glass and 
> attempt to drive the intruder from their territory. The tapping stops when 
> you feed the birds but the striking does not until the glass is covered in 
> some way or the eggs in the nest hatch and the need to get rid of the 
> intruder disappears.
>
> Chickadees and blue jays in particular (nuthatches, sparrows and finches 
> will also use this method to get attention) are very good at reminding us 
> that it is time to be fed or the supply has run oiut. They have been known 
> to follow their care givers around the house tapping only on the 
> windowpanes where their providers are working inside.
>
> Some species, cardinals for example, will bring empty sunflower seeds to a 
> windowsill and drop them, sometimes they will bring several, drop them and 
> then look in the window. Jays will bring empty peanut shells to a 
> windlowsill and pick them up and drop them many times until we respond by 
> putting out more peanuts."
>
> Interesting explanation, isn't it?
> Jim is a retired teacher and writes an interesting column in the Mercury 
> every week...worth the price of the paper.
>
> Elizabeth
>
> 

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