unusual fledgling behavior

18 years ago

i have one fledgling, a female, who is here all the time. she is helping feed nestlings. usually, the male will drive the previous brood away when the next brood hatches and perhaps that is where the rest of my first fledglings are...

this little female has become very protective of "her" yard. not only does she sit on top of the mealworm feeder as if she fancies herself some sort of sentry but she will also sit atop the feeder pole that the buntings, cardinals, grosbeaks, orioles, finches, woodpeckers, come to. it wouldn't be so strange if she just SAT there but she chases other birds away. i have seen her do it numerous times, she seems almost fanatical about it.

this evening, she took a male cardinal to the ground. now, i am NOT seeing things and janie_may, i am NOT crazy.

has anybody ever seen this sort of behavior? she's getting awfully big for her little blue britches!

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Comments (7)

janie_may
18 years ago
Nina...... you ARE crazy! :P

And I am crazy, too (and in good company!) but I've never seen that behavior. This is one for Malinda!
lisa11310
18 years ago
WOW Nina, if I didn't know how crazy you were already, I would say you are crazy! LOL Hurray for your little girl! She will grow up to be one GREAT Mom! I am so glad to see you back here....HEY you or Janie got any of those old pics of all the stuff done to keep nest boxes cool in hot weather? It would be great to post them again. The smiley umbrela, the foam all over the box, the foil....and in contrast the little kids pink coat in early spring ?
There are some real great newbies that would love to see those! I cant seem to find them.
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Diane, I have seen similar behavior two years in a row. The first time was 2 years ago. My original female had successfully fledged two broods and had four chicks six days old when a new female appeared, stalked her and actually fought with her until the original female left. The new female then followed Papa around, wing-waving and going wherever he went. He rebuffed her and even attacked her for three days. She tried repeatedly to get into the nestbox but Papa wouldn't permit it. Then, he accepted her and she proceeded to kill the chicks. Several were pecked to death and I found one alive in the grass, about 25 feet from the nestbox. I put it back but they refused to feed it and the next day the nest was empty. The new female then built a nest and successfully fledged four chicks. This new female stayed with Papa over the winter and the last year they successfully raised two more broods. Then, when she had five eggs in her third nest, a new female showed up and chased her off. Papa reacted much as he had before. I watched and waited for several days to see if the first one would return. When Papa finally accepted her she began building a new nest on top of the five eggs. The prior brood was still hanging around and they would beg from the new female the same as they would from Papa. When they did she would ignore them. If they persisted, she would fly up in their face and as soon as they were weaned, they were chased away. Dave
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griffin_MD
18 years ago
Nina, personally I do NOT think you are crazy, and know that Janie IS, but I have never witnessed this behavior in a fledgling either. Sounds to me like she is extremely fond of those mealies and doesn't plan to share! Hope all is well--by the way, I put grape jelly in my new oriole feeder and, though I haven't actually seen them come TO the feeder, I have spotted a couple in the trees at the edge of our property. Hopefully I can get them to the deck where I can actually get a good look!
Kathy
P.S. The 2009 NABS convention is being held in Gettysburg, PA (don't recall the exact date) which is only about an hour or so from here. Keep that in mind, okay?
bbcathy
18 years ago
Kathy I would like to know the date if you can dig it up. Wait How lazy am I??? I suppose I could just look it up. LOL
Thanks,
Cathy
malinda
18 years ago
Yep, nina, you are crazy! Janie is, too! LOL! I really don't know what to tell you about your brave little girl. Yesterday my five fledglings were sitting in a bowl of mealworms and a HOSP flew up. (ARRRGH!) A couple of the kids screamed and jumped on his back and he high-tailed it outta here pretty quick. Personally, I like to see a sassy blue kid, and I guess some are a little more aggressive than others. Hopefully it is a good sign that she intends to not be driven off, and isn't going to take any flack. Maybe she will nest in one of your boxes next year. Let's hope! Malinda
mullipuff
18 years ago
Kathy - I went to G-burg College and grew up in Waynesboro PA. Where are you? I'm currently in Milford, DE - which looks pretty close to Griffin, MD, if that's what your screen name means. I think we may be following each other around... : )
griffin_MD
18 years ago
Milli, I now live in Knoxville, MD, which is very close to Harper's Ferry, WVA, but lived in Frederick, MD for 20+ years. We moved to "the country" in 2006 because I wanted some elbow room. I have a dear friend who lives in Waynesboro and was just up in Fairfield this past Friday evening at the Willow Pond Farm. Have you ever been to their lavendar festival? I attended a "Weed and Feed" there--you weed the beds for 90 minutes and then they feed you! It was great fun and we had a bluebird pair and an orchard oriole supervising us!
I'm not very familiar with Delaware except to pass through on our way to the shore in Jersey.
Kathy

unusual fledgling behavior

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janie_may

lisa11310

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