Birds at Work, Dec. 2, 2008

As well as my backyard bird feeders, I maintain a small feeding station at my office. The exam room devoted to cats has a window (A rare treasure in veterinary clinics!) that looks out onto a small water feature. This is where I hung a tube feeder with a mix of safflower and black oil sunflower seeds last year. We attracted the usual feeder birds - house finches, chickadees, titmice and the occasional mourning dove or cardinal.

This year, I upgraded the menu. Now, in addition to the original tube feeder, we have a peanut feeder, a tube feeder for thistle (Nyger), and a ground tray. Our bird list is increasing, and so is the interest of staff and the clients who are waiting to see the vet. Here is our feeder list for yesterday:

Mourning Dove (2)
YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER (1M)
Carolina Chickadee (2)
Tufted Titmouse (2)
CAROLINA WREN (1)
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW (4)
Dark-eyed Junco (8)
Northern Cardinal (2)
House Finch (6)
American Goldfinch (2)

"The ladies who lunch"
female House Finches and
Northern Cardinal

The sapsucker wasn't on the feeders. He is drilling some sap wells in a Bradford Pear tree within the view of our window on the natural world. Other guests this season have included Blue Jays, Song Sparrows, and two White-breasted Nuthatches. Fly-overs in our neighborhood: Turkey Vultures, Canada Geese, Red-shouldered Hawk. Highlight was the time a couple of years ago when I watched a Cooper's Hawk shredding a Mourning Dove while trying to educate my clients about their cat's condition. Very distracting!

The species written in CAPS are ones I find particularly exciting for our location. We are in a very busy area, just a mile or two from a mall at the intersection of a four-lane state highway and an interstate. Of course, less than 5 miles in the other direction is the Cincinnati Nature Center, which helps, I'm sure. Still, a pretty good list for this "backyard."

Just goes to show: If you serve it, they will come.