The Feeder Feed

Posted on 6 June 2009 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

A rarely seen guest came today – rare these days, at least – Mrs. Oriole.

This scruffy bird is a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak.  I hadn’t seen this one until today.

Perhaps immature?  Perhaps just scruffy?  Either way, he is the fifth male I have seen at the feeder.

Despite the color, this is not Mr. Bluebird.

You can see why so many baseball teams are named for this bird, and those like them.

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Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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5 Responses to The Feeder Feed

  1. Chironomo says:
    6 June 2009 at 2:22 PM

    The domineering Bluejay, while beautiful, is a nuisance at a feeder…scares everyone else away. We have a variety known as the “Scrub Jay” here in SW Florida… they are protected by law. However, the law does more harm than good since it is illegal to develop property if there are Scrub Jay nests on it. As a result, if you find a Scrub Jay nest on your land, the usual solution is to immediately destroy it before anybody finds out. Somebody at the State House just wasn’t thinking when they wrote that bill…

  2. Eric says:
    6 June 2009 at 4:45 PM

    You can see why so many baseball teams are named for this bird, and those like them.

    Of course, the wad of tobacco in it’s jaw.

  3. mbd says:
    6 June 2009 at 6:22 PM

    Actually, Chironomo, the scrub jay is protected under both the Federal Endangered Species Act and the State Administrative Code provisions adopted by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commision and the Department of Community Affairs. The Legislature played no role, and there was no bill addressing the subject. My recollection is that the designation as a threatened specie was first made under the Federal Act. It was the result of a PhD thesis study by a U. of F. graduate student some years back – but that is another story. The scrub jay has quite a different personality from that of the blue jay – it is quite friendly and will eat out of one’s hand. But you are correct as to the consequences should a family (it is a bird with a strong familial bond) decide to take up residence on your property.

  4. irishgirl says:
    7 June 2009 at 2:47 PM

    Yeah, that’s the pesky bluejay….it always scares the other birdies away.

    You got him real closeup there, Fr. Z!

    That lady oriole looks small!

  5. ProVaticanus says:
    7 June 2009 at 4:55 PM

    How nice to see the colorful birds… Where is the Cardinal Red? Any Golden Eagles spotted?

    I expect to see more…

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