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Observant watchers of the winter bird feeder webcam have learnt, and so have owners of their own bird feeders, that the species behave differently and table manners differ too.

 

All tit species behave similarly, a seed is quickly snatched and then – off they are. Outside our camera view, in a peaceful spot for a tit, the seed is held between the toes in order to peck a crack in the black shell of a sunflower seed, to get the kernel out as a whole or pick it out by smaller portions. When the belly is full, seeds are hidden into bark cracks – worse times can come. It is motivated in places where food is brought irregularly to the ”restaurant”. These seeds, hidden in a hurry, are also found by other birds.

 

We remember from previous winters that greenfinches spent time in the birdfeeder as in a café, this year tree sparrows won’t leave them opportunity for it. Greenfinches with their big and strong beak press the shell of a sunflower seed in half with the sharp beak edges; with the strong tongue they turn the seed in the beak until the shells spill down on the ground (some homo sapiens representatives can do it quite as deftly), but they haven’t the best table manners, with shells left lying about in the birdfeeder. Bullfinches eat in the same way and when winter progresses they will be sure to find their way to the feeding places.

Yellowhammers, redpolls, siskins mostly look for food among what has spilled down on the snow from the beaks of others, but it is not a strict rule. Arne promised to photograph the area under the birdfeeder; when there is typical material we will talk about these species too.