(Jodhan Fine)
Refilling bird feeders could get tedious, but it never actually does.
Each time I replenish the birds’ seed [at our new Pasadena Audubon Bird Feeder Garden], I always make sure to stay awhile and watch the birds return to freshly restocked food. The House Finches and Lesser Goldfinches usually visit first. Both members of the Fringillidae family, these two species have stubby conical bills perfectly engineered for cracking seeds.
House Finches with their vibrant reds and Lesser Goldfinches, with contrasting black and yellow colors, immediately brighten the feeders. After some time passes, the ground dwelling birds come in and feed on spilled seed. Mourning Doves, Dark-eyed Juncos, and California Towhees come in together and clean up the floor, so to speak
Each of these birds lack vibrant color, but offer subtle beauty themselves. Mourning Doves can show a gorgeous iridescent rainbow on their neck, Juncos beautifully blend black, gray, and orange, and show a characteristic flash of white on their tail feathers when they fly. California Towhees, while mostly brown, have a gorgeous patch of orange under their tail.
Sometimes the birds with more obscure beauty are, in their way, cooler than the flashy ones. Usually the last bird to pop in at the feeders is the Oak Titmouse. They’re gray and lack any other color, but make up for their drab plumage with a tall crest and a lot of personality. Usually their visit is brief. They’ll grab a seed and dart away while the finches and ground birds gorge themselves. With so much to see, I never get tired of refilling the feeders, and often stop to observe even when I am not refilling!
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