Around 11:30 this morning, I was sitting out in my backyard, listening to the birdsong. It was one of those days that everybody was calling, in the yard across the south fence, and in the green space to the west, but nobody was in my yard. (I could hear them, but not see them) Then, all activity moved to my yard. Wow!

Let’s back up a bit, First, while I was still sitting at the breakfast table, I turned and spotted a Downy Woodpecker on the big suet feeder. I’m pretty sure it was a juvenile, since he was bigger than either parent. These photos are taken through the sliding glass door.

Then, I went outside to sit in my reclining chair. The yard was pretty calm to start with, and then things got very noisy. I could hear lots of different birds calling, and my Merlin ID showed me Chickadees, Juncos, a Towhee, Red-breasted nuthatches, and a warbler. Soon, they started to appear. This video is 3.5 minutes long, and the Juncos, Nuthatches, and chickadees showed up, along with The Mob.

While watching the empty feeders and listening to the mixed bird-song choir, a little flock of Common Bushtits mobs both suet feeders! In the first part of the video, watch for the juncos on the ground and then on the suet. The air is then filled with bushtits flying in every direction! They mob both sides of the feeder, and flutter around looking for a place to land.

Here are some still shots of the garden visitors.

Chestnut-backed Chickadee.

Juvenile Red-breasted Nuthatch. He stayed still on the fence for minutes. Notice it has almost no tail visible.

Some of the bushtits on the big suet feeder.

Then, I pointed the camera at the seed feeder.

And, finally, a little Nuthatch tries to have it both ways, working both sides of the suet feeder! They are voracious little beasts, who hog the feeder for many minutes at a time. But I love them anyway!