Tag: Upstate New York bird watching

Surprise: Pigs do fly! They’re just disguised as Mourning Doves

A group of four doves gathered around a bird feeder filled with various seeds, showcasing their soft feathers and vibrant markings.

Dear backyard feeder watchers,

Living in Central New York has its bird-watcher perks. It also has its shortcomings. This is especially true when it comes to our year-round natives, the Mourning Doves. It’s like having uninvited guests that hog all the snacks. Year after year, these feathered friends make themselves right at home. It’s like a Friday night at Homer Hops. I dread the clean-up. Chewed up sunflower seeds everywhere!

A woman and two children running in fear as birds swarm above them, with a church visible in the background.

I’m convinced they’re just here to audition for a role in the sequel to “The Birds.” Who knew bird watching could become a horror flick with no off button?

Many people adore Mourning Doves, often claiming they’re their favorite bird. In that case, set up a bird feeder on your patio for a few days. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to enjoy one or two of them visiting your bird feeder. They might also raid your black oil sunflower seeds like stoners at the nearest Taco Bell.

While I appreciate their gentle cooing, it fills the air like a never-ending love ballad. It’s sweet, but let’s not get carried away. It’s as if they’ve implemented a “cue” system for cooing at my patio—get it? Coo and cue! But in the infamous words of Shania Twain, “That Don’t Impress Me Much.”

Doves are quite relaxed about their food. They happily eat seeds from various plants, including grains, weeds, and herbs. If it’s small and edible, they consider it fair game! You can imagine them at Wegmans Market Cafe, casually nibbling away. They are already planning to stop at the nut shop on their way out.

Below is a list of seeds that Mourning Doves don’t like. (Short list, unfortunately)

  • Safflower: Doves can eat it, but find the slightly bitter taste and hard shell unappealing compared to other seeds, making it great for deterring them while attracting cardinals and finches.
  • Nyjer (Thistle): Tiny nyjer seeds are too small for doves to manage at feeders easily.
  • Sunflower hearts/Chips: While they might eat spilled ones, shelled sunflower hearts are less messy and less favored by doves. 

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mind doves swooping in to clean up discarded seed on the patio floor. I welcome these doves with open wings when they don’t crowd out smaller birds. It’s not fair to my songbirds or my pocketbook! I mean, if these doves keep hogging the feeder, I might as well start charging them rent.

A pink-breasted bird with outstretched wings approaches a yellow and brown bird perched on a bird feeder filled with seeds.



If you’ve discovered any birdseed that Mourning Doves reject, please share it in the comments. I’m on a quest to find something, anything they don’t like. I’d appreciate your feedback. Thank you!

Until next time…

Sources:

Dreamy: How to get rid of doves

Quora: How do you get rid of doves

Vonnie

Vonnie

Dear backyard feeder watchers, Living in Central New York has its bird-watcher perks. It also has its shortcomings. This is especially true when it comes to our year-round natives, the Mourning Doves. It’s like having uninvited guests that hog all the snacks. Year after year, these feathered friends make themselves right at home. It’s like…

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Meet Your Local Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers

Hairy Woodpecker perched on a tree trunk, showcasing its distinctive black and white plumage with a red spot on the head.
Downy Woodpecker
Photographer © Evan Lipton/Macaulay Library
A Hairy Woodpecker and a Downy Woodpecker perched on a feeder, illustrating the differences between the two species.

Dear Curious Woodpecker Followers, 

Here in Central New York, our feeders are the hot spots for Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers. Think of them as distant cousins showing up to a family reunion in matching flannel shirts, but with very different vibes. These two may look like twins at a glance, but one’s the petite party animal, and the other’s the burly introvert. Let’s break it down.

Downy Woodpecker: The Tiny Dancer

Meet the Downy Woodpecker, North America’s smallest woodpecker at a dainty 6.5 inches, like a house sparrow on steroids. This little dynamo zips onto your feeder like it’s headlining a concert at the Empower Amphitheater at Lakeview. Dressed in a sharp black-and-white suit with a confetti-spotted tail (think Wedding Crashers at The Springside Inn), the Downy’s all about the buffet: suet, black oil sunflower seeds, millet, peanuts, and even a sip of oriole or hummingbird feeders. This bird’s basically the friend who shows up to Seed Stock, invites the whole flock, and dances like it’s auditioning for “Birds Got Talent.”

Hairy Woodpecker: Like a Rock

A Downy Woodpecker perched on a branch, showcasing its distinctive black-and-white plumage and small size.

Now, meet the Hairy Woodpecker, the gym bro of the woodpecker world. At a solid 9 inches, think robin-sized, but with a protein shake obsession at Blazing Nutrition. This bird could bench-press a pinecone. Its pristine white tail feathers are as dapper as tuxedos at Men’s Wearhouse. Its bill is like a railroad spike, like one you could find anywhere in Central New York. Unlike the social birderfly Downy, the Harry’s a bit of a hermit, preferring to hunt insects in old trees over mingling at your feeder, even though they will come to those with rural settings. It’s like that cousin who prefers to hunt on Thanksgiving day rather than endure Aunt Judy’s small talk.

How to Tell Them Apart

Size is your biggest clue. The Downy’s a lightweight, like the friend who orders extra toppings at Angelo’s Pizza but leaves half the slice uneaten. The Hairy? It’s been hitting the weights at Edge. 

•  Bill Size: Downy’s got a dainty, third-of-its-head bill; Hairy’s is a pointed, head-length beast.

•  Tail Feathers: Downy’s tail is speckled like Mini-Mouse’s polka-dotted closet; Hairy’s is crisp white, ready for a celebrity wedding.

•  Vibes: Downy’s doing the jitterbug at Muranda Cheese Company; Hairy’s sipping herbal tea from Finger Lakes Tea Company, contemplating the birdiverse.

But, Are They Related?

They may look like siblings who shop at the same Country Max, but Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers are more like distant cousins with similar fashion sense. Hairy has ties to the White-headed and Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, while Downy’s drama involves Ladder-backed and Nuttall’s Woodpeckers. Their similar looks? Just evolution’s version of matching pajama pants, snicker-worthy yet fabulous.

Do They Hang Out Together?

A Downy Woodpecker and a Hairy Woodpecker perched on a tree trunk, highlighting their distinct black-and-white plumage.
Borrowed from WildBirdScoop

You’d think these two would be besties in the forests at Baltimore Woods. Nope, they’re more like squabbling siblings at the feeder. The bigger, badder Hairy often bullies the Downy, chasing it off like a bouncer at Ugly Disco. Talk about bird drama? If I catch any bullying at my feeder, I’m waving Hairy back to Lime Hollow with a stern “Not on my suet, Mister”!

Quick Recap

Downy Woodpecker

  • Length: ~6.5 inches, sparrow-sized with big dreams.
  • Bill: Short and sweet, like a cocktail straw.
  • Vibe: Life of the party, rocking the suet.

Hairy Woodpecker

  • Length: ~9 inches, robin-sized with a gym membership.
  • Bill: Long and in charge, ready to knock on an old tree.
  • Vibe: Lone wolf, probably singing “He’s So Shy” in the forest.
  • Who’s the Star of Your Feeder?

In Central New York and the Finger Lakes, Downy Woodpeckers are the social like a retired women’s happy hour at Foxy’s. Hairy Woodpeckers? They’re more likely hanging at Macaulay Library at Sapsucker Woods. 

After studying these two guys, I stopped using my brain’s measuring tape . Downys are the most likely heroes at my patio party. You birders with open air backyards, you could see both.

Four woodpeckers perched on a branch, displaying distinctive black and white markings with orange accents.

So, who’s stealing the show at your feeder? Can you tell between the Downy or the bulked-up Hairy? Drop a comment and let me know. I’m dying to hear about your backyard bird drama!

Sources:

How to Tell a Hairy Woodpecker from a Downy Woodpecker?

Woodpeckers in New York

Cornell’s All About Birds