By Staff
I run our cluster of bird feeders year round including suet. The other feeders accommodate several birds at the same time but there's really only room for one on the suet basket so the suet war is constant. Of course, as the saying goes, size does matter. A little downy woodpecker always gives way to a robust hairy or red-bellied woodpecker without contention. It's when the combatants are roughly the same size that things get interesting.
The bantam weight division includes downy woodpeckers, nuthatches, titmice and the occasional English sparrow. The feisty downies unequivocally rule this division so the battles are downy vs. downy. There is no clear prediction of the winner here, such as males over females or vice versa. It appears to be just like people, some are aggressive and domineering while others avoid confrontation.
When similar personalities collide there is often a showy bluff with one fluffing up and spreading his wings out in an attempt to intimidate the other. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Occasionally it escalates into a real knock down, drag out brawl with the combatants fluttering to the ground in a flurry of flapping wings.
The middleweight division is limited to cowbirds, the occasional rose breasted grosbeak fed up with the mundane sunflower seed diet and Baltimore orioles coming down from their sugar water high. The cheeky cowbirds go uncontested though an occasional bully or bullette rosie pushes their weight around amongst their own kind.
It's the heavyweights that provide the real entertainment. In the past this division pretty much consisted of hairy and red-bellied woodpeckers, blue jays, red-wing blackbirds, and now and then a band of passerby starlings. Within their own hierarchy red-bellied woodpeckers seem to know their place. They just uncomplainingly relinquish to those of higher rank. The most common engagement is between red-bellies and hairies. These are always mind games that never seem to get to violence.
With each clinging motionlessly to their end of the suet basket they stare intently into each others eyes in a contest of will. Invariably the hairy breaks down first. The blue jay's tactic is to bomb in onto the occupied suet like an out of control helicopter. This bluster works on many lesser birds but the red-bellies know the jay is all show with no go.
Usually a disgusted stare is enough to send the jay packing but if need be a sharp jab gets the point across. Red wings also bomb in like blue jays but they aren't bluffing.
The toughest red-bellies may consider taking them on but it's only a fleeting thought. Starlings cheat by running in insurmountable gangs but we only rarely see them. Recently two new combatants drastically changed the suet wars.
A month ago we were ecstatic when two red-headed woodpeckers joined in. They are the most gorgeous of woodpeckers and this is the first time we've ever had them on the feeders. Though they are polite and wait their turn on the suet, when it is their turn it is theirs and woe be anyone that tries to butt in.
It appeared the red-heads had taken over the battle field but then entered the final combatants, purple grackles. They have the size and demeanor to push their weight around and don't hesitate to do so. I've only seen one bird take on a grackle, a male red-belly having a bad hair day. It was a brief skirmish with the grackle quickly administering an attitude adjustment. Much to our dismay the grackles brought an end to the entertaining suet wars. With the arrival of the sizeable red-heads the suet blocks began disappearing at an alarming rate. A block that used to last nearly a week was gone in a couple days but even at a buck a cake having the red-heads was worth it. The grackles, however, pushed it over the top.
One grackle can eat a lot; six eat an absurd amount. Now a suet block rarely lasts four hours. I have plenty of expensive vices but four bucks a day feeding grackles ain't going to be one of them.
Sorry red-heads, come back this winter. Carpe diem.
He can be reached at larrylyons@verizon.net