Cardinal question

[Howieh]

After the excitement of seeing a hawk carry off one of my squirrels things have become pretty quiet in the backyard; the white throated sparrows have been replaced by juncos and the chickadees and house sparrows have taken over the feeder. I still have a pair of cardinals and what appears to be a young female cardinal that, now instead of feeding, the male cardinal chases all over the place until she(?) leaves! Is this some kind of territorial behavior by the male? I've seen him chasing other birds from the feeder but this is the first time I've seen him chasing another female.

[Leslie Kinrys]

Hi Howie,

Now that winter is coming, each bird is trying to survive. Some flock together, because many eyes can watch for predators or can find more food items. Other birds that share territories, like your cardinals, want to keep as much as the food for themselves and will chase off competitors. Hope this anwers your question.

[Howieh]

I know but it's strange to see the male chasing away a bird that he was probably feeding not too long ago!

[Raven11:11]

just wanted to add that our pair have been evasive as a hawk has returned after several months of us having taken down the feeder .... but all the old gang are back.

I would;d really not enjoy seeing hawk-eye grab another guy from our yard after taking 2 of the FATTEST Doves last winter .... pissed me off.

Life.

[Rob'in'To]

Ya, I don't get the world out there some days.  I've had 12 Cardinals all together in the yard some bitter February afternoons, and other times one pair chasing every other Cardinal out of here around the same time of year.

12 at once was one of the best things I ever saw out back.  It looked like a Christmas card!  9 males and 3 females.

[Raven11:11]

Wow! That must have been a site... color supreme ..

for me, it was when about a dozen Cedar Waxwings stopped on a tree 20 feet from my kitchen window, talk about WOW!!!! This I posted about somehwhere here as I never saw them prior. I had to pinch myself as I was so impressed with their colors.

also, seeing 200+ blue jays fly SW late summer along the lake in etobcioke also did it. They were a bit high but their distinctive voice gave them away.

Ya, I don't get the world out there some days.  I've had 12 Cardinals all together in the yard some bitter February afternoons, and other times one pair chasing every other Cardinal out of here around the same time of year.

12 at once was one of the best things I ever saw out back.  It looked like a Christmas card!  9 males and 3 females.

[Howieh]

I'm still waiting for the robins to return with the waxwings; a couple of weeks ago they brought a huge flock of starlings and one northern mockingbird that stayed around for several days but things are pretty quiet now, except when the sparrows are around (which is most of the time!). I also have one pair of cardinals, a bunch of chickadees and a red breasted  nuthatch as regulars and to show how desperate I am, I got all excited yesterday when a pair of goldfinches joined the sparrows for the lunch buffet.

And the grey squirrels must be really hungry 'cause they finally started raiding the feeder; looks like I'll have to raise it up a bit - it's really funny watching them because when they jump up and hang on it spins like the 'Yankee Flipper' so they are on just long enough to spill lots of seeds for munching leisurely on the ground - pretty smart those furry 'rats'.

[Raven11:11]

living near Albion mall , our yard is on a kids school yard and I walk around albion road + martingrove and observe huge flocks of pigeons at the mall - fed daily. Sea gulls too. 1,000+ at times.

also,, starlings, the same flock that hangs out at the mall flies to the humber arb park too and back all the time, i have approx'd 500- 1000 and yesterday 500.

All Robins have been MIA for months, we just have 4 doves, 4-6 juncos, 1-2 woodpeckers, and the cardys are MIA too ... sadly condisering I saved the male when he flew into our glass sliding door and I saw it.... came out, picked him up as blood was oozing out of mouth, his heeart was beating so i laned him up aganst a broom and shileded him from the strong winds, it was a snowy cooold day , sunny, -20 or so , a few winters back. By the time I posted and called animal servcs .... he came to 20 min after, if his heart wasnt pumping + sun wasnt out he would have froze.

weird, but shortly after the male would fly very close to me and stare for minutes on end ... and then went back to his .. and her norml behaviour of being skiddish and not close.   We sure miss them.

also, saw a seagull looking bird at the ga sstation across the street that summer except it was 2x .. +  :arrow:  a reg sea gull and was eating the leftovers of a pigeon, HUGE !!!

[Axeman]

Hmmm...my cardinals seem to be pretty peaceful...it's the Jays that chase everyone away.....as for Turdus migratorious, don't they overwinter here? I'm pretty sure I hear them in the cedar bush.

[Raven11:11]

as of today all of the j's and cardy's are gone.

we now have the same BRAZEN hawk fly by almost daily as he has found a buffet of over fed, un-aware and overweight doves so we are not happy as we fed them and helped this new generation grow.

call me F. mowat ... but I assure you it is the SAME hawk. I just know these things.  :wink: