A Curious Statistical Anomaly

Shortly after the New Year and before we took down our tree, this cardinal showed up on our deck. He’d arrive shortly after sun up each day. He’d spend some time looking in the sliding glass doors, hopping to the left and right and turning his head. Personally, I think the only thing he could probably see was his reflection but maybe he was seeing the tree. We weren’t sure because he repeatedly fluttered up and down the left hand door and then the right hand door.

Day after day for two weeks, he’d begin at sun rise and stay until shortly after sun set. Up and down the two doors. Time after time. He took a few short breaks of about 15 to 20 minutes several times a day. But basically he spent the days attacking our window. We took the tree down thinking that he was trying to get at it. That didn’t stop the fluttering. This photo isn’t very clear. I had a difficult time taking it through the glass because if I got too close he flew to the side of the house on the corner of the deck and waited until I left to start in again.

We were getting worried about this psychotic bird. When was he eating? Was he going to die trying to fight for territory with the cardinal he saw reflected in our doors? What was with this guy? Other cardinals in the area didn’t take to battering the door with their little bodies for hours on end. So, we worried.

In the end, we went out and bought a bird feeder. We set it up on one of the plant hangers on the deck across from the doors. We figured he wouldn’t have to go far to eat and could keep up his strength to attack our door — which was getting bird poop all along the bottom of it.

The bird feeder went up and non-migratory birds from all over came to eat. After two days the cardinal left. Haven’t seen him since. But these fellows have been photo’d at the feeder. The only ones we’ve identified — we bought a bird book — are the finches:

We’ve also had some black eyed Juncos and got a picture of one but I can’t find it now. We also have these birds that we don’t recognize. We can’t find them in our bird book — or at least can’t find a matching picture. If you know what they are let me know.

We’ve also had some woodpeckers at the feeder but they’re a bit big and just snatch and fly away to eat so I haven’t been able to get a photo. On the other hand, we have a number of ground feeders like doves getting the dropped food from the feeder on the ground level. Unfortunately, I keep forgetting to bring the camera down to try for them.

It has been really nice having the birds around. Not as noisy as I would have thought. But I can sit and read and look up and watch them lining up to take their turns with the feeder. They’ve begun to share. At first they would fight off the other birds, especially those in another species, but now they will share. It’s interesting to watch the interplay.