Category: Ground Feeder

Song Sparrow Revisited

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia). A sparrow that is here in central Virginia all year long. Mainly a ground feeder, eating insects spring, summer and autumn. Dining on seeds and various fruits as the weather turns cold. The Song Sparrow is one of the most variable songbirds, with as many as 30 different phases of this species from one location to another across North America. They love to challenge me.

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Flicker in the Tulip Poplar

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus). A woodpecker that normally is seen on the ground, searching for ants, beetles and grubs. They pound into the soil in a way similar to what you’d expect to see other woodpeckers doing, pounding into a tree.

As with most other insect eaters who are in this wintery land, Flickers switch to berries, fruits and seeds during the cold months. They have a long list of things they seek out to dine on including poison ivy berries, dogwood berries, sumac berries, wild cherries, grapes, bayberries, hackberries, elderberries, sunflower and thistle seeds. I’m grateful to this amiable Flicker that struck some great poses for me in a Tulip Poplar.

Mourning Dove

Visitors to my feeders every now and then. Always arriving in pairs. The Mourning Dove (Zenáida macroúra).

For a while my granddaughter’s favorite bird, I think in part because of the soft coo-oo that the male makes. Good for her that she knows a bird call at the age of 6. I doubt I knew any at that age. Still at THIS age I know very few.

Another sound associated with these Doves is the fluttering sound the feathers of the wings make as the bird takes flight and lands. And that flight is impressive, up to 55 miles an hour.

These Doves generally mate for life and when they have a brood it usually consists of two squabs (young). In warmer areas they might have as many as six broods per year. Whew!

The Mourning Dove is a ground feeder and its diet is almost entirely seed. They’re part of my little community of birds here at Snow Mountain Observatory and Frog Farm.