A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Is it normal?

For a mother or daddy bird to mouth feed a bigger baby bird with birdseed???? I know they feed them on the ground for a while, but this bird was flying and eating by itself and getting food shoved down its throat too!

I was just watching this taking place on the window feeder. It was so cute.

Those pics are fantastic Loz! How adorable:)

I've seen parent birds do that too. Part of the, teach jr. to get his own seed and part instict to feed baby still in the parent.
My neighbor told me her babies fledged and she sees mama come in with food now and then looking for a baby to feed.

I think it is a pretty normal thing. Loz, you must have your camera around your neck, to be able to get pix like that. Wonderful!!! Thanks for sharing. Sue

I've watched them do it with worms, I've just never got to see them do it when the birds were out of the nest and flying on their own, and with seeds....Pretty neat to sit and watch!

BTW, I keep the camera right on the table next to the window feeder....just in case!

No, IT"S NOT NORMAL, LOZ! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!

Just joking. That is perfectly normal. Your two birds are House Sparrows Imported from England to the U.S. about 120 years ago. They have now taken over the New World but ironically are disappearing from Europe and England. The Bird on the left is the Daddy bird as is evidenced by the black bib and head markings. The giveaway on the baby bird on the right is the bright yellow mouth linings. Many species of baby birds have brightly colored mouth and throat linings, presumably to help and/or encourage the parents to feed them often. I had a baby Blue Jay at my feeders this week begging its parent for food. The inside of its throat was a bright day-glo, almost laser-like red. I had never noticed that in a Baby Blue Jay before.

Loz, those are some AWESOME pictures!

Last year I had Giant California Red Zinnia's and saw Hummingbirds for the first time in my life. I was simply amazed but everytime I saw them I was with-out my camera.
Donna

Interesting info, Thorny - thanks!

loz - how much are you loving that window feeder of yours!
Terrific pictures! Thanks for sharing.

LOL! ROTFLMBO

Thanks for the info Thorny, I didn't even notice the different colors around the mouth.

Lynne, the window feeder is one of the best things I ever bought myself. They fight a lot while they are in there and I can sit here at the kitchen table and watch them.

Loz, I think those window feeders are so neat, and I would love to have one on my window! so I just took it down and gave it to a friend. I love my squirrles, but they do try my patience at times!

Usually it's just sparrows that feed on it, but I still love watching them. Sometimes I get something else landing on there. Right now there are 8 of them feeding on it. When winter comes I'll be sad to take it out of the window.

Loz, why do you have to take it out of the window when winter comes? I don't understand!

could you maybe just use extra insulation around the cracks and keep it up?

Loz! You can't take it out of the window in the winter!
You will miss it so bad!
And just think of all the neat pictures you can get for us this winter!

I agree Loz! She will really miss it! aBesides, I want to see some more pictures too!

I'd love to leave it in, I really would....but the window material is just plastic and it gets bone chillingly cold here....the cold would just pour right through it.

So I gotta take it out!!!!!

Loz,
(And everyone else too) There are feeders you can put on the outside of the window that stay by suction cups. Yes they DO stay on. You just need a way to fill them. Can you reach it from another window? Or if its double hung place the feeder so you can open it part way to fill.???
I sell lots of them, and the feeder like the one you have in now.