A Winter's Stash - wrecked

[7rider]

We feed the birds in our backyard. One thing we've observed is that some birds don't eat the nuts presented but take them and fly off to a nearby tree or some other spot. We've found random peanuts in our truck's bike rack, on the edge of bricks on our house and other strange spots.

Well, yesterday was pretty warm. And the hibernating - and invasive - stink bugs that have taken up residence in a kitchen casement window were stirring. So, I cranked open a window to flick the bugs out, and this is what I saw:
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z85/7rider/2012-01-01_16-21-45_602.jpg
(next to those squished stink bugs...) It's a pile of about 75 peanuts, each individually deposited by one very industrious bird - likely a tufted titmouse (http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tufted_Titmouse/id/ac). I felt badly having to brush them out, but after having disturbed them, I couldn't re-close the window!

[goldfinch]

Hilarious!

I can't feed birds when I am up north because the bears get my feeders. I should rig up a long pole and pulley system.

[emily_in_nc]

Awww...I can totally see that happening. We used to live on 11 acres with a full complement of birdfeeders and had many a bird incident as well. Poor little guy who went to all that work to squirrel away those nuts for the winter, but you had to do what you had to do!

[bmccasland]

But how are they getting the peanuts in between the screen and window? :confused: Did the bird create the hole too?

[channlluv]

Birds eat peanuts?



Roxy

[salsabike]

I love it. Clever birds!

Roxy, some birds eat peanuts. Here in the PNW, that includes birds like chickadees, nuthatches, jays, and bushtits (cousins of tufted titmice).

[jessmarimba]

Peanuts come in some varities of parrot food, too. My mom's cockatoo used to throw them out of her cage for the Sheltie to crack open and eat.

I wish I could set up bird feeders but it would only lead to squirrel problems and dead birds (from my feral cats). There's a birdhouse and a bird bath in my front yard but I've never seen a bird anywhere near either of them.

[7rider]

But how are they getting the peanuts in between the screen and window? :confused: Did the bird create the hole too?

There must be enough of a gap at the top of the window frame for the bird to have dropped it down into the hole. I don't think it occurred to the bird that it wouldn't be able to get the nuts OUT of the frame, however. A female cardinal discovered the stash on the ground at the base of the window this morning, so she had herself a nice breakfast!

Our feeders are on a shepard's hook that has a baffle on the pole that works great to keep the sqirrels out. But the messy sparrows toss enough seed to the ground to keep the squirrels filled with no effort on their part. :rolleyes:

One feeder is seeds, and another is a peanut feeder so they always have plenty.