Q: Since I was seeing robins in January, it wasn't such a thrill to see some in mid-March. If they're around all winter, what bird can we use as a sign of spring?
A: You're right, some robins remain in our area all winter and survive just fine on dried berries and whatever water they can find. They have a reliable way of signaling that spring is near, however: When you hear their sweet, loud melody in March, you'll know that males are beginning to establish their territories.
Feeding style
Q: Blue jays gulp quantities of sunflower seeds at my feeders, and then fly off. I'm wondering if they swallow the seeds whole and rely on their gizzards to grind them up, or if they peck each seed open and discard the hulls.
A: That's an excellent question, and because these big, handsome birds are so secretive, few of us are ever lucky enough to see them eat. Blue jays gulp a lot of seed and store it in their throat pouch, but they don't swallow seeds whole. Instead, they carry them off, either to hide for later or to peck open one by one, often standing with a seed between their toes and hacking with their beak.
Ugly duckling cardinals
Q: We watched cardinals raise their family in our backyard shrub last year, and I'm wondering when the youngsters develop that distinctive bright orange beak.
A: Young cardinals are "ugly ducklings," compared with their handsome parents, through their first six months or so. But as fall approaches, the young birds begin to drop their brownish feathers for adult plumage, and their beaks take on color. Both beaks and feathers gain color from the seeds and berries the birds eat after they leave the nest. By midwinter, most first-year cardinals look a great deal like their parents.
Pine nesters
Q: We have a pine tree in the backyard and wonder what birds might nest in it.
A: The American robin is the bird most likely to build a nest in an evergreen in early spring. They often build their first nest of the season on evergreen branches, since these provide shelter from the elements for nestlings at a time when deciduous branches are bare. For their second nest later in the season, robins generally choose a deciduous tree or shrub, or build under some kind of overhang on a house or garage. Blue jays also build their nests in evergreens, but later in the season.
