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| A Red-breasted Nuthatch darts in for a single seed. |
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Red Osiers are the oaks of western woods, turning
shades of red in stages, resulting in
multi-colored fall foliage |
While writing the post below there has been a flutter of activity outside the window just above my desk. There is more to write, another time, of this remarkable tree, a giant Osier Dogwood I call the Grand Central Station of our yard, but today I call it the Flutter Tree. A bird feeder between the window and the tree attracts (obviously!) birds and depending upon the time of day, those who show for the feeding frenzy changes. Earlier, there were the Stellar Jays hanging off the feeder, dumping much seed on the ground, and discouraging smaller birds to venture near. Now there is constant movement as Red Breasted Nuthatches, Juncos, and Black-capped and Chestnut-sided Chickadees dart in and out, grabbing a single seed and sitting in the Osier Dogwood to crack and eat their claim. The feeding frenzy has slowed as the sky darkens, but deep in the web of the trees branches I still see a few tiny birds sit. They do not spend the night there, but it is the avian community center of day time life! Last winter we did not keep a feeder so close to the house due to the horrible rat problem we had the previous year, yet life in The Tree was still busy.
