I finally get why the chickadees show up at 6:10 on the dot

For about two years I just put out seed whenever I remembered, usually around 8 or 9 AM after coffee. Then last month I noticed a pair of chickadees waiting on the fence at 6:10 AM every morning, so I started filling the feeder at 6:00 sharp. Now I have a regular group of 5 chickadees and a couple of tufted titmice that show up right on schedule. Has anyone else noticed their birds getting set in their ways about timing?

3 comments

3 Comments

anthony_campbell884d ago

I'm not totally sold on the "6:10 on the dot" thing. Birds are pretty consistent with dawn and dusk, not the exact minute on your clock. I've got chickadees that show up around first light in winter which could be 7:15 one week and 6:45 the next depending on the season. They're responding to light levels not your watch.

uma_ellis3d ago

Ha, you're totally right and now I feel a little silly about my "clock watching" confession! I guess my birds have me trained better than I thought. I should probably be paying attention to the light outside instead of staring at my phone waiting for them to show up. But honestly, my chickadees are pretty punctual in their own way - they show up right when the sun hits the feeder, which in summer is around 6:10 and in winter is... well, whenever the sun decides to get up. I'm just glad they show up at all, even if I'm wrong about the exact minute!

susan6493d ago

Totally get where you're coming from. I've had the same experience with my blue jays, they show up at the exact same minute every afternoon, way before sunset. It's funny how they train us more than we train them.