Survival Strategy at Bird Feeders

A neighbour has a neglected beech hedge about 3 metres high which retains most of its leaves throughout the winter, but some of the trees have been allowed to grow to 6 metres, and these shed their leaves in the Autumn. The hedge overlooks my feeding station, and most hungry visitors use this vantage point to check for potential danger before approaching the feeders.

Over the winter months it is easy to observe their strategy. While doves use surrounding rooftops to scan the area, and blackbirds and thrushes appear to fly straight over the hedge, the smaller birds, mostly tits and finches, alight on the tops of the tallest trees. From there they will, especially if alone, spend several minutes assessing the situation before dropping through the branches in stages, finally flying from the cover of the lower part of the hedge directly to the feeders.

At busy times there is a kind of cascade of birds through the trees, with new arrivals taking their turn in line in the treetops.Sometimes a single bird will wait for others to arrive before descending, and will often go away hungry rather than risk feeding alone.

In a mixed flock it is usually members of the most numerous species that are the first to feed. Could this be additional evidence for Darwin's contention that the most intense competition for resources is between members of the same species?

Later in the year the first birds down are usually juveniles, but is this because they are (like human teenagers) hungrier than adults, or that their lack of experience means they are less aware of the need for caution? (Again, like human teenagers!)

Paired birds seem to spend less time scanning than either groups or singletons. I do not know why this should be so, unless each bird considers the other more reliable than the regular run of companions.

It is noticeable that during the run-up to the nesting season two pairs of the same species will seldom be on the feeders at the same time, with one or more pairs waiting in the trees until the first pair have finished, or those waiting get impatient and attempt to drive the first pair off. The first pair will usually return to the treetops for a while to clean their beaks, and perhaps to take their turn as lookouts.

The only time that real strife occurs is when fledglings are brought to the feeders, when the parents will attack any stranger, especially a member of the same species, that comes too near.

Although I have referred specifically to to the strategies employed at feeders, this is simply because I have had ample time to observe them in these circumstances. There is every reason to suppose that they behave in much the same way when feeding naturally, except that goldfinches would not need to queue in a field of thistles.