Red-bellied Woodpecker/American Robin

It was a swift attack... over in seconds.

It wasn't territorial. 

It wasn't defensive. 

It was all about a big fat bug.

A young inexperienced American Robin didn't know what hit him. The big fat insect was snatched out of his beak stunningly fast. He could only watch his meal fly away.

The Red-bellied Woodpecker is a bit of a bully.

He has the size and he has the weapons. When it's time to eat, he eats first... others give way.

He has a mate, too. She looks similar, only less red on her head. They may have a nest, but I haven't found it.

Red-bellied Woodpeckers are woodland birds, but you'll see them in the suburbs. You can drawn them in close with suet and peanuts.


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This male is sort of a slob though.

He'll cast aside anything that isn't a peanut. The black oil sunflower seeds go flying till he's down to what he wants.

No real harm. The ground-foraging birds eat the cast-offs.

I didn't make it easy for him to make this mess. He's too big to perch and eat, so he hangs in contorted positions. But he manages well enough.

To not judge nature, that big juicy insect might have been intended for the female or maybe even nestlings.

I'll never know.

Allan

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Credits: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds

Western Kingbird vs. Red-tailed Hawk

An angry Western Kingbird didn't hold back on its feelings towards this female Red-tailed Hawk.

S/he dived bombed the Red-tailed Hawk repeatedly in hopes of making her leave its territory.

But the red-tailed lives here, too. She's invested quite a bit in this ninth-hole golf estate with mountain views.

She knows the kingbird is over her shoulder, but won't acknowledge him and has no intention of leaving.

In fact she has a brood of three... fifty feet high, two trees away.

This whole squabble seems rather silly when you see the babies. They're five times bigger than the kingbird already.

Still, it is rather bold of the kingbird to take on a red-tailed, considering 'bird' is acceptable fare for a red-tailed hawk given any chance.

This baby is dining on packrat. The sibling are content to watch... already fed.

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Mother red-tailed keeps watch from the treetops. Dad comes and goes with food offerings. I haven't seen dad, but I heard he delivered a good sized snake recently. The parents don't tear up the young ones' food anymore. One youngster got the whole snake.

It's time for practice flying. In a three-foot nest, that requires consideration of one's nest mates.

Mother red-tailed circles the nest tree every fifteen minutes or so to keep an eye on things. It's a beautiful setting and also a relief from those annoying Western Kingbirds.

Allan

Credits: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds
The Sibley's Guide to Birds