Later today, people all over the United States will be grabbing their chips and dip, turning on their televisions, and watching while the Panthers battle the Broncos in the fiftieth finale of the NFL season.
While today is indeed Super Bowl Sunday, I’m pretty sure yesterday must have been Super Bird Saturday – at least in my backyard. All kinds of fierce competition was taking place.
First was a dirt digging contest, where the bird to emerge with the dirtiest beak was declared the winner. The Brown Thrasher was the clear victor, with the Robin coming in a close second.
In another section of the yard, the Butter-Butt Branch Battle was taking place. This was an all day event, where the male Yellow-rumped Warblers tried to claim the “Lord of the Limb” title by swooping down and chasing each other away from the coveted territory.
One would land on the branch and vigilantly look about, hoping to retain his perch.
Then, from out of nowhere, another would dive down and claim the spot as his own.
This event was still going on when I left, so I have yet to find out who won.
In the midst of the festivities, a peanut eating contest was also taking place. It honestly wasn’t much of a competition, as most of the other birds forfeited once team Blue Jay showed up.
A number of birds were also participating in some sort of drinking game. At first I thought it was a solo event…
but somewhere along the way, it turned into a group activity. Hey, the more the merrier, right?
The Scavenger Hunt was another popular event at the Super Bird Saturday competition. At first I thought this White-breasted Nuthatch just might be the winner…
but once word got around that the prize was peanuts…you guessed it…this event went to team Blue Jay as well!
Throughout the day’s contests, the Mockingbird was the self-appointed director of rules and regulations; but despite his bossy demeanor, no one paid him much attention.
In addition to the active participants, a number of birds served as spectators – like this Bluebird who was eagerly cheering…
…and this Red-bellied Woodpecker, who was taunting and jeering!
Now I love Super Bowl Sunday, and I’m sure the game will be fun to watch, but I can’t imagine I will enjoy it as much as I did Super Bird Saturday! I’m definitely a fan!
Backyard Bird Nerd 
Beautiful!
You have a winning lineup! A great team of beautiful birds!
Loved this, and superb photos, as always.
Thanks…it was corny, but I had fun. 🙂
Corny is good!
Nice pictures, and liked the commentary as well! 😀
I had fun doing it. 🙂
Beautiful 😍
Haha! Looks like a Super Bird day – My favorite is the Butter-Butt Branch Battle! Try saying that three times fast! lol! Thanks for the smiles, Kathy! 🙂
That’s funny because I actually did say it out loud a couple times when I was typing it up!
Wow! what a showcase of birds to see in one day in one back yard, a beautiful post Kathy!
There was quite a flurry of birds. Quite enjoyable.
Very entertaining, Kathy!
Nice analogy. Sounds like the Bluejays took the game. They are really aggressive, but so beautiful it is hard to be mad at them.
Mine are loud, but really not all that aggressive. There coloring is so beautiful!
I really just love your blog! I am mourning my birds. I live in a the city (DC) but in the 15 years we have lived here we have had, in our own little back yard, black-capped chickadees, downy woodpeckers, cardinals, mockingbirds, catbirds, goldfinches, house finches, carolina wrens, bluejays, mourning doves, common grackles, dark-eyed junkos, robins, and, of course, pigeons and sparrows. We are continuing to fill the feeder, put out suet, and we have a pond with running water. But not a bird except several kinds of sparrows have come to the feeders for months. The chickadees have been gone for about 10 years but all of the others have been around in the last year.
I so hope your birds come back – I would be in mourning too!
Love the bluebird with wings starting to stretch the best!!
LOVED your Super Bird Saturday, great post and story, Kathy!!
OMG, I love your Super Bird Saturday! 😀 You’d better make it an annual event for sure!
Drinking contest… lol…hehehe
Hmmm… if they’d started lobbing peanuts into the birdbath in between sips, would that have been Bird Pong? 😉
Bird Pong…you make me laugh!
Please tell us how you get such clear and beautiful pictures of these birds. You do a fantastic job.
At the risk of sounding cheesy, I think it’s a sweet little way God has chosen to bless me. I stand on my deck, put out food, and they show up. If it helps, for every ten I post, there are probably fifty that are blurry and get trashed!