Knowing Your Place in the Pecking Order

If you spend any time on my back deck watching the birds, it doesn’t take long to see that there is an obvious pecking order.

For example, this male Downy Woodpecker showed up to enjoy a late lunch…

downy

…only to have his meal rudely interrupted by a male Red-bellied Woodpecker – clearly ranking higher in the pecking order.

red-bellied

This female Bluebird was happily munching…

bluebird

…until this Robin barged in like a bully, fussing and wing flapping until she flew away.

robin

At one point, all of the birds scurried away at once; a clear indication that this fellow, who sits atop of the pecking order, had arrived.

hawk1 hawk2

He (A Red-shouldered Hawk, by the way) wedged himself into a maze of branches on the far side of the yard, and scoured the area in hopes of finding some easy prey.  Once he finally flew off, it was back to business as usual, with one bird after another battling for perching privileges.

warbler

Never a dull moment!

 

Published by kathydoremus

Amateur nature "photogriter." One who still marvels at majesty.

24 thoughts on “Knowing Your Place in the Pecking Order”

  1. When I see birds scurry like that I immediately look up for a raptor, which proved the case for you, though it had landed nearby. Often if I hear birds making a loud racket, especially the Cockatoos, there will be a curling raptor. Love your hawk pic Kathy😊

    1. When a hawk shows up, the other birds usually scurry away, but sometimes they freeze like little statues. This hawk was a pretty good size fellow.

  2. That was an awesome treat 😍 I always enjoy reading your description with photos 💜

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