Subject: [Tweeters] Polly Wants a Cracker, but She Wants to Make It Easier to Chew - The New York Times
Date: Fri Dec 15 00:37:39 PST 2023
From: Dan Reiff - dan.owl.reiff at gmail.com

During years 2020 to 2022, a pair of crows would use our birdbath as a bread soaking station. They would bring in food, mostly bread, they had found around our neighborhood, and bring it to our birdbath. During that time my wife would feed each one peanut each morning. They never soaked the peanuts. For a few years, one of the pair’s fledglings would arrive early in the morning onto our elevated deck, and wait for its peanut. During the day, it would often follow my wife, as she walked our little dog, Merlin, around our neighborhood and fly over and past her shoulder, with no aggression.

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On Dec 14, 2023, at 10:36 PM, Hans-Joachim Feddern wrote:


We feed white bread to American Crows in our backyard. As long as I can remember, they will always dip the bread in the bird bath - even though it is soft already! They also will dip leftovers from fried chicken or turkey, but not all the time.

Good Birding!

Hans

On Thu, Dec 14, 2023 at 2:57 PM Greg <gjpluth at gmail.com> wrote:
Interestingly, within the last few weeks on at least three occasions, I have watched a song sparrow sitting on the edge of my birdbath. The cement disc typically has maybe a half inch or so of water. The bird was not drinking, just looking around. Then, as I watched, it quickly dipped its beak into the water and appeared to carry away one of the hulled sunflower seeds that I use in my cylinder feeder. Was that to soften the seed?

I’m wondering if anyone else has observed such behavior from a song sparrow, or any other species for that matter?



Greg Pluth

University Place



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> On Dec 14, 2023, at 12:46 AM, Dan Reiff <dan.owl.reiff at gmail.com> wrote:

>

> 

> https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/12/science/bird-cockatoo-parrot-dunking-food.html

>

> Sent from my iPhone

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--
Hans Feddern
Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA
thefedderns at gmail.com