Re: little jerk bird attacking red-bellied woodpecker


<allisonki@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1135911519.800023.208190@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>I saw something odd yesterday. A small bird repeatedly "attacked" a
> red-bellied woodpecker who was apparently minding his own business. I
> think the small bird might have been a thrush of some kind. It was
> brownish, or perhaps reddish-brown above, with dark spots on the upper
> half only of its chest; the belly area was white. It had a weak,
> light-colored eye ring. The behaviour is what puzzles me. There was a
> large, mixed flock in the area, but this little jerk singled out the
> woodpecker, for some reason, following him around the woods over a
> large area, swooping and pecking with his nasty little beak. Any idea
> what this bird was? Is this typcial thrush behaviour? I have seen
> hermit thrushes in the area, but only during the summer months.
> Location is near Atlanta, GA, in a mixed hardwood/pine forest.
>

Your characterization of one of the bird you saw as a "jerk" reminds me of
the movie "The Thing" from the early 80s. At the very beginning of the movie
there is a sequence where you see a beautiful German Shepherd (IIRC) running
through the snow. Then you see a helicopter behind it, chasing the dog and
its occupants shooting at the dog as if for fun. You just can't help but
pull for the dog to outwit the idiots who are trying to kill it for no
apparent reason. The dog runs into a camp and survives. After you watch the
whole movie once, every time you watch it again you will root for the gunmen
in the helicopter.

While I understand your characterization of the little bird as a "jerk,"
seeing the situation from the smaller bird's vantage point might lead you to
a different conclusion. I see hummingbirds thwarting my feeding efforts by
guarding "my" feeders all the time. I could easily conclude that they are
just mean birds and out to kill each other (which they will do), but I just
adapt my feeding strategies to attract as many as possible and watch the
show. Its just my opinion, but I think that if you can observe birds
interactions without playing favorites or choosing sides when birds compete
with each other for territory or food, birding can be an enjoyable
experience even when one bird gets a raw deal. A couple of weeks ago I saw a
hawk kill a dove that was minding its own business. That was a truly
impressive sight though I'm sure the dove would not agree. It seems like you
got to see a pretty interesting show as well.

Eric Miller


.

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