Fighting the Current

evolution in action

No, this isn't some entry highlighting this year's Darwin Awards. (If you don't know what that is, it's a book put out telling about all the stupid ways people have died...) Actually, it's in reference to the bird in my backyard. We hung a goldfinch feeder (basically a clear tube with perches on it and holes over the perches for the finches to eat from) from our awning pole. At first we had a lot of goldfinches (who can only eat thistle and a few other types of small seeds I think), but then other types of finches and sparrows took it over, scaring the smaller goldfinches away. So for a while we watched the bigger, meaner birds eating from the feeder meant for goldfinches (and pine siskins, but we haven't attracted any of those...). Recently though, we got a finch feeder at which the birds have to hang upsidedown from the perches to get their seeds. Only goldfinches and pine siskins can hang like that and eat, so once the other birds figured out that they could not reach the holes, they moved to the old one, eyeing the new one suspiciously. At first they scared all the goldfinches off, but then they let them come while they ate out of the other feeder. The goldfinches figured out what to do, and have been hanging upside down to eat ever since. The other birds saw them doing this and have been trying to imitate them. They will try to spin themselves downward, but never get there. It's funny to watch them, but I'm not holding my breath for one that will make it, lol.

I have a million other things to say, but no time, so good night.