Returning from my afternoon bird walk, I encountered this little scene playing out at my feeder. The Northern Mockingbird has decided that my feeder is his feeder—and only his. Whenever he lands on the railing he does that wings-out crouch thing to tell everyone else, “Mine! Back off!” Funny thing, though, these Greensboro birds see right through his act and step right up to the bar. Like this Song Sparrow. Look at that staredown. You’d think it was Oscar de la Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the weigh-in for their upcoming Cinco de Mayo fight. This weigh-in, however, ended with both parties settling down together for some grub (sunflower hearts, in this case).
