Adventures

The mystery of fallen Zinnia seeds – a yellow bandit reveals his beak

Shelley

If you wait for the right moment and pay attention, you can catch bandits in action.

Earlier this month, I discovered Zinnia seeds on the leaves of the plant.  I thought I was a terrible plant mom.  I just knew it had to be a bird that was attacking the flowers.  I didn’t know which bird would be such a bandit?

Yesterday, as I glanced out my office window at the storm heading our way, I saw movement in the garden bed to the left of this view.

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I, of course, grabbed my camera.  I needed to catch the bandit in action to see what it was.  Thank goodness for the zoom lens.  I wish I had a bigger one, but that’s beside the point.

And what did I see?  An adorable yellow masked bandit looking right back at me.  See him…he’s the lowest yellow spot – almost looks like a Blackeyed-Susan with his black bandit mask on top of his yellow body.  Except he has an orange beak.  That pesky orange beak that tears apart the flowers.

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I couldn’t race outside to get a closer look, that would’ve scared him.  I hoped for the best and took shots from the window above.

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He wasn’t alone – Mrs. showed up too.  Together, they had a pecking party as they terrorized the Zinnias.

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Every particular in nature, a leaf, a drop, a crystal, a moment of time is related to the whole and partakes in the perfection of the whole.  – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Right now, though, I’m glad to know the rest of the story…it’s the Yellow Finches, aka, the bandits of the yard who are making a mess of the Zinnia seeds.  I thought they just liked Thistle plants?!

Post Inspiration – Linda G. Hill’s One-Liner Wednesday and Susannah Conway’s August Break 2019 – Right Now

PS – Did you know that Yellow Finches are the bandits?  Hope you’re having a wonderful Wednesday – what are you thinking about right now?

 

 

Published by Shelley

Letting my quirk out one post at a time.

13 thoughts on “The mystery of fallen Zinnia seeds – a yellow bandit reveals his beak”

  2. Like One Letter Up said, you’ve got a great eye Shelley, I saw the bird in just one photo. Place a trap out there, trap the bandit and drive it miles away! 😬

  3. Just think: they eat the seeds from your backyard and poop them somewhere else, thus providing zinnias (or black-eyed Susans, or whatever those are) for the rest of the world.

  4. I thought thistles were the finches’ “thing” too Shelley. I like watching them at the Park on thistle plants and they will dip and swoop to go from plant to plant – they are such a delight to watch.

    1. They are doing that here too – apparently the Zinnias are a fun treat for them, easier and less picky for their feet?! They even go on the ones in little planters. It is fun to watch, though.

      1. That’s good photo ops with those colorful Zinnias. My neighbor used to hang out the “socks” of Niger seeds and you’d see them lined up on the chain fence awaiting their turn for a go at the sock. They be clinging on and the sock would be spinning around with their weight as it got emptier.

        1. We see them lined up on our feeders too. Right now with the Zinnias and the Thistle in bloom, they’re busier hanging out with those fresh seeds instead. Amazing little birds.

          1. They are bright beacons when they dip and swoop around the Park. So petite next to the others. I follow a local photographer on Twitter and today she included a video of a blue jay taking peanuts from her hand. That’s pretty brave because the jays are quite aggressive with their beaks. She interacts with all the birds in the park, feeding all of them from the palm of her hand, including woodpeckers which will alight and stay there and eat. This jay pretty much did a quick landing/fly by but I was impressed: https://twitter.com/JocAPhotography/status/1164938141393989632

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