These adorable tiny bushtits visit our garden multiple times every day. They always come in large flocks, perhaps as many as 50 and more. They announce themselves with a cheery chatter and then descent onto the suet feeders. Bushtits are small kinglet sized birds around 3 inches (7 to 8 cm) long and weigh approximately 0.1 to 0.2 ounces (4 to 6 grams). They busily forage through shrubs and trees where they look for insects and spiders to munch on. Bushtits also love suet! They build incredible nests out of spiderwebs, grasses, lichen and other soft materials found in nature.
Watch how they dangle upside down while eating!
On this day I had just refilled the bird feeder when they suddenly appeared. Luckily I had my cellphone in my pocket and was able to capture a short clip of their energetic feeding session. And I can’t help but wonder how they got their name!
in cahoots with muddy boots 
Watching them eat and flit was a great way to start my morning. Happy weekend, Sabine!
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Happy weekend to you too! We have sunshine today!! 🙂
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Nice! We do too! 😎
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That would make my day seeing them buzzing around the feeder – they sure do like suet. They remind me a little of tiny Juncos. I enjoyed hearing their call too. I just Google Beauty Berry – they were pretty in your garden … says they are bug repellent too!
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They are one of my favorite sights in the garden. Lots of chatter and excitement for a few minutes and then it’s quiet again.
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I like the hubbub of activity, coupled with the color. I enjoy seeing the birds enjoying their treats as much as the squirrels. On the weekend, I had a Red-Bellied Woodpecker buzzing around waiting for me to put down peanuts. Peanuts, like suet or birdseed, is just a small price to pay to enjoy the squirrels and/or birds. It’s a win-win for everyone concerned.
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Like you, I find the price of admission in the form of bird seed, peanuts and suet well worth it! The woodpecker must have been fun to encounter!
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It sure is Sabine – interacting with them or just watching them makes my day. I follow Birds and Blooms on Facebook and just read about planting beauty berry bushes for beautiful blooms and to attract birds when the berries ripen. I had not heard of this bush before this post. They mentioned that it made a good jelly too (no recipe though). That Red-Bellied Woodpecker flew under this weeping tree then started inching up the trunk. I have been putting peanuts under this Weeping Mulberry memorial tree as the branches weep almost to the ground and they are rigid so I am hoping the hawks will be thwarted … so the woodpecker was savvy and discovered this little “hidey hole” … I am going to do a post, but must wade through a lot of photos, which is on my agenda for this weekend. I have not looked at all these photos, plus have about 200 on the small camera card. I won’t run out of photos for a while. I have thought COVID might get so bad that I’m reluctant to take the camera plus bad weather will be arriving (soon … measurable snow this Monday).
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I’ve seen a recipe for beauty berry jelly a while back but figured I’d rather leave the berries on the bushes for all the critters. Robins love them and even the squirrels will feast on them. As to the camera and COVID, I’ve had the same thought. I always have my mask in my pocket at the park and only put it on if I can’t keep my distance from people. So far so good! Everyone at the park has been super cool. That really helps me feel comfortable. I’ve been sorting through my stash as well and really need to delete a bunch of stuff. Be safe and happy walking with or without camera! 🙋♀️
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Sabine – I’d leave them on the bushes too, not only for the squirrels and birds, but also they provide some color to your yard for you to see and take photos. Back in April, I had misgivings about taking any camera to the park and left it behind for a while. I then decided the point-and-shoot was a better idea since it did not require my face to be pressed up close to it. Last week, I had the big camera at Council Point Park taking some bird photos and another walker came up and said “how much was that camera and lens?” (I thought it was a little forward, but answered it was purchased as a kit at Best Buy for a Father’s Day special in 2018 and included bag, long lens, etc.) So, he began telling me how he used a 35mm for years and what brands of cameras (none which I heard of, but I’ve only used Canon for 35mm, two point-and-shoot cameras and now the Rebel T-6 DSLR). So we chatted about that and he was fairly close to me (unmasked), but I’m always masked up. Next, he reached out to touch the long lens. It made NO sense to me to touch the lens near where it was attached and I was miffed to be honest. I will tell you that I might be paranoid, but after he left, I disconnected the long lens, put it into the bag, re-attached the regular lens and put the camera away and that was the end of picture-taking that day. I didn’t say anything as I was polite, but still annoyed.
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That inquisitive guy would have given me the creeps! Speed up your walk if you ever encounter him again. I’ve had people comment on my camera, but I usually just play it down and tell them to go to Costco where they can give advice. I would not want anyone without a mask in my face – not now or ever. Most likely the guy’s harmless but these days you never know. Be safe Linda!
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I agree Sabine – and if he had to get THAT close, which he was, could he have not pointed to it and nothing more? I was angry, but last year I had an issue at a 5K walk where I was taking pictures of an old car which was parked along the walking route. While taking pictures, the owner who was standing nearby and I was chatting with about his “Roadrunner” grabbed my point-and-shoot camera and started taking my picture with it. That was worse – he grabbed the camera out of my hands! They were likely both harmless but invaded my personal space and I didn’t appreciate it.
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That kind of interaction would scare me! I don’t mind standing near people but hate having someone get right in my face. Be safe on your walks Linda!
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Thanks Sabine – yes, it unnerved me and last year especially with grabbing the camera. I said something after I got it back. And this guy had no reason to touch the lens … I don’t know about people anymore, I really don’t. You stay safe too.
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having birds chirping in the background is reassuring that there are things still normal and right in this world!
I have one of those baskets as well and use to feed the birds as well but I had to take it down. Someone here at the apartments saw a rat! So the manager said they had to go as the droppings were attracting them!
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The suet attracts all kinds of critters. Luckily I’ve never seen a rat, but we do get an occasional mouse. Mostly the ground feeding birds, squirrels and chipmunks clean up underneath the feeders. A friend in California had the same problem with her feeders getting visited by rats. Everyone in the neighborhood took their feeders down. But you’re right about seeing birds chirping makes for some normality.
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I miss that!
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I would too!
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