Snowbird of Paradise<p><strong>There Has To Be An Us</strong></p><p>“There has to be an us because now there is a them.” Margaret Atwood.</p><p>On my patio are two bird feeders. One is a hummingbird feeder and although it occasionally has visits from other birds it really only belongs to the hummingbirds.</p> <p>The other feeder is a seed feeder and it attracts a wider variety of winged visitors. The smallest, the bush tits, are only marginally bigger than hummingbirds. They are tiny, and they are easily scared away by bigger birds, even by small finches.</p><p>The food chain is clearly defined by size, so that finches are scared away by blackbirds, and blackbirds are pushed aside by American robins.</p> <p>What interests me in watching all this posturing and displacing is that all of them get their chance to feed. It is almost as though the bigger birds get to decide how much time the smaller birds need for their lunch, and only then do they move in to get their own.</p><p>There are long times during the day when none of them is at the feeder, and at other times the various birds are squabbling over it, even within a species. But, overall, they seem to have some sort of sharing system going on. Then, as sun sets, they all disappear.</p> <p>There is one exception, though, and it is a significant one. When the neighbourhood hawk drops by that is when the bigger birds gang up and defend the food source for everyone. They do whatever they can, individually or in concert, to chase that hawk away. They aren’t always successful, but every time the effort is remarkable.</p><p>I didn’t realize until recently that hawks eat other birds and when I learned that I was astounded. I always knew that birds could be carnivorous, but I didn’t know they would eat their own species and it felt somehow wrong. When I first saw the hawk I was impressed by its beauty and grandeur but the more I learned, the less I liked.</p> <p>Now, as I read the news, I begin to understand what is going on in political circles because I view it through a birding lens. There are small birds at the feeder, but they are easily displaced. The bigger birds know they can use their size to monopolize the resources, and they are not afraid to take their place and as much food as they need. But, when the predator bird shows up, that’s when the bigger birds need to come together in a show of force.</p><p>They may be bullies to the little ones, but when they gang up they can also force out the tyrant. I think that time has come for some politicians. The hawks are going after the bush tits and house finches now, and it is time for concerted action from a flock of mid-sized avengers. There has to be an “us” because now there is a “them” and everyone needs their turn at the feeder.</p><p></p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://snowbirdofparadise.com/tag/avengers/" target="_blank">#avengers</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://snowbirdofparadise.com/tag/birding/" target="_blank">#birding</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://snowbirdofparadise.com/tag/birds/" target="_blank">#Birds</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://snowbirdofparadise.com/tag/blackbirds/" target="_blank">#blackbirds</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://snowbirdofparadise.com/tag/bullies/" target="_blank">#bullies</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://snowbirdofparadise.com/tag/bush-tits/" target="_blank">#bushTits</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://snowbirdofparadise.com/tag/displacing/" target="_blank">#displacing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://snowbirdofparadise.com/tag/feeder/" target="_blank">#feeder</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://snowbirdofparadise.com/tag/feeding/" target="_blank">#feeding</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://snowbirdofparadise.com/tag/finches/" target="_blank">#finches</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://snowbirdofparadise.com/tag/hummingbirds/" target="_blank">#hummingbirds</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://snowbirdofparadise.com/tag/nature/" target="_blank">#nature</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://snowbirdofparadise.com/tag/politics/" target="_blank">#politics</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://snowbirdofparadise.com/tag/posturing/" target="_blank">#posturing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://snowbirdofparadise.com/tag/relationships/" target="_blank">#Relationships</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://snowbirdofparadise.com/tag/robins/" target="_blank">#robins</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://snowbirdofparadise.com/tag/society/" target="_blank">#Society</a></p>