Doo, Doo, Doo, Looking Out My Backdoor II: Tufted Titmouse

These sweet and sociable little birds are closely related to the chickadees. Notice the similar short, conical beak. The gray crest and black forehead are good identifiers. Titmice are found over pretty much all of the eastern U.S. They enjoy both sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

Birds will often come to the feeder as a group. Birds that are not eating will stand lookout for the flock, giving a warning call if trouble appears. Unlike some other species, titmice (and chickadees, for that matter) are very polite feeders.  They will take one seed and fly off to a nearby branch to break it open and eat it. They also use their toes to hold the seed while they crack it open.

Like people, birds seem to panic just before a storm. Even if you didn't see a weather forecast you could predict a storm at times by their actions. When a storm is approaching, they will come to the feeder in droves, all wanting to "stock up" before the bad weather hits. I don't know how they know it is coming, but they do know.

Many birds look odd when viewed straight on.  Because of the way they are designed, their beaks seem to disappear. Notice how concave the eye orbits look on this bird. It is almost the opposite of the bufflehead post from a few days ago.