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Minnesotan Leslie Fhima's 'Golden Bachelor' story reaches its end
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their dose'
next



Home & Garden 600323379


BIRDS MAY BE GETTING HIGH ON 'WEED'

Many kinds of birds eat cannabis seeds, which may affect them mentally and
physically, like humans. 
By Val Cunningham Special to the Star Tribune
November 30, 2023 — 7:35am

Doug Johannsen
A chickadee snacked on cannabis seeds.
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Q: I was at a local park some weeks ago and photographed this black-capped
chickadee picking at the seed pods on a cannabis plant. The plant was in the
middle of a patch of poison ivy, and I've read that this plant's berries are
eaten by many birds, as well.

A: You sent a great photo of a chickadee enjoying the seeds of a cannabis plant.
It seems that many other avian species, from woodpeckers to doves to game birds,
enjoy cannabis seeds, as well.

While there's been very little research into this, there are reports of birds
becoming "high" after ingesting THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.
With recent changes in state legislation, Minnesota's birds will soon have many
more opportunities to feed on "weed." They may also come into conflict with
cannabis farmers, who won't want their crops nibbled on. Many birds enjoy poison
ivy berries, too, and it's odd to think of them avoiding the side effects that
afflict so many humans.


WILL 'MY' BIRDS STARVE?

Q: We're moving to a new home soon, and I'm concerned about the birds I've been
feeding for years and years. Is it better to quit feeding them several months
ahead of our move, so they learn to find other sources? I'm very upset about
this, do you have a take on it?

A: I'd say your birds are going to be fine. Research shows that the birds we see
at our feeders aren't totally reliant on the foods we put out. Instead, they
find the majority of their daily calories out in the wild, at natural food
sources (seed eaters feed on seed heads, insect eaters probe for larvae and
eggs, etc.). You might gradually draw down the amount of seed and suet you set
out so the birds' focus shifts to replace those calories. This is what human
"snowbirds" do when they leave in the fall, knowing that many birds will greet
them when they return. You've been very good to your neighborhood's birds and
I'll bet you'll find a new fan club at your next home.


PARKING LOT GULLS

Q: Why do gulls, most commonly associated with water, congregate in parks,
athletic fields and parking lots in the fall? I just can't figure out what the
attraction is.

A: I've noticed this, too, and I think the main attraction is food bits
discarded by humans. As ring-billed gulls gear up for migration, they tend to
gather near known food sources, such as shopping malls with restaurants nearby.
Another benefit to the gulls is that these kinds of sites, especially the ball
fields, offer wide vistas to allow the birds to spot any lurking predators.

ADVERTISEMENT



KEEP THE 'CAFE' OPEN

Q: I'm so glad you advised me to leave my hummingbird feeder out later in the
fall, after I had been tempted to take it in for the season on Oct. 7. Four days
later I looked out to see a female absolutely guzzling the nectar. She was
drinking so much that bubbles were rising in the liquid.

A: I'm so glad to hear your feeder provided possibly life-saving sustenance to a
late-migrating hummingbird at a time of year when there were few flowers to
provide nectar. Some who feed hummingbirds worry that a feeder left out late in
the fall will keep them from migrating, but the truth is that a late feeder is a
welcome sight to stragglers. The standard advice is to keep nectar feeders going
until two weeks after seeing the last hummingbird.


HAWK DANCE

Q: We saw an unusual sight in our backyard not long ago: A sharp-shinned hawk
caught a house sparrow in our bee balm after several tries, and then placed it
on the grass, but didn't immediately carry it off. Instead, it hopped around the
dead bird for a minute or so, as if it wasn't sure if it wanted it. It finally
did take off with the sparrow. Have you seen or heard anything about this
behavior?

A: I've never seen a sharp-shinned acting in this way but I suspect that the
hawk was a young bird, not all that used to hunting, and maybe not clear on all
the steps involved. After it had caught the sparrow, the sharpie was all
energized and needed to calm down a bit before deciding what to do next, hence
the hopping dance. I've seen both sharp-shins and their cousin, the Cooper's
hawk, jumping up and down on the top of shrubs where smaller birds were
sheltering, and this may have been a version of that activity.


FALL HUMMINGBIRD TRAVEL

Q: I worry about little hummingbirds during fall migration, having to cross the
Gulf of Mexico during hurricanes and tropical storms, which seem to be growing
stronger. Could this affect their population?

ADVERTISEMENT


A: That's a good question, and it is daunting to think of a tiny bird weighing a
tenth of an ounce flying nonstop over 500 miles of open water during a major
storm. But the good news is that advances in bird migration tracking show us
that most of the hummingbirds we see in Minnesota in the summer don't cross the
Gulf in the fall, instead following safer overland routes. According to
hummingbird expert Sheri Williamson, hummingbirds cross the Gulf from the
Yucatan in high numbers in March and April, but avoid this route in the fall.
This is good news for hummingbird fans.


FISHING CROWS

Q: The other day I came across crows doing something I'd never seen before —
they were fishing!

Well, they were picking up tiny fish along the shoreline. Have you ever heard of
this?

A: Crows are so smart and so focused on food, it doesn't surprise me that they
can be fisherbirds. It turns out that this behavior isn't all that infrequent;
there are reports of crows either catching minnows while fluttering over the
water, or by wading into shallow water to snatch them. In the southeastern U.S.,
their range overlaps that of their smaller cousin, the fish crow. The Southern
birds spend a lot of time fishing, and American crows there might be mimicking
them. Either way, it seems very cool to me.


SUET TIMING?

Q: What's a good time to put my suet feeder back outside?

ADVERTISEMENT


A: I'd say the beginning of October is a good time to set your suet feeder out.
If you're offering raw suet, it's cool enough that the suet won't melt and
impair birds' feathers. If you use rendered suet cakes, these don't melt and can
be used all year long.



St. Paul resident Val Cunningham, who volunteers with the St. Paul Audubon
Society and writes about nature for local, regional and national newspapers and
magazines, can be reached at valwrites@comcast.net.





ADVERTISEMENT


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