Black headed grosbeaks this time of year come sporadically to the yard to eat seed. The air is filled right now with a lot of tiny insects so for a lot of the day they are out eating bugs.
This one stopped by for a bit yesterday. There are still nuthatches, house finches, flickers and chickadees around. I especially like when a flock of pigeons come to the yard because they pick up a lot of the seed that the other birds throw out of the feeders on to the ground.
He finally saw me taking his photo and then jumped down to the ground.
I learned something yesterday. I was watching a squirrel up in a cedar incense tree and she was eating the bark of branches. This is something I didn't know they do. I thought they were all about nuts and seeds. Cedar Incense trees have a really soft wood and they must supply some type of nourishment for the squirrels.
In one photo you can see her "finger" start to pick off some wood.
This one stopped by for a bit yesterday. There are still nuthatches, house finches, flickers and chickadees around. I especially like when a flock of pigeons come to the yard because they pick up a lot of the seed that the other birds throw out of the feeders on to the ground.
He finally saw me taking his photo and then jumped down to the ground.
I learned something yesterday. I was watching a squirrel up in a cedar incense tree and she was eating the bark of branches. This is something I didn't know they do. I thought they were all about nuts and seeds. Cedar Incense trees have a really soft wood and they must supply some type of nourishment for the squirrels.
In one photo you can see her "finger" start to pick off some wood.
So this is what I found when I did a quick research
Squirrels use bark in their nests. When bark is removed from trees, the cambium layer with sugars and nutrients is exposed. Squirrels often eat that layer when other food is scarce, particularly in the winter. Chewing on bark can also maintain the health of a squirrel's teeth
