Dominance

21 JANUARY, 2025

As I have been trying to make my yard a more welcoming space for the birds who like to frequent my trees, I have also been doing what I can to help them feel less threatened by my presence. It's a work in progress, and not needing to wear a loud, heavy coat will be an improvement once the weather warms up, but for now I'm impressed with the progress I've made. When I first started stepping outside to snap photos of the little visitors, the birds would flee the moment I turned the door knob; today, I am able to open the door, walk across my patio, and even step foot in the grass - unless it's Chikadees I'm after, as they are very nervous little guys - before they spook.

With this handsome Dark-Eyed Junco, I managed to creep up within just a few feet of him without causing a stir. He brought a few friends who proceeded to nervously hop around on the fence & rose bush, but for the several minutes that I watched him he sat with a fluffy, puffed-up chest, undisturbed by my presence. He stayed like this, surveying the yard and ignoring me entirely, until a Bluebird landed nearby and he decided to fly off with his companions.