Bird-world brawl like schoolhouse fight

Early this morning, something odd was going on in the garden, and I never really got a handle on the situation.

I was outside dead-heading some of the butterfly bushes, when I noticed a flurry of blue under the dogwood tree. Two male bluebirds were having a terrible fight, and a third male was sitting on top of the box watching the fireworks.

Suddenly, the two fighting birds flew up and engaged the watcher in a heated encounter. Now the trio was on the ground, squawking, pecking and fluttering.

The noise attracted an immature robin who had been busy with his morning bath. He joined the fray, and all four birds were going at it, beak and claw, on the damp grass.

Small birds began to fly down from the nearby oak trees. The nuthatch was content merely to observe the problem. A titmouse, however, was inspired to swoop down and make a pass at the robin. A Carolina wren hopped up on a branch and began to fuss in a loud voice.

The whole scene brought back memories of the days when I taught in junior high school. Every once in a while, hormones would run rampant, and those words dreaded by every teacher, “fight, fight,” would ring through the halls. Students would pour to the scene like bees streaming from a hive. None of the teachers understood this morbid fascination because all of us wished that we were somewhere else.

As quickly as it began, the fight would sputter out as an administrator appeared and hauled the combatants to the dim confines of the office. With much buzzing and whispering, the audience would gradually disperse.

That is more or less what happened this morning. A bluejay streaked toward the fuss and, as if on cue, the ball of birds untangled itself, and each one flew off in a different direction. The nuthatch left, and the titmouse went to the feeder and started throwing seeds around. The Carolina wren, after a few muffled complaints, disappeared into the holly bush.

I just stood there and tried to think of an explanation for what I’d witnessed. Since I had not seen any female, I doubt that they were fighting over nesting space. Why did the robin insert himself into what was obviously a bluebird argument, and what inspired the titmouse to divebomb somebody twice his size? I guess that, like adolescent boys, birds sometimes have hormone problems, too.

News and notes
The hummingbirds are increasing at the feeders as the birds that nested farther to the north begin to move through our area. We usually reach a peak on the number of hummingbirds around the first week of August. During hot weather, check the feeders often and replace the sugar-water every three or four days.