One bird, a mourning dove, sat atop Mom’s squirrel-proof feeder. They’re on the edge of being able to use that feeder since they weigh just about enough to close the seed chamber if they sit on the perch. Since they’re ground feeders generally, this isn’t a problem and I’m not sure why this one was sitting on the feeder’s roof.
A White-breasted nuthatch flew up to the perch. The mourning dove looked at him with one eye, head cocked, over the edge of the roof.
The Nuthatch swiveled around the perch so he was hanging upside down from the perch and opened up his wings wide and made all sorts of threatening, look-how-big-I-am-or-maybe-I’m-a-bat, sort of gestures at the dove. He did this for several minutes popping up a couple times into normal position on the perch and then rotating around again.
Mom and I were so fascinated by this that neither of us thought to try and grab a photo through the window…
Yes we just enjoyed the show.
I can understand being fascinated. We get the same way when there’s a squirrel to squirrel or chipmunk to chipmunk or even a bird vs squirrel confrontation on our deck. Sometimes there are even angered sound effects from one participant or both. Cat TV!