Strange bird feeding behavior at White Mountain Estates

Observers: Andy Zdon
Email: mtnbooks@yahoo.com
Remote Name: 71.160.165.20
Date: 07/19/2006
Time: 04:04 PM -0400

Sighting

Yesterday below the feeders on the ground, i noticed a fledged House Finch actively calling out for food (with the usual wing-fluttering). Interestingly enough, a nearby male Brewer's Blackbird started feeding the bird and actively kept placing seed in the mouth of the finch for about 5 minutes. When I say active, I mean active enough that I began to think enough is enough, how much food can you shove down the bird's throat?? Any feedback on this kind of behavior would be appreciated. Was this just an instinctive impulse to feed a young bird, or was the blackbird just trying to get the bird to shut up. Last year I had a house finch shove food into a calling young Lesser Goldfinch.