Innovative Dunnock?

[A McLee]

In winter the gizzard of Dunnocks becomes more muscular to digest seeds which are a now a major component of diet - a well established fact. So I am not surprised to see them below my red millet feeder collecting seed dropped by sparrows. I was surprised to see one which had learned to fly up and feed directly from the feeder itself - cutting out the middle man so to speak.
I have never thought of the species as being particularly innovative -anyone else seen such behaviour.
Ali McLee

[ADAM PHILLIPS]

About 10 years ago we were in Aviemore and pulled into a car park so the wife and kids could go into a shop. I stayed in the camper and while there I watched a group of sparrows that were waiting for cars to park up. As soon as the people had left the sparrows went to the front of the car and cleaned the dead insects off the bumpers and grills. I watched them for about half an hour and they worked their way round every new car that came in and cleaned the front. I thought they were quite clever and had never seen that before. I have since watched them in a couple of places doing the same thing but not locally. Has anyone else seen this.
Adam

[ETJ]

Dunnocks quite regularly use the feeders in my garden.  They usually prefer sunflower hearts but do take the smaller items from a seed mixture as well.

This table shows the number of recorded visits by Dunnocks to the feeders in 2015 (recorded mostly while I'm having breakfast) :

           Mixed seed    Sunflower hearts
Jan             0                     10
Feb             0                     21
Mar             2                     20
Apr             4                     15
May            0                       3
Jun             3                       1
Jul              8                     17
Aug            4                     13
Sep            1                       0
Oct             0                       0
Nov            0                       1
Dec            1                       0

The pattern of consumption varies from year to year, and the winter figures can be higher than shown here.  The mixed seed comsumption can also be higher.

Eric

[Lockhart]

Nothing to do with dunnocks, but Teesside is the only place I've seen blackbirds use hanging feeders.