Our Daily Bird 43: Birds & Berries

I love viewing and photographing colourful berries at this time of year.

David's daily bird made me wonder: if I were a bird, which berries would I consider chocolate, and which ones, brussels sprouts?

Arbutus unedo (Strawberry tree)
Vancouver, BC, November 2010

Callicarpa, possibly C.bodinieri (Beautyberry)
Vancouver, BC, November 2010

Cotoneaster horizontalis (shrub with red berries) & Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper, which produces blue-black berries)
Chilliwack, BC, October 2010

Euonymus europaeus (Euopean spindle tree)
Vancouver, BC, September 2010

Cornus kousa (Dogwood)
Vancouver, BC, September 2010

Lonicera periclymenum (honeysuckle)
Vancouver, BC, September 2010

Symphoricarpos albus (Common snowberry)
Vancouver, BC, August 2010

Nandina domestica (heavenly bamboo)
Vancouver BC, November 2009

I found some answers to my question in these resources:

BirdForum, Which berries do birds prefer?

Landscape Ontario, Inviting birds to your garden

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (UK) Birds and berries

Wildlife gardening, Feeding the birds

Comments

[FSMichaels]

Love the beautyberry! Put one in my garden a few weeks ago after seeing it in person. Hoping it survives the winter -

[Elaine]

I do love it, too, and I hope yours survives the winter. What zone are you?

I believe the one in the photo is Callicarpa bodinier var. giraldii 'Profusion'. Paghat's Garden (one of my favourite gardening sites) has a description of it: http://www.paghat.com/beautyberry.html

[FSMichaels]

Zone 6 - beautyberry is covered in snow now. Here's hoping - and btw, you take beautiful pictures -
where did you get a chance to take all of those?

[Elaine]

Hi, Fern -- I hope so, too. I think if the snow stays, it may insulate them. It's a plant I want to learn more about so I'll let you know what I discover.

I take all photos during my walks with Piper, so these photos are from my immediate neighbourhood and the False Creek seawall, which begins about 10 minutes walking distance from my door.

Thanks for the kind words about the photos. I highly recommend the Canon 50mm/1.4 lens, though I think a zoom lens might be better for some of these subjects.