When you walk outside these days, the cooler air and colorful leaves clearly indicate change. You can feel excitement brewing in the forests and fields as animals begin to roam in search of food to fatten up for the upcoming winter challenges. This foraging behavior is not limited to the feathered and furred, though. It also applies to political animals as they grub across the Granite State, fattening up on public support in preparation for the challenging primary season.

Fortunately for the average citizen, now is the time to enjoy the parade of both of these hungry animals. You can put out a birdfeeder and watch wildlife feast right outside your window, or you can attend one of the abundant presidential candidate events and watch politicians work up to a feeding frenzy. Better still, you can do both by enjoying the similarities between some of the most common New Hampshire animals that come to birdfeeders and the candidates running for president. 

First up is the nearly ever-present black-capped chickadee. This diminutive front-runner at the birdfeeder is surprisingly bold for its size. It will hold its ground when approached by humans or predators and often issue disapproving calls at those who have let the sunflower seeds run out. As for presidential candidates, the most chickadee-like is N.Y. Sen. Hillary Clinton. She literally puts the “chick” in the metaphoric political chickadee. Like the small song bird, Clinton shows little fear to her opponents and is ready to scold those who annoy her. She also is a familiar face around the Washington fundraising feeders and can socially flit from branch to branch of government with ease.

On the Republican side, Rudy Giuliani is the scrappy former New York mayor who rose to fame after the 9/11 attacks. His message seems to be resonating with Republicans—he was identified as the fundraising leader in the Grand Old Party after raising more than $11 million in the third quarter. His opportunistic style and ability to horde funds puts him in line with another familiar scrappy success at birdfeeders: the gray squirrel. This common suburban rodent will empty a birdfeeder in minutes, leaving the hungry birds to squawk about his unfair strategies.

Another persistent visitor to New Hampshire birdfeeders is the mourning dove, who quietly picks at seeds that fall to the ground. This common, pleasant looking beige bird is beloved for its peaceful ways and its poignant “woo-wooo, wooo” call in the evenings. A survey of the political candidates quickly reveals that Democrat Dennis Kucinich is the most dove-like. Kucinich is a common sight in presidential races and is an untiring supporter of peace and love. Both the dove and Dennis are liked in the Midwest and have been elected to office—Kucinich as a congressman representing Ohio, and the mourning dove as official symbol of peace in Wisconsin and Michigan. There is some bad news, though. Even though Wisconsin has honored the mourning dove with iconic peace status, the state still has an open hunting season for the birds. Nationwide, doves are hunted in 40 states. Watch out, Dennis.

In New Hampshire, you may look out your window some evening and see a large, gruff, slow moving visitor looking for a handout. It could either be a black bear or Fred Thompson. Both are somewhat unexpected creatures who can screw up the best laid plans. The black bear will tear down the little seed piñatas we call birdfeeders and snarf down all the sunflower seeds, cracked corn and suet a person can provide. Before you know it, you have a backyard bear that poses a constant threat to your well being. Republican Fred Thompson, too, shows up late and steals away the votes from other campaigns. Before you know it, he may have the nomination and you will have to live with him as your candidate. The solution to both problems is to hold back and wait for both to go into hibernation before offering your seeds or votes.

Many other nature/political comparisons can be made. Barack Obama is the smooth-looking, dark-eyed junco, John McCain is the feisty downy woodpecker, John Edwards is the well groomed tufted titmouse, Mitt Romney is the religious Northern cardinal and Ron Paul is the surprisingly successful turkey. The political pecking order is pretty well established. However, a lot can change in the final months before a primary.

Several wrenches often get thrown into bird feeding and politics. Predatory birds like hawks often stake out birdfeeders and prey upon the unsuspecting birds that gather there. The most common feeder hawk is the sharp-shinned, which is a blue jay-sized bird with a slender body, long tail and short wings. Its diet is 95 percent song bird, making it the number one threat at the birdfeeder. New Hampshire Audubon provides some suggestions on its Web site to deal with a sharp-shinned hawk that has bellied up to a birdfeeeding buffet. You can scare the bird off by either running outside and screaming, or simply slamming a door or window. The site also notes that “hawks are a protected species and it is illegal to harm them in any way. They are an essential element in the natural world, keeping rodent populations in check and forcing their prey to hone the characteristics they need to survive.”

The same is true for the political hawk counterpart: the protester. Like hawks, protesters show up wherever politicians gather. Armed with challenging opinions, the protesters are an essential element to the democratic world. They keep politicians honest and force them to be accounatable for their actions. It is also important to note that protestors are a protected species and it is illegal to harm them in any way, too. Although they may threaten your favorite candidate with a sign or an annoying chant, rest assured that nature intended their presence.

To learn more about bird feeding in New Hampshire, check out the New Hampshire Audubon Web site at www.nhaudubon.org.

To learn more about the candidates, check out “Primary Place” on the New Hampshire Public Radio Web site at www.nhpr.org.