OK, Birdwatchers...what's going on?

npalen · Jan 10, 2014

Nuthatch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
We do see a pair of these in the backyard.

TSO · Jan 11, 2014

We've got a nice winter mix at our feeder this year. Seeing alot of:

Gold Finch
Purple Finch
Nuthatch
Junco (slate)
Chickadee
Cardinals
Blue Jays
Grossbeak
Downey Woodpecker
Red bellied Woodpecker

The finches are funny ... they'll take over a feeder and just sit there, at all the perches, seemingly just to block out the other birds.

2LaneCruzer · Jan 11, 2014

TSO said:
We've got a nice winter mix at our feeder this year. Seeing alot of:

Gold Finch
Purple Finch
Nuthatch
Junco (slate)
Chickadee
Cardinals
Blue Jays
Grossbeak
Downey Woodpecker
Red bellied Woodpecker

The finches are funny ... they'll take over a feeder and just sit there, at all the perches, seemingly just to block out the other birds.

I have devised a mix of bird seed that seems to attract a real variety of birds. It consists roughly of about 85/90% Sunflower seed; the remainder consisting of a mix of Chicken scratch, Finch mix and Quail grass seed. It's amazing how many different birds visit the feeder, although I have never seen Bluebirds or Robins eat out of it. Doves won't eat out of it either, but they do get the leavings on the ground. I have actually seen Turkeys eating out of the feeder, but it's a bit awkward.

Squirrels and Raccoons like it too, and they can consume 10 X more in a day than the birds, so I put my feeder on a pole with a squirrel guard on it.

Thanks for the input, guys. I think I have actually learned a bit of bird lore from all of this.

rekees4300 · Jan 11, 2014

Story on TV about Snowy Owls being seen as far south as Florida.

Snowy Owls Make Mysterious Migration | LiveScience

deerseeker001 · Jan 11, 2014

i seen this on the news seems strange we have had the snowy owls in Wisconsin and Illinois but never heard them going any further south.

rekees4300 said:
Story on TV about Snowy Owls being seen as far south as Florida.

Snowy Owls Make Mysterious Migration | LiveScience

Ridgewalker · Jan 11, 2014

I've got a feeder outside my home office window and keep a list
of the types of birds I see in our valley. I'm up to 25 or so at the moment.

We have the same mix as most; Juncos, Finches, Cardinals, Bluebirds, Titmouse
Chickadees, Doves etc with nice mix of peckerwoods including a pair of Pileateds.
We also have a Wren and a few Bluejays. It's an interesting mix.

Add to that the 15-20 turkeys we see everyday. It's wonderful living in the woods!

deerseeker001 · Jan 11, 2014

we have had chickadee nuthatch doves wood peckers all winter now just showed up are finches for the first time since fall.

/pine · Jan 11, 2014

...I have never seen Bluebirds or Robins eat out of it...

they are mostly insect eaters like wrens...if you want to attract bluebirds get some meal worm feed...if the worms are dried they wont bother with them but once the worms get wet and re-hydrated they will come and eat...

Also, suet blocks attract other insect eaters as well...woodpeckers, flickers etc...when it's cold a lot of seed eaters will also visit the suet blocks...

npalen · Jan 11, 2014

We've been trying to identify a species that we see at the backyard birdbath very infrequently. They will come in as a flock to have a drink and then disappear quickly as if they were busy migrating. They are about the size of a robin but speckled all over in a brown/tan/black if I recall correctly.
Can anyone give me a clue as to what the species may be?

rekees4300 · Jan 11, 2014

npalen said:
We've been trying to identify a species that we see at the backyard birdbath very infrequently. They will come in as a flock to have a drink and then disappear quickly as if they were busy migrating. They are about the size of a robin but speckled all over in a brown/tan/black if I recall correctly.
Can anyone give me a clue as to what the species may be?

Starlings?

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