Daily Visitors In Decline

[MeInDallas]

I know we are coming upon fall harvest time when numbers drop, and I was wondering if anyone is seeing this yet? This same time last year was when I noticed the decrease, and I'm starting to see it again. Up until now it seemed like there were always one or two birds around somewhere, but I have noticed this past week after some summer rains, there are long periods when I see nothing at all. This summer went by really fast for me!

[Charlie Spencer]

Well, let me look out the back door.  I filled the feeders on Sunday.  Three weeks ago they'd be empty by Thursday, but today they're still around half full.  So I'd say things are slowing down here in central SC.

(This is another good reason to track your sightings in eBird.  You can compare trends from one year to the next.  This has been an unsolicited public service announcement.)

[MeInDallas]

I'll have to check eBird out. Not sure what it is.  My feeder holds 5 pounds, and I cant even remember when I added seed to it last. They used to plow thru it in a matter of days.

[Charlie Spencer]

@MeInDallas, eBird is a web site run by Cornell U., which has one of the top ornithology schools.  You can create an account and record your bird sightings.  There are also apps available to record sightings using a phone or tablet when you're in the field.

The advantage to you is it gives you a free place to record your sightings electronically, and to retrieve the data in a variety of ways - by species, location, date, etc.  The advantage to Cornell is your sightings are combined with millions of others every year to reveal population and behavior trends over time (such as when birds start migrating out of central Texas  ).

If you're interested or have questions about using the site, send me a private message.

https://ebird.org/

 

[MeInDallas]

Cool I'll check that out!! I'm familiar with Cornell, I watch their bird cams on Youtube. I'll have to go look because it would be a good way to keep track. I thought about writing stuff down but it would just be another pile on this desk 

[Charlie Spencer]

If you haven't seen them yet, you might be interested in these Cornell-produced tutorials.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/building-skills-the-4-keys-to-bird-identification/

[Charlie Spencer]

I saw my first Pine Warbler of the season at my suet feeder Sunday.

[Dan]

Last 2 weeks of August my visitors declined 90%+, picking back up since 9/1.    I guess could be migration thing, or something more-natural-and-yummy-than-my feeder-food came out in the area for a few weeks.   Or the hawks are hanging around more. 

Edited September 10, 2018 by Dan

[mossyhorn]

This is pretty much what I've been seeing at my feeder in South Central Pa.

 

[JP48]

Interesting.  I don't normally put out bird feed until sometime in late October or early November (possibility of black bears), but this year there were birds hanging around my empty feeders by mid-September (northwestern Vermont, still very much summer here).  I put out some leftover seed from last winter and they went right through it.  Bought some more, and it feels like I'm filling the feeders twice as often as last year.  The regulars, chickadees, nuthatches, titmice, cardinals, bluejays, some House Finches, and some less normal ones like Purple Finches, Carolina Wren and Red Breasted Nuthatch.  Yesterday I had my first Dark-eyed Junco of the season.  I put out peanuts a couple of days ago and have been getting Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers.  Haven't even started with suet yet.