Winter 2020 What is happening at your feeders?

[Kevin]

Winter 2020 What is happening at your feeders?

[Kevin]

I have had a feeder with black sunflower seeds out for over three months. And I have not seen a bird at it. In the last three days AMGOs have found it! They are plowing through seeds.

[Charlie Spencer]

1 minute ago, Kevin said:

I have had a feeder with black sunflower seeds out for over three months. And I have not seen a bird at it. In the last three days AMGOs have found it! They are plowing through seeds.

It's interesting you haven't had any activity with your sunflower until now.  In hindsight, there are a couple of possible step that might have increased the birds' attention

When putting out a new feeder, it makes sense to start with it only a quarter or a third full.  A feeder full of uneaten seed can go bad pretty quickly; if it's gets damp from rain or sprinklers, it can go bad in less than a month.  If you don't see much traffic in the first couple of weeks, dump it and replace with fresh.  Starting with only a small amount means you'll save money if  you have to dump it.  

It also helps to scatter a couple handfuls of seed on the ground when you put out a new feeder.  Birds know that if they're finding seed on the ground, it must be coming from somewhere above.  Even if the birds picking it up are strictly ground feeders, other birds will see them and look for the source.

You may already know all this; hopefully it will help someone else.

[Charlie Spencer]

I have only a few Yellow-Rumps this season; normally I have 4 to 8 at a time throughout the day.  I'm seeing only one at a time, and not every day.

Pine Warblers are picking up the slack.  I normally only 1 or 2 of them daily, but this year I'm getting 4 or 6 at a time.  It's like they coordinated with the Butter Butts to swap off their schedules.

I've had a couple of Eastern Towhees every morning this year.  I don't know if they're normally out there at the crack of dawn and dusky twilight every year and I'm just now noticing them, or if this pair is an anomaly and I should't expect them in the future.

Everything else is the standard stuff showing up at feeders in SC in the winter - chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, bluebirds, cardinals, Blue Jays, woodpeckers (Downy and Red-Tummied), doves, mocks, finches (House and Gold), kinglets, etc.

[JP48]

Interesting question.  My feeders (northern VT) have been fairly normally occupied (suet, peanuts, a mix with mainly sunflower seed, and some finch feed), but I have heard from others around that they have gone through stretches with very little feeder activity.  I suspect weather rather than lack of birds.  There have been very few cold temperatures and very little snow (compared to normal) so far this winter, so I expect the birds are finding plenty to eat elsewhere.

Yesterday I kept track for two hours and saw a total of 6 birds in 5 species.  I went away for a half hour and came back to over 20 birds in 9 species out there at the same time.  It all evens out, I guess.

[tclarkwood]

Late fall and early winter has been lower activity than last year for me.   Mostly resident birds with a few visitors.  Not as many juncos.  No goldfinches. No siskins. 

Some warblers and chipping sparrows but my migratory visitors are definitely down so far this winter. 

[chipperatl]

Number of species has been relatively normal.  Junco numbers are down severally.  No doubt due to lack of snow so far this winter in the state.  No Pine Siskin this year, and Carolina Wren has not shown up.  

[jcarscadden]

I have had less birds this year than any other...for months.  One possible reason is a neighborhood cat  - been seen in our back yard often and it may be scaring birds away  though the feeders are well placed to avoid predators.

 

[Paul Albany, NY]

We have put feeders out for the first time in years. First we put out a small tube feeder squirrel proof type. And then we put out a platform feeder with a cover. We have what they call northeastern mix in the tube feeder and black oil sunflower and Safflower seeds in the platform feeder.

Initially we got a lot of chickadees and Junko’s. Later we got a lot of goldfinches, scaring the chickadees and junkos away. Eventually the chickadees are the junkers seem to be able to feed at the same time as the goldfinches. We’ve counted 15 or more goldfinches on our feeder at a time. I’ve been wondering why are there so many goldfinches around this time of year?

We’ve also put suet out in our willow trees. We’ve gotten Downey woodpecker’s, chickadees, junco’s, Blue jays and red bellied woodpecker’s on the suet.

We’ve also have had one or two tufted titmice on the platform feeder, the tube feeder and the suet.

Paul

near Albany, NY

[Kevin]

Welcome to Whatbird! 

On 2/14/2020 at 9:30 AM, Paul Albany, NY said:

We have put feeders out for the first time in years. First we put out a small tube feeder squirrel proof type. And then we put out a platform feeder with a cover. We have what they call northeastern mix in the tube feeder and black oil sunflower and Safflower seeds in the platform feeder.

Initially we got a lot of chickadees and Junko’s. Later we got a lot of goldfinches, scaring the chickadees and junkos away. Eventually the chickadees are the junkers seem to be able to feed at the same time as the goldfinches. We’ve counted 15 or more goldfinches on our feeder at a time. I’ve been wondering why are there so many goldfinches around this time of year?

We’ve also put suet out in our willow trees. We’ve gotten Downey woodpecker’s, chickadees, junco’s, Blue jays and red bellied woodpecker’s on the suet.

We’ve also have had one or two tufted titmice on the platform feeder, the tube feeder and the suet.

Paul

near Albany, NY