Where are the birds?

Wow...I fill my feeder every day!

I had it down for about two months because the chippies were raiding it. I thought the birds would have rediscovered it by now

It's prob going to take awhile

just got some more food for the feeder, they wait for DH to fill it then come to feed.

Just curious what others have to pay for food in different areas?
I just got 25lbs safflower 17.95
25lbs sunflower 11.95
5lbs thistle 5.95

That is a bargain for the sunflower, it's 21.95 for 25lbs at drs foster and smith...I haven't bought thistle and safflower in awhile, don't feel like looking for the receipt, LOL

luvs, I think you're doing pretty good. I haven't bought in the larger amounts that would get me to/ nearer those proces. My store sells from a bin per pound and cheaper in bigger bulk. Offhand I really can't say what I paid.

the feed store I go to has them in 50lb bags too even a bit cheaper I just don't have anywhere to store all of it. I guess I could put it in bins up in the shed but can't always get to that in the winter. The 25lb bag fills a small metal can I have sitting on the porch and the critters can't get into it.

50 pounds sounds like a lot in September but it goes fast in January.

I can't lift the large bags anymore.....I buy the smaller bags of "No waste".....no shells....it's very expensive, but it saves me raking a ton of shells in the spring.....

First year in over 30 that we had no Cardnials winter over?

I have 2-3 pairs of cardinals daily at my sunflower feeder, but just the occasional blue jay (whom I call "the beautiful bully").

Tons of smaller birds, but I'm concerned about my sweet little Carolina wrens, I put snacks out for them, but this particular winter (large snow-pack) is perhaps beyond their genetic adaptability.

I like the shelled SF for the spring and summer, no mess but it is pricey. I just filled the feeder and was thinking what a job I will have come spring on the clean up.

We always have a good amount of cardinal pairs. I haven't seen or heard the wren for a while though.(?) Love the Blue Jays,they go crazy for the peanuts but so do the squirrels!

I just paid $20.00 for 50lbs of black oil sunflower seeds.

That's about what I pay at HD.

Some famous ornithologist was killed in a car crash in PA. He worked at the Carnegie Museum of Nat History.

Oh, no....I probably wouldn't recognize the name, but a lot of folks in our local Audubon society are big time birders, & I'm sure they would....heard my red bellied yesterday, but didn't see him....glad he's around though.

Thats too bad, wonder if the crash was weather related. Wouldn't surprise me.

Every morning lately I have a larger woodpecker come and eat for awhile.

after he leaves the little one appears....it's nice that they take turns. ^_^

We got seed, Niger, Sunflower etc - we do not have the birds that we should.

Hi, just to pipe in, I'm feeding suet cakes, safflower seed, wild bird mix and thistle. I don't buy the sunflower because the chipmunks and squirrels like it too much. Also I tend to have house sparrows that I want to discourage. I've gotten cardinals this year, a variety of wood peckers, finches, titmice, wrens, and others. So, my bird counts are pretty normal. I pay about the same as everyone else, depending on where I pick up the food.

Hi Candy! Pixie, your larger woody is the female downy, males are smaller & have the red in back of their head. My red bellied joined me at the feeder for breakfast this morning....made my day!

Pixie, aren't those little guys cute? I love getting woodpeckers. My suet is inside a big cage, however, to keep the squirrels off. They learned to reach into the other feeder and cleaned me out of suet in a day. Now, they just persistently try to get to it and scare the birds off in the process, but they can't actually eat anything except what falls on the snow.

i am told by my better half that we had 23 turkeys in the yard jumping up from the snow to get too small crab apples and hanging at the base of the feeders today - of course this can not be confirmed because she did not bother to take a picture!! :)

Of course

but you know she is right because those of us guided by estrogen are always right ^_^

and the tracks left in the snow under the crab apple - she said they were hopping up to get at them - that would have been a cool action shot

What a horrible winter for the animals....saw a deer yesterday trying to get through frozen ice banks.....that turkey shot would have been a winner, Bill!

Amazing how hard the ice top of the snow is. My son was walking on it without it breaking!

That's nothing...I was walking on it without it breaking.And driving home yesterday I watched a tiny deer struggling to get through, gave him a bunch of gold stars for being alive. Just a couple of weeks ago it was twice as high, he's still here and looked fairly healthy. I know deer are the nemesis of many gardeners but I couldn't help but feel good for the little guy.

are song sparrows migratory? I am hearing one a lot this morning, suddenly.

Morning. About the snow top, it's so hard here I can walk on it. Amazing. And, all my feeders were completely empty today. I was out all day yesterday so didn't get to see who was emptying them. We're supposed to get warming temperatures and snow, but not much.

The birds are beginning to sing again according to our nature columnist....he said the cardinals begin first, but I haven't heard them yet...Peterson's map shows song sparrows here all winter, Sally, but I haven't seen any....did see a robin yesterday, but I believe he was here all winter......

Interesting- I noticed a cardinal giving its full song today too.

Had a Carolina Wren singing earlier this week.

Heard a few birds chirping today while out for my walk, couldn't spot them though.....

Took a good walk along the river and hear really zero chirping, but did hear a great horned owl calling, a lot, 1 pm mid- day.

There was a beautiful sunrise this morning and while I was taking photos, the chickadees were calling to each other. I love their little whistle.

Where's the pics of the sunrise? I too was up taking pictures. ^_^

And watching the woodpecker again, he's a punctual visitor. :)