Birds have disappeared!

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fpk473 Bloomfield Hills, MI Jul 08, 2019

I'm experiencing something strange this summer. I live in southeastern Michigan and have a small garden with two bird feeders. One has safflower seeds (keeps squirrels out) and the other with niger seeds. Every year I have birds at both feeders, sometimes a feeding frenzy! This year, the only birds showing up are my regular Cardinal couple and a few sparrows. That's it! The niger seed feeder is not getting any birds and I used to have lots of yellow and red finches but I haven't seen a single one this year. We had a lot of rain in past months, but nowhere near what other parts of the country have had. Yes, the feeders were cleaned and fresh seed is in both. Does anyone have any idea what happened? I'm really upset about it but don't know what to do. Thanks.

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ViburnumValley Scott County, KY(Zone 5b) Jul 13, 2019

Ample birds here.

Does anyone in your neighborhood have outdoor cats? They usually are pretty tough on backyard bird populations, and will soon learn to stay away from where they are preyed upon.

The feeder birds around the Valley appreciate plenty of cover to escape to when they feel threatened. Also, places to nest as well as collect food for their young will also support more of these bird species.

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fpk473 Bloomfield Hills, MI Jul 22, 2019

No outdoor cats in my neighborhood. Since I posted I have seen a few more sparrows and one - just one - goldfinch. I'm still at a loss to explain this. One possibility I thought of is whether the awful weather we have been having all over the country this year has affected the migration patterns of some bird populations. And whether the non-migrating birds suffered more losses than normal. We had a pretty brutal winter. Grabbing at straws here. Thanks.

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