Birdfeeding

[ysabetwordsmith]

My partner shoveled off the back step and part of the patio.   It's still snowing a little.

I fed the birds.  When I lifted the hopper feeder, a male cardinal flew off the back side of it!  He was that reluctant to stop eating, he hadn't realized I was there.  LOL  They're swarming the feeders.  I'll probably need to refill those at least once today.  Usually I just put out a scoop and wait until the next day.  But right now, most of the wild food is covered, though I figure some are probably foraging berries on twigs and seeds from tall weeds.  I'll keep the feeders full to make it easier.

I've seen a large flock of sparrows, a flock of mourning doves, several cardinals, and a dark-eyed junco.  I'm starting to think that poor junco got separated from a flock somehow.  We have them some years, and not in others.  They're flocking birds and act a lot like sparrows.  It's rare to see one alone. 

EDIT 2/3/22 -- I spotted two dark-eyed juncos together, both male, and another in a different place that might be female.  I'm glad they have a little flock at least.

EDIT 2/3/22 -- After lunch, I refilled the birdfeeders again.  Most were empty or close to it.  The birds have been at them all day in varying numbers.  Presently a flock of sparrows, two dark-eyed juncos, several mourning doves, several cardinals, and a starling.

Comments

[tarasacon]

We had the hooded version of the dark-eyed juncos year-round in California, and I loved watching the groups of them scouring the grassy areas of campus. They are cute little birds! I hadn’t realized they were coast to coast at least part of the year!

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Here we have the kind that is black on top and white underneath, though the females are more of a brownish-gray on top.

This is a good place to look up birds:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Dark-eyed_Junco

Re: Yes ...

[tarasacon]

It’s my go-to site for bird information, and I have their app, too! :)

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Bird apps have gotten quite good, and there are others for things like trees and wildflowers.

[thatwasjustadream]

I'm glad for your juncos! They aren't flashy but are very cute.

My red-bellied woodpecker was back today! And it had a mini-me in tow, half its size!

I feel lucky to have a cardinal family visiting, too.

Do you know of feeders for ground feeders that might keep things a little cleaner/neater? I shoveled a ton of seed-filled snow today and while it doesn't bother me, I don't want to presume. It's a shared porch and there is a LOT of seed the various birdies have kicked around the last month. It's been too cold to get in front of cleaning it up.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I'm glad for your juncos! They aren't flashy but are very cute. <<

I think they look very smart in their black-and-white suits. :D Some years we have as many of them as sparrows, but I haven't seen many this year.

>> My red-bellied woodpecker was back today! And it had a mini-me in tow, half its size!<<

Yay!

>> I feel lucky to have a cardinal family visiting, too. <<

That's good. Cardinals in town often wander around to find who's putting out the good seed.

Here we have many pairs because the yard is a mix of trees, bushes, and open space. There's a tall hedge around the south lot, and the cardinal pairs divide it up, with one pair every 20-30 feet or so. They also love the Midwinter Grove which is made of evergreens.

>>Do you know of feeders for ground feeders that might keep things a little cleaner/neater? I shoveled a ton of seed-filled snow today and while it doesn't bother me, I don't want to presume. It's a shared porch and there is a LOT of seed the various birdies have kicked around the last month. It's been too cold to get in front of cleaning it up.<<

Problems include:

* Birds will kick around to separate things they like less from things they like more.

* Once the seed has been removed, the hulls are light and blow around easily.


Possible solutions:

* Look for a ground feeder with tall sides around the feeding tray. These are sometimes available to discourage critters like rabbits from getting into birdseed.

https://www.duncraft.com/common/images/products/large/Q4842R_zoom.jpg

* Add tall sides with plastic, metal, etc. inside the frame of the base.

* Serve a single type of food at a time. Sunflowers seeds are very popular with many species.

* Serve something without shells, like hulled peanuts or cracked corn.

* Diversify your offerings. Adding a suet cage, peanut feeder, or corncob holder a few feet away from the porch might reduce the traffic, and thus the mess.