1 - Goose
- Cogito ergo sum
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Who's at your Feeder?
I bought my wife a bird feeder for Christmas.
We have been enjoying it a great deal. Never thought I would.
Our visiters to western Massachusetts have been:
Chickadees
Juncos
Goldfinches
Tufted titmouse
Red Bellied woodpecker
Hairy woodpecker
Blue jays.
Who's visiting feeders in your area?
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.
- Tarnation
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Re: Who's at your Feeder?
In southern York County I'm stocking two feeders; one with sunflower seed (which I swear is sometimes more a mammal feeder than a brid feeder); one with mixed seed, plus a suet feeder.
This time of the year the cardinals begin to appear, generally in the afternoon. Closer to Valentine's day there will be so many arriving near sunset that I refer to it as "the conclave is beginning".
There are sparrows, nuthatches, chickadees, juncos, downy woodpeckers, hairy woodpeckerrs, occasinally a red headed flicker. Sometimes a blue jay and a very big (scary big) crow.
The squirrels attack the sunflower feeder with a vengeance but they face overnight competition from the raccoons....sometimes as many as half a dozen vying for a place. Turn on the outside lights and make some noise and they scatter.
Many years ago I had a big male cat who saw racoon on the deck and threw himself against the glassp patio door, claws extended and bushy tailed. That raccoon let out a yellow streak and dove off the deck. I've never had another cat that could literally scare the you-know-what out of a raccoon!
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- florentine
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Re: Who's at your Feeder?
We are getting Cardinals, Juncos, Goldfinches, Titmouse, Black Capped-Chickadees, red-headed Finches, two types of woodpeckers...one with a red head, one without and the one is bigger than the other (can't remember which one). I see a Nuthatch in our tree but not at the feeder yet.
- florentine
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Re: Who's at your Feeder?
Goose, the feeders are very entertaining. My husband is enjoying ours. I never thought of him as a "bird person" but he is getting into this.
- Tarnation
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Re: Who's at your Feeder?
Downies are the smallest woodpeckers.
Hairys are the larger version of downies.
The red heads are larger still, and pilleated (Woody Woodpecker) are the largest of all, very rare in our locale, although I know a lady who lives about 3 miles to the SW who has seen them.from time to time.
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- Goose
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Re: Who's at your Feeder?
I'm having a great deal of difficulty determining if one of my visitors is a harry, or downy woodpecker.
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.
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Thread Starter- Tarnation
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Re: Who's at your Feeder?
It is rather hard to tell them apart if you don't have both.
Downies are about 6 - 7 inches, max, and the red streak on the head is very pronounced. Hairies are 8 - 9 inches, and (at least it appears to me) the red is not quite so noticeable.
Downies also make a very sharp "chirp" while perching on a tree....almost like a cardinal call.
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- Rongone
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Re: Who's at your Feeder?
Pretty much the same visitors to my 3 feeders: sparrows, chickadees, nuthatches, cardinals, bluejays, flickers, small woodpeckers, titmouse, a couple pair of goldfinches, doves.
I have all my feeders hanging from tree branches with about 3 feet of clothesline to keep the squirrels out of them. The squirrels still run around on the ground to scarf up any dropped feed.
Also have a small hawk that lingers in the trees around the feeders. I looked it up in my bird book and identified it as a Sharp Shinned Hawk. Apparently, they like to hang around areas where songbirds feed and occasionally swoop down on one of the unsuspecting feeders. I haven't witnessed one of these ambushes yet, but have on a couple occasions noticed a small pile of feathers lying under the feeders when I go out to fill them up.
- flowergirl
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Re: Who's at your Feeder?
Pretty much all the same birds at the feeders. I no longer have a tree to hang feeders from. I found a curved one for fence posts, placed it on a post and tightened it down so it doesn't move and filled it with black sunflower seeds which always attracted bigger birds in the past. Still waiting to see the first bird of any size at it! I've thrown smaller seed on the ground which is attracting all sorts of birds.
- Goose
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Re: Who's at your Feeder?
I had some goldfinches visit the first week the feeder was up, but I haven't seen them since.
Could more aggressive visitors have displaced them, or do they move around?
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.
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