Backyard birds, pretty quiet

[Dinusaur]

The male cardinal started singing this morning (must be the blues!), earliest I've ever heard him, otherwise only sparrows and chickadees at the feeder.

Singing? I guess no, he was probably complaining about bitter cold.

[Meese]

My 5 year old and I set up feeders for the first time ever in early December so I'm not sure if we are going to seem quiet or busy to all of you but it sure has been exciting for us!

We have 4 male and 4 females cardinals and have actually seen them all at the same time!
We have 2 blue jays.
More chickadees, juncos and sparrows than I can count.
A pair of downy woodpeckers.
Two nuthatches.
Some American Goldfinch (i'm pretty sure)
Mourning doves every now and again.
And a Varied Thrush (which I posted a thread with pictures on here yesterday to confirm because it seemed weird we would get so lucky!)

The favourite around here so far is the male downy woodpecker.  My son thinks it's cool that the daddy woodpecker is a ginger just like his daddy lol

[Napper]

Had a Common Redpoll visit our feeders this morning in the back yard, It was mixed in with 4 or 5 American Goldfinch's and the House Finch's

Out front I spotted a Coopers hawk fly between houses and land in a tree across the street.

I can hear a Grackle but its hidden in a tree somewhere near where the Coopers hawk was lurking.

Napper Milton

[Dinusaur]

I noticed how quiet my feeders at the backyard are. Apart from a pair of cardinals nothing else to report. Looks like my fair weather feathered friends have moved on.

[Napper]

Early this afternoon things are picking up
Junco's singing their spring song
Cardinal's singing away
Large group of Noisy Blue Jays
Robin's calling
A few Grackles

Napper Milton

[Napper]

Was in and out the front door hundreds of times  yesterday and today as our renovations never end  :roll: .

The neigbourhood is filled with Grackles, Jays,
Robins, More Am Goldfinch's and a lot more House Finch's.
There seems to many more Cardinalsl around as well and of course
they are all singing at the same time.
Spotted a Turkey vulture fending off Crows in Downtown Milton today and
I heard a Song Sparrow this  morning out the back yard.

Napper

[Axeman]

Thanks Napper re: Mr. Snowy....another winter passes.....no snowy sighing for me.

[Howieh]

Thanks Napper re: Mr. Snowy....another winter passes.....no snowy sighing for me.

Me too but maybe we can get to Col Sam before the last one leaves?  Anyway, things are suddenly picking up in the back yard - several goldfinches, downy woodpeckers, a fox sparrow, grackles, robins and 2 juncos along with the usual suspects, chickadees, house sparrows, squirrels (red, black and grey) and 2 chipmonks (can't wait to pull their tails while they're robbing my feeder!)

[Napper]

There was a Chipmunk on our deck this morning which is pretty rare for us.
Spotted a Chipping Sparrow this morning.
I heard a Northern Flicker yesterday and spotted one in our tree today. Flickers
never stick around here for long as they pass thru.

Lots of activity yesterday and today.

Friday morning at 4:30 am Am Robin's singing away first time this year.

Napper

[Axeman]

There are snows at Col Sam ? I think that I can do....

How are you guys operating your feeders now that....hibernating animals are awake ?

No chipmunks yet up here in West Grey....but the TV's are back in numbers and so are the RWB's.

[Howieh]

My el-cheapo Cdn Tire green gazebo feeder is on a seven foot shepherds hook which the larger squirrels have no trouble climbing (You should see that guilty look when I catch them sitting on the bend above the feeder!) but the red squirrels and the chipmunks have to wait until the end of April when it gets replaced by the hummingbird feeder. I move it to a spot where the smaller rodents have easy access but I only use about a cup of mixed feed a day (Wild bird feed and black oil sunflower(?) seeds) so everyone's welcome and tough luck when it's cleaned out - o well, tomorrow's another day! Btw, I wasn't kidding about the chipmonks; when they are feeding (filling their cheeks actually) on the side away from me, I can walk right up and stroke their backs, gently shake their tails, etc. and I have the videos to prove it! I'm pretty lazy but now that the outside temperatures are increasing I occasionally grease the pole with vaseline which works well against the squirrels for a few days.

When the hummingbird feeder goes up I cut the bottom off a 500ml water bottle, punch a hole in the middle, slide it about halfway up the pole and fill it with water to create a moat that is one hundred percent effective against ants. I also use home made 500ml bottle traps when the wasps show up; not as effective but pretty good anyway. It won't be long now - the hummers are about halfway home:

http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html

[Napper]

I've been watching Coopers hawks in out neighbourhood for years. The last two sightings during this week proves the incredible flying skill they have.

1) Standing out front with our dog a Coopers hawk flew across the stree below eye level between our house and our next doors. It tucked it wings in just as it approached the house.   I walked down to the sidewalk and had a look at the space it flew through, unbelievable .The Coopers had juked out 4 Grackles that went high, she went low.

2. Saturday morning on our back deck looking West when two yards over a Coopers  at speed pops up above there fence, it dips below top of fence, flys through our  neighbours  open pool shack, pops up over our fence, dips below our closeline, flys between our feeder and the tree and disappears two yards down. Happenend in a blink of an eye.

Napper:)

[Axeman]

Years ago I lamented that our chipmunks didn't let us near them....so I worked at training one to feed from my hand....and it was great....until she became a nuisance and would climb up my leg whenever I sat down at the deck table....and pee on me....

How crazy is it for me to think I saw 2 immature bald eagles in an old cornfield feeding from a roadkill raccoon ? They were large dark brown birds....def. not tv's but that size of bird....