Glad to hear your feeders are working out!

Common birds are like petunia's and carrots as everybody grows them but they are still beautiful in their own way.

I only recently opened up my yard to the flyway (road) in hopes of attracting more birds and butterflies. Thus I have mainly seen the common woodland birds. Next year I plan to start putting feeders out again, Yay! Here is my checklist so far

Red breasted nuthatch
House sparrow
Robin
Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Dark eyed Junco
Western bluebird
Downy Woodpecker
Pine siskin
Black capped Chickadee

And yesterday I finally got around to putting up my hummingbird feeders and have both Rufus and Black Chinned stopping in.

Keep a close eye out at this time of year as you probably will get some birds migrating to the north that will only stay for a couple hours or days.

Would love to see some photos!

Happy Birding...

SCG

My feeders are currently bringing in:

Baltimore Orioles
Rose breasted Grossbeaks
Goldfinches
Black Capped Chickadees
Cardinals
Indigo Buntings
Nuthatches - rose breasted and white
White throated sparrows
Chipping Sparrows
Ruby throated hummers
Red winged blackbirds

I think that's it right now - so fun to have the spring birds back!

All it takes is one feeder to make one a bird watcher overnight, lol, at least that's what happened to me.

We're having a nice variety of birds so far this spring with a greater than normal number of white crowned sparrows. We also are enjoying the 5 male rose breasted grosbeaks, they're so handsome! Some goldfinches a.k.a. prairie canaries, chipping sparrows and the cowbirds that will lay their eggs in the nests of the chippers, some purple finches, white throated sparrows, lots of robins, a few bluejays, magpies, crows, a falcon of some type, mourning doves. No hummingbirds here yet, thank goodness as they would certainly starve ... not a leaf nor flower to be seen in these parts yet - its going to be a very late spring.

Not too many birds but I do have a family of baby squirrels . They are actually quite cute.

For those that worry about the hummingbirds don't forget that small insects are also in the diet. I love watching them pluck bugs from spiders webs.

SCG

Not too many birds but I do have a family of baby squirrels . They are actually quite cute.

I had a wonderful winter of birds, but for the past 3 or 4 weeks now, all of the interesting ones have gone away and mostly just house sparrows remain, plus some squirrels at the suet. So the winter feeders (well, all but one) were taken down today.

My goal for summer 2014 is to attract a hummingbird. I've never seen a hummingbird in Albera, and have only seen a few EVER, so this is my summer 2014 quest.

I've ordered an easy-to-clean "Hummzinger" feeder from a company in Nova Scotia, and I'm preparing for hummers.... even spotting one hummer all summer would be a major success -- they are such cool birds!

There are lots of birds around now making an absolute racket in the morning - a nice one! We've always had hummingbirds so i don't know the secret to attracting them. We even have them out at the lake where they seem to thrive on birch sap from the holes that woodpeckers (sapsuckers?) make in the trees. Yesterday i was sitting on our deck when a male hummer came zinging by. He stopped in front of me for a millisecond and then zoomed off. I usually have the feeder out by the long weekend but really didn't think they'd be back this early this year. He seemed to be informing me otherwise! I dutifully went in and boiled up some sugar water so he should be happy now. There aren't too many flowers out yet!

Don555 that is absolutely crazy! I can't imagine not seeing hummingbirds.

I can't remember where you are at in AB, was it edmonton area?

All things bright red attract hummingbirds so if you strategically place items that can be seen for long distances you will have a better chance attracting them.

Good luck and keep us uptodate.

SCG

No hummers on this side of the city either Don. Apparently they do exist tho......and are attracted to particular flowers too. Good luck with your feeder. Perhaps I will add a feeder here and see what happens. I am, afterall, known as the bird whisperer..... :)

Ginny

Don, hopefully you will spy one of those little marvels - depending upon where you are you could see Ruby Throated, Rufus, Calliope or with some good luck a Black Chinned. I can vouch for Monarda Raspberry Wine as a sure fire attractant and has been reliably hardy for me. As mentioned, lots of red things scattered about with a feeder or two and if they are in the area, they will find you.

Speaking with my neighbour who is also an avid bird watcher, she tells me that she and her husband have tried attracting hummers for many years to no avail. Feeders became a messy job so they quit hanging them. Hmmmm....Still might give it a try....... FYI for those who didn't know, like myself, there is a hummingbird garden forum on the GW. :

Shall have to try some more red flowers too :)

Ginny

Is it time to take down my feeder with black sunflower seeds?

I suspect the birds can find food elsewhere by now?

I often feed my feathered friends all summer so I can watch them. Momma birds bring the little ones to eat and continue to feed them.....just like teenagers! So fun to watch the little ones vibrate their wings, mouths agape, in response to an adult bird landing at the feeder. :)

Ginny

Most birds switch to an insect diet when they're nesting, but they will also eat some seeds. One exception is Goldfinches which eat seeds almost exclusively all year round. I make sure to keep nyjer out for them in the summer.

This winter with it being so cold we had none of the usual irruptive birds, only chickadees and nuthatches. There are still plenty of those sticking around the yard but I've also had regular visits from goldfinches, blue jays, and a pair of mourning doves. None of these are daily regulars in my yard most years. I think the jays and mourning doves are nesting nearby because they're paired up and come to feed every day.

I had a mourning dove at one point in the spring but it was only here for a couple of days and i never saw it at the feeder. We had no nuthatches at all this winter. Usually there's at least one or a pair that hang around with our little flock of resident chickadees. Lots of pine grosbeaks this year and a few evenings, but they're long gone. I have seen the goldfinches too and have some nyjer seed out for them, but that stuff is expensive!!

There was a busy robin out this morning at 6 a.m. helping me to clean up my yard. No trouble finding old dry stuff to build a nest and a shower from the sprinkler seemed to be welcomed.

I think I definitely need to remove or move my feeder. I've heard a couple birds clunk into the front window :(

Well this one was a first for me! Just enjoying my supper, in front of the computer as usual, when I spot this rather unusual little bird at the lasagna dish........I continue to feed the birds through the summer.....just not as much. As near as I can guess is that he is a Junco of some type, usually only seen in winter. Very dark black head and back with an almost white belly. Typical Junco bill but this bird actually had white spots/patches on it's back! I watched him for about 5 minutes while we were both eating just to make sure he wasn't a wood pecker! Oddest thing I have ever seen here at my feeders! And he was quite a bit larger than the sparrows who came down to join him.......???? I'm going with lost Junco in breeding plumage until I find out different. He was hungry anyway so he must have heard that the Garden restaurant is open all year. :)

Ginny

This post was edited by honalee on Sat, May 24, 14 at 19:42

I was puttering around in the yard this evening as it was nicer out than it had been all day. My reward for being out there so late was getting to see 2 hummingbirds show up at the feeder! I've had the feeder out for at least a week, but hadn't seen any till now.
I also have a pair of tree swallows nesting right in view from my kitchen window. They've been returning to the box for several years now. At first I was concerned that they would take exception to me working near the nest, but they don't seem bothered by me at all.

I've seen two pairs of hummingbirds this year. This ought to be fun!

Oh man what a bird year! I have, I think, about 8 pairs of hummingbirds, both Rufous and Black chinned as well as a pair of flickers who are renovating the house I put up for them. They did work last year as well but the lease agreement fell through. Hopefully they will stay this year. To top it off there are 3 robin pairs nesting around the yard! Morning coffee on the deck consists of wonderful melodies from the robins and hammering/construction noise from the flickers.

Ginny you need to get a pic of that bird!!!!

SCG

Lance, you are funny!! I haven't seen that little guy around again although I did get a tiny, grainy picture through the window screen. Maybe he/she found home. Or is that phoned home?

We have baby maggies, baby blue jays, baby robins, and baby crows around here. And they are all feeding from my restaurant! My neighbour has the sparrow babes and they dine here too!

Ginny

Okay, I put up the hummingbird feeder on Wednesday (June 11). Now I wait and hope for my first hummer...

Hey Don. I bought my hummingbird feeder yesterday ( I returned my other one as apparently it was too big) and hope to put it up today or tomorrow. It should be interesting to see if and when either of us attract any.

I found half a robin's egg on the lawn yesterday, far from where I know there's a nest :( Who might have done that?

Robins pack the egg shells away from the nest and drop them. I have found this to usually be about 50 yards.

SCG

Interesting about the shells! I'm sure I've seen shells in open places before too.

I have at least 4 breeding pairs of goldfinches visiting the nyjer feeder now. I've seen 6 at once of which 4 were males, and 4 females together at a different time so who knows how many are around.

I found a pair of Grey Catbirds in my cedar this morning. They looked like they were building a nest, although I doubt it would be in my cedar because it's pretty big and open.

I'm glad you're all bird lovers..
seems every year now,..[at least10years] a nesting box or two is full of offspring's from the yellow breasted nuthatch. [video]

Here is a link that might be useful: Red - breasted nuthatch fledged!

Aww that nuthatch baby is so stinkin cute! XD

Nice photo and good video. I think I need to build a couple boxes for nuthatches now!

Thank you all!

A yellow bellied, [male] sapsucker was stealing some honey,
I don't mind, better honey then killing my trees.

And a side shot,..

Great photos of the sapsucker!

Well after resigning myself to failure at attracting hummingbirds, lo and behold my wife saw a ruby-throated hummer at lunchtime, exploring the clematis flowers outside our living room window in the front yard! Alas, my two feeders are both in the back yard, and the hummer doesn't appear to have found them. Well, one feeder was promptly moved to the front yard. Hope he comes back to check things out again!

Beautiful pics Konrad!

Don555 from what I hear from friends in your area your best chances are in the spring and fall to see them. It is, so I here, not a place they like to stay (who would blame them). Yet if you do attract a few in the spring they may camp out.

From 10 feeding pairs I am down to 3 at present.

SCG

Ship me one of those pairs! ;-)