Morning Claire...those cards DO have that "look" a lot don't they? lol...

Well, I heard Mike burst out in hysterics early yesterday morning when it had just started to snow! Apparently there was no room at the inn for a bird impatiently waiting to get into the bird feeder. The house finches LOVE to hang out there for a long time. Anyhoos, this bird is standing on top of the feeder waiting, waiting when suddenly he started SKIING (unintentionally that is!!) down the ski jump! He stuck his wings out trying to balance and went right off the front end of the feeder...all discombobulated lol!

I didn't get to see it myself but here are the tracks he left.......snort.

Here is a link that might be useful: Skiing Bird

Remembering some of my early skiing days, I can relate to the bird ..... YIKES! I'm out of control!

... and the finches certainly love to belly up to the bar. If you had a TV there they'd never leave.

Claire

Nice shots, Girls. And Jan...is that a candid of Prince Charming?...*sigh*...

Our snow yesterday was nice to see. It did not last long and got wet and more wet as the day turned into evening. I found myself with a clear schedule, no place I needed to be so, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. I stayed home and had a good time watching the birds. I discoverd that I now have 3 Yellow-Rumped Warblers. One female and two males...an exciting find.

I was pleased to see lots of activity at all of the feeders yesterday. I ran out of sunflower hearts so I had to refill that feeder with BOSS. I thought I would have a mutiny on my hands but, they made the adjustment well. In fact, they seem to go through the BOSS a lot faster...more waste? I filled it yesterday and I need to re-fill already.

I also discovered that the Carolina Wren loves my gourmet suet. I had two of the little cuties taking turns at it yesterday. I was also delighted to see a Flicker work very had are getting to it. A rewarding day.

sooey

LOL Sooey....you mean my partner in crime? He was VERY pleased to hear it was only from the back...lol.

Yep, amazing activity yesterday during the storm!! Nothing was deterring them. Mike snowblowed paths to all the feeders this morning as they needed refilling. It's kinda funny watching all the doves meandering around the paths lol!

2 chickadees got into it this morning....wrestling/fighting on the ground for about 10 secs! At least I "think" that's what they were doing...hmmmm.

Well, My Goodness! It's official...I am having the BEST day EVER!!!

Look what I have!

I was SO EXCITED! I went out to re-fill the sunflower feeder, just after my last post above. I looked up to the other feeders, the ones that are just off of the deck and, I saw a Female Bluebird! She was sitting on a branch, looking very comfortable, very much at home. I just stood and watched her. I could see other Blues were on the suet. I went inside, got the camera and headed up stairs to see if I could see them. To my surprise, there was a flock of Blues at and/or waiting for the suet. At least 7 of them.

I was so excited I could hardly hold the camera still. Now I know they are here. And, if they are here, they will be back! Bluebirds make me happy.

sooey
who is having the BEST DAY EVER!

What absolutely gorgeous birds!

Click on Listen to Bluebird of Happiness

Claire

Thank you, Claire. What a nice song to sing. Not exactly the song of the Bluebird, but a nice song none the less.

Bluebirds have long been my favorite bird. I had heard them here on the Cape and now I have seen them. Very Laux has said they are here and, their numbers are increasing.

While I had the camera out I got some shots of some other birds. I know I have posted pictures of the Brown Creeper before...

but, do any of you have this little bird in your yard? They are fun to watch. I see them visit the suet feeder, grab some suet in their beak then go up the tree and hide the suet under the bark of the tree.

And...I need some help with an ID of this bird...

I think it's a Song Sparrow. Think I'm right?

sooey

sosoey: I think I saw a Brown Creeper a year or so ago, creeping up a pine tree, but I haven't seen one recently.

That looks like a Song Sparrow to me. Song Sparrows here often go off on their own, hopping around looking for seeds in the perennial beds.

It surprises me that both you and jant see Northern Flickers at the feeders. I've seen the flickers twice, but never near a feeder. The first one was way up in a pine tree, and the other was chowing down on juniper berries.

Claire

Hi Claire,

I see Flickers often. Not every day, but often. Yesterday I saw three at one time. All three were after the suet on the tree. Two were large size, but the third one was smaller by about 1/3. I had never seen such a difference in size like that. I was so surprised to see one at the free hanging suet feeder. Big bird for such a small suet feeder. I think I took this picture a few months ago. I don't think I have posted it before...

Thanks for your help on the Song Sparrow and, I think we are correct in that ID. It's too small to be a Fox Sparrow and the color is not rich enough for a Fox. This and the White Throated Sparrow are the two that I see just about every day. I have become very fond of them. Love their heads! They skitter around and like to stay in or close to the bushes & thickets.

I'm glad you have see the Brown Creeper. Cute little birds that you can miss if you don't know they are around.

sooey

Claire...I just noticed/remembered that these pictures are a little large. Are they a problem for you? I forgot all about making them smaller...

sooey

sooey: The picture size is fine - fills the window, but doesn't make me scroll back and forth. Loading time isn't bad.

Nice lichen in the Song Sparrow photo, and I love the flicker shot. Just a very stylish looking bird.

Claire

Once again I took way too many photos and couldn't pare the list down as far as I should. On the GBBC weekend a Blue Jay decided to get spruced up for the audience.

Blue Jay in Tub

If nothing else, the birds in my yard are clean....

Claire

What great shots of that Blue Jay. They are such a beautiful bird. If only they had a song that was just as nice. Yes, Claire...the birds in your yard are fat, happy and VERY clean.

It's cloudy and a bit damp on our part of the Cape today. The birds are out and eating away. I had to top off all three of the tube feeders this morning as well as the suet. And also...the thistle sock has turned out to be a HUGE hit with the Goldfinch after all. I moved it closer to the other feeders and the Goldfinch LOVE it! They hang on it, 8 at a time. It's fun to see.

sooey

That's interesting about the Goldfinches only going to the thistle sock if it's close to other feeders. I do remember when I first put the sock out (right next to the tube feeder) the birds seemed to be looking around nervously when they were on the sock, while they seemed much calmer on the tube feeder.

It doesn't seem to be a problem now - maybe the birds felt safer trying a new thing if there were other birds nearby who weren't panicked.

Claire (amateur bird psychologist)

Claire, I love your bird bath photos. That Blue Jay is so cute!

I have a suet feeder, but the squirrels discovered it once again. I make sure it is filled before we have another cold snow storm.

I have a thistle seed feeder also. I think Goldfinches are hooked on there all day! If I have it filled, I will have as many as 6 or 7 hanging on.

But you wait, once Spring comes and the little finchie hormones start working, the males will get very territorial. There will be fights on who gets to eat the thistle seed. Then you will only have a mated pair at a time eating. I always find it funny.

I feed my birds year round. It helps fatten up the fledgings and the parents train them how to use a feeder.

hostasz6a: This is my first year with thistle seed and thus many Goldfinches (the neighbor had them last year). I'm already seeing a little jousting among some of the birds, even though they're not bright yellow yet.

I also feed year round - I love seeing the bird parents bring the babies to the big old winterberry and park them there for feeding. Just a quick hop to the gaping kid rather than a long flight to the nest.

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sooey: I also have at least one Yellow-rumped Warbler! A few weeks ago I saw this bird which I couldn't identify, so I sent the photo off to PFW. Anne Marie Johnson said she believed it was a Yellow-rumped Warbler, although the bars on the wings weren't visible in the photo, which would help the identification. I decided to wait and try to get a better photo before posting that I definitely had one.

I've been seeing the bird(s) off and on, but couldn't get a photo until today. Unluckily for the bird, but luckily for me, it landed on the rose arch right outside the kitchen window. When I leaped for my camera, the sudden move scared the bird and it flew up and hit the window glass. It must have just been a glancing blow because it flew back to the rose arch and perched there for a while recovering. This gave me time to shoot away.

I sent the photo off to PFW, sure that it's a Yellow-rumped Warbler and asking if it was a female. Anne Marie said

"Both sexes and juvenile birds all look about the same in winter for this species."

It's easy to see why somebody named it "Yellow-rumped Warbler", but I've decided to call it Anton or Antoinette, for the sake of the bird's dignity.

Claire

Claire...Great Rump Shot! This one looks like an Anton to me. I had three at the suet feder today, at the same time. I was so excited.

The Goldfinch were here in large numbers, all day today. I was also happy to see the House Finch were back today. I've been seeing them more often now but still not every day. But, they all have had clear eyes.

The Crows are becomming a problem. If I'm not up early to keep them away, they can clean out the tree mounted suet feeder in a very short amount of time.

Poor little YRW, but your rose canes look healthy.

sooey

sooey: That rose is indestructible - this is the rose that I rescued from my mother's garden. I have a suet cage hanging from the arch - the downies have always liked it, probably because they're partly hidden by formidable thorns.

Now the Antons and Antoinettes (AKA Yellow-rumped Warblers, shhh..) are feeding on it. I saw two today - there are two in this shot, although it's hard to see the one on the right. The one on the left is giving me a really dirty look - he's probably the one who hit the window. I hope that's not a wound on his throat.

One of the Goldfinches has started to put on his breeding plumage - a fashion trend-setter, no doubt.

Spring is getting closer. Last night's snow is already washed away, although I still had to pull ice off the unheated birdbaths this morning.

Claire

You should feel privileged to have Warblers! They are somewhat elusive. I've seen one ONCE here, and this is warbler territory..

Wow...that male goldfinch is certainly turning yellow. None of our goldfinches show any signs of summer plumage. They're realistic and know that spring is a long ways away in this cold valley :-)

You guys on the coastal plains may as well be on a different planet than those of us buried with the white stuff in the interior :-)

Claire - I love that heated birdbath you show in your pics. I need to set one up here. I know the birds here would be thrilled to find a heated jacuzzi!!

ellen_s: What I first noticed on the goldfinch was the white tail, not the developing yellow. The white tail stood out in the flock feeding on the ground. All of the others (usually 11, more or less) are still muted.

I'm skeptical that we on the coastal plain will stay ahead of you guys in the interior once you get started on spring. Last year I whimpered as people in zone 5 and even 4! were prattling about daffodills and tulips and forsythia while most of my garden was still in denial. We may not get much snow, but the ocean keeps the temperature cool for a long, long time. It makes for nice long falls, but early spring stays early spring for much longer than the interior.

I'm curious as to how sooey will experience spring on the Cape when she's used to the CT shoreline.

Claire

I've had a few Red-winged Blackbirds here for a while, and one grackle appeared one day, but until today there was no sign of the Spring Blackbird Invasion. That's when your trees are darkened by vast numbers of Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, and a few Brown-headed Cowbirds. It often lasts just a few days before they move on to other feasts.

Today the first major flock of grackles arrived. About 20 of them landed in the ground feeding area, ate a bit, then flew up to the trees. They all seemed to be looking south. Maybe waiting for the others to catch up?

It's not flowers, but it is a sign of spring.

Claire

Claire, yikes, it reminds me of Hitchcock's "The Birds". Or were those starlings, not grackles?

Sounds like your coastal microclimate is not dissimilar to our north-facing valley location. We are low in a river valley, north facing, and in the spring we are very slow to thaw out. Leaves appear on trees in town 3 miles away weeks and weeks before our trees start to leaf out. It is frustrating at a time when you're desperate to see anything grow :-)

Yup, ellen_s, you have a delayed spring similar to ours. Do you get a delayed fall too? I figure the birds will be the only sign of life in the garden for a while yet. So I delight in the birds!

Another batch of blackbirds today, more Red-winged Blackbirds mixed in with the Grackles. I didn't notice any Brown-headed Cowbirds, but I didn't look too hard. Tomorrow is my first FeederWatch count day this week, so I'll sort them out then.

There are a couple of Blue Jays and a cardinal in the winterberry staring at the blackbirds, waiting for them to leave.

I really have to put the squirrel baffle back up...

The blackbirds come in quickly and leave quickly.

I love the red flashes on the Red-winged Blackbirds wings when they fly.

and the other birds come back when it's quieter. This Mourning Dove sat for a long time on the bluestone path, maybe enjoying the warmth and the sun coming in and out. It looks like a seal hauled out on a rock. I watched for a while to make sure it was OK - it eventually got up and toddled on.

Claire

Hey, just checking this thread for the first time (!!), the Winter Sowing forum and Seed exchange have sucked me in lately!

The pics are so great! Congrats Sooey on your Bluebirds!! Yippeeee! Do you think they'll nest in your box?

Great pictures Claire of the Warbler (even if the poor thing stunned himself to get it) and love all the Blackbirds! I used to live near wetlands and remember the sound of the Red-Winged Blackbirds so well...I loved it. One of the early harbingers of Spring.

Not much new happening on the Bird Scene here, but there is a beautiful female Hairy Woodpecker who's been visiting everyday for about a week now. I've yet to get a good picture of her, she is skittish when she's on the Suet Log.

But I did get some photos of birdies the other day...all on the same perch on the Suet Log within a few minutes -

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Great photos terrene! The snow on the evergreen makes a lovely backdrop. That bluebird looks like it's been taking attitude lessons from the cardinals.

The blackbirds are getting comfortable in my yard - a few grackles have mastered the tube feeder, although they don't really fit. That intense yellow-eyed stare is a bit unnerving.

And the Brown-headed Cowbirds are here too.

I really really have to put that squirrel baffle back up. This morning a squirrel climbed up on the baffle and snickered (it didn't bother to go up the pole, though, plenty of food on the ground.)

Claire

Oh My Goodness, what great shots you girls have been posting.

Claire...I love the shot of the Grackles in the tree...beautiful Oak and a beautiful sky behind. And you can't miss those Red-winged Blackbirds. I don't know if I have ever noticed a Brown-headed Cowbird.

terrene...I need to make one of those suet logs for next year. Your birds seem to LOVE it.

Today is a count day for me. Numbers of all birds are down except for the Goldfinch. They have been flocking to the sunflower hearts, one swarm after another. I havn't seen many Titmouse this week. The Yellow-rumped Warbler has been here daily, 2 - 3 at a time. I saw a Red-bellied woodpecker at the tube feeder today, a first. I also saw the largest Flicker I have ever seen. It was beautiful and hung at the suet feeder for a good, long feed.

I'm already making plans for next PFW season. If I continue to offer sunflower hearts next season I will buy it by the 50 lb bag. As is, I've been spending about $12. a week, just on the sunflower hearts, to keep these birds happy. I enjoy making weekly trips to the Bird Watchers General Store, it's a fun place to visit, but there has to be a better way to keep up with the birds. How do all of you buy your seed?

Keep posting those photos!

sooey

sooey: I try to combine my birdseed buying trips with another trip. When I pickup the used coffee grounds for my compost pile (or drop off empty pails) in Onset, I often continue on to Wareham and buy 2 @ 20 lb bags of Nut N'Berry Mix. I'll add thistle seed or suet blocks if I need it. I got 50 lbs of cracked corn once, but it ended up staying in my car until I used it up. I don't really have a good place to store a big bag inside.

If I need to go to Sandwich for some reason (income tax preparation, etc.) I'll also stop at the Sandwich Agway and buy 20 lb of Fruit N'Berry mix and some peanut hearts and/or sunflower hearts and/or cracked corn and/or a 12-pack of suet blocks. They have different sizes of bagged single ingredients, as well as interesting things to try. They don't have the Nut N'Berry in 20 lb bags though.

I'll usually pick up a 20 or 25 lb bag of black oil sunflower seeds wherever I happen to be if I see one.

I try to keep the bags small enough so I can store them out on the porch - I'd rather not feed the mice indoors. So far I haven't had a raccoon attack these containers - the green one probably needs a better closure.

The rose arch just outside my window is becoming a favored stopping place, along with the suet feeder hanging from it. This is great because it's much easier to watch birds and photograph them so close up.

The warblers are here every day, at least one, often two at a time.

And the warblers are fighting over the territory - this little guy is still all puffed up after chasing away another warbler. So little, so tough...

Today a Song Sparrow perched there singing away; usually I just see them hopping along the ground.

But in a few months I won't be able to see the suet feeder hanging in the rose arch because of the roses.... (I won't be complaining).

Claire

Thanks for the tips and info, Claire. I have decided to make every attempt to store my seed outdoors or in the garage next season and, to buy in quanity. The thistle, safflower and suet are not as much of an issue for me, just the sunflower hearts and BOSS. Next year I will buy them in the largest bags I can find. I've also been thinking about the cleaning issue re: the tube feeders for next winter. My plan is to have two extra tube feeders on hand, one for thistle and one for the larger seeds. That will allow me to always have one feeder out of rotation, giving me time and opportunity to clean it before I refill. I just started that routine with the thistle tube but, not with the larger seed tubes.

Great shots of the YRW and the Song sparrow. I love that little Song sparrow. Such a sweet, sweet song.

Beautiful day today with a beautiful blue sky. Breezy and cool/cold but a keeper just the same. Enjoy!

sooey

What awesome shots! What kind of zoom on those? I invested in a 10X zoom finally, but still can't get that close.

Can anyone ID this one? Or direct me somehwere for an ID. Check out that yellow tail! They've been hitting the crabapple tree in huge flocks.

This guy on the lower right makes me want to call it the Zorro bird!!!

I found it. Its Cedar Waxwing. Definitely new out here. I hope its a sign of spring :-)

Yup... Cedar Waxwing. Great shots of a great-looking bird! I'm afraid it's not a sign of spring; around here they blast through in the middle of winter - whenever there's a crop of berries they can decimate.

I have a 12X zoom - some of those shots are fairly far away, but some are right outside my window. The warblers and Song Sparrows are considerate enough to hang around the rose arch.

Daylight Savings Time is throwing me off schedule - back later.

Claire

Claire, I love your trellis with the roses! That's a great place to put the suet, I can see why the birds would be very attracted to that feeder with the cover of the rose bushes.

Wendyb those Cedar Waxwings are gorgeous! Aren't they just the most exotic bird? I'm glad to hear they've been eating your crabapples. Maybe they'll stop by and eat up some of the fruits that are left on the crabapple trees in my back yard.

About a month ago, I did have some Cedar Waxwings come by and check out the Suet log...they do look kinda like masked bandits -

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Who can resist a Cedar Waxwing? I saw this one a few months ago when a flock descended on my winterberry.

Has anyone ever seen a Bohemian Waxwing?

Claire

terrene: I'm sure the birds love the cover of the rose canes, but the canes really throw off my camera. It doesn't know what to focus on, and keeps jumping in and out. I have a lot of photos of fuzzy birds surrounded by perfectly focused canes.

I haven't mastered the manual focus feature yet.

Claire

Five (5) warblers on the rose arch today! Flying back and forth and taking turns on the suet. They seem to be used to me now and don't panic if I don't move too fast.

This one landed on the wisteria pseudo-standard which is near the arch, and stared in at me.

You looking at me?!?!

sooey: I'll probably be shunned by the Birdfeeder Corp, but I rarely clean the tube feeder. When I first started using it, I'd top off the tube when the level of seed got below the top portals. But when I did this for a while, I noticed that the bottom layer of seed was getting nasty looking and moldy, particularly if it had rained recently. Naturally, I'd then take it apart and clean it thoroughly.

After a while though, I started completely emptying out the tube feeder on the ground when it begins to get a bit low and I make sure the bottom floor of the tube is free of debris. Then I add brand new seed, filling up the tube feeder. This way the bottom layer of seed in the feeder is always fresh.

This works very well since I spread seed on the ground anyway and it gets eaten up fast. I've never seen any evidence of disease in the birds, so I'm not worried at this time. I do clean the tube feeder when it begins to look like it needs it.

Claire

King of the Groundfeeders! A male Ring-necked Pheasant visited today!

Here he's checking out the brush at the edge of the yard.

Now he's in the main groundfeeding arena. The other birds flew off, although some of them watched from the safety of the shrubs.

It feels like a glimpse of royalty.

Claire

Hi Claire...I try to do the same thing with my feeders when I can. If the level of the seed is at or below the bottom portal, I dump out the seed in the tube and start with all fresh seed. Since our feeders are so close to the house I need to watch how much seed I have on the ground. It draws the ground feeders which is what I want, but it also draws mice. So, I try to remember to walk away from the house as I empty the feedrs onto the ground. The real issue is the House Finch and Goldfinch *eye* issues. Those little Goldfinch will stick their heads all the way into the tube to reach down for seed that is below the level of the portal. That worries me re: the spread of disease. The rain just makes everything yuckie and caked on.

Great shot of that YRW looking in at you. I wonder if they are starting to migrate north. I'm seeing them everyday now. They LOVE my gourmet suet. I added a second hanging suet cage so they don't have to wait as long in line.

The Cedar Waxwing is a stunning bird. I would love to see them at my suet.

sooey

HOYL CRAP! What a BEAUTIFUL bird! Such color and STYLE! You are right...a visit from Royalty...

sooey
who has never had such a visit from royalty.

Maybe time to start a new thread? You want to take this one sooey?

Claire

OK...the 7th PFW thread is open and ready.

sooey