Maybe you have a lot of predators, like hawks, that keep the birds away.

I read somewhere that 2013 was a great year for hawks, and I saw so few chickadees all summer and fall, I tend to believe that. They are starting to come back now, as are a few more nuthatches. I'm in Southwestern Ontario so not sure what the situation is in Saskatchewan. I'm getting plenty of dark-eyed juncos, different kinds of woodpeckers and sparrows, mourning doves, blue jays, but only the occasional cardinal. Saw many more cardinals last winter. Maybe they were part of the hawk's menu as well....?

A lot less birds around here this winter as well. I haven`t seen the red and white breasted nuthatches in a couple of months; no redpolls this year, no Clark`s nutcracker and very few house finches. I still have the flickers, downy and hairy woodpeckers and a pileated as well. There seem to be large flocks of Bohemian waxwings around but very few sightings of the hawks that prey on them - even the **!!**$$ local cat population(Hallelujah) is sparse this year.

IâÂÂm in Southern Ontario and I am getting plenty of birds here, including woodpeckers, jays, doves, nuthatches, sparrows, hundreds of juncos and chickadees, as well as occasional visits from cardinals, bluebirds and robins. My suet feeders barely last a week - I have to replace them every weekend.
However, I do have hawks as well that come to the bird feeder to choose their âÂÂa la carteâ dinner. They often donâÂÂt even bother to fly away with their prey and settle for dinner right beside thebirdfeeder. Here is one guy - just snatched a larger bird, probably either a dove or a blue jay:

No, I don't have hawks around. Last year when the redpolls were plentiful, the sharp-shinned hawk visited my yard a few times. But this year is just strange. I know that it is a very weird winter when I don't even have house sparrows. They usually are very plentiful but I only see one or two and only once or twice a day. Nothing hangs around the feeders. Maybe all the winter birds went east this year because of our bitterly cold winter.

I tend to think that all bird populations are transitory (location wise) in some respect and like small wild mammals (typically prey species), there are also great fluctuations in populations of various birds during any given 2-3 year period. That is, where there may have been numerous birds of x, y, and z species last year, adverse conditions of one sort or another, be that very bad weather or perhaps a long drought, high predation, various bird diseases and viruses carried from bird to bird may reduce resident populations for the following year.
As people who love to watch and perhaps even feed the birds in our own yard, we're probably more cognizant of the number of species and even the average number of birds visiting our favorite places than the average human who may throw out a few bread crumbs occasionally but doesn't really keep track of population fluctuations.
To that end, I'd propose that your current lack of feathered critters is only temporary and that the average number of species visiting your feeder will again increase with the coming change in seasons along with an increase in higher than normal breeding activity at the appropriate time.
Hang in there... they will return.
Steve

Joan, I can totally relate even though I'm far away from you in NY. I ask myself the same question. I'm missing some birds here as well - titmice, nuthatches, some woodpeckers, etc. I barely have one pair of chickadees, my favorite birds among some others. Not seeing the chickadees for a few days caused me great concern- until they showed up again. We do have a resident red-tail...

There are still many here in Northern Lower Michigan!! I even had a few cardinals which I know are in the area but rarely see them here in my yard.
The Pileated is a daily visitor, sometimes for most of the day (they have deer fat and the mallow from deer legs hung for treats). Though the Juncos have been fewer this year.

But maybe I have some that came farther south because of the weather erruptions.

I guess they are all in Quebec I have a bird feeder on my cloths line and I have seen on the reg bases juncos cardinals chick a dee and the song sparrow and love them all and yes there are my 4 squirrel that visit also

it's funny you should ask.. I have wondered the same thing. I live in Florida and feed the birds year round and always watch. Many of the winter birds have returned, but not all. The robins are here on schedule. Neither the rose breasted nor blue grosbeaks have returned yet. Few Waxwings, and buntings. Perhaps they come later.

The birds are really sparse this year. My only birds the last couple of months have been 4 chickadees and 6 blue jays that come every couple of weeks. Even the 2 or 3 house sparrows that were coming no longer are. The only birds you often see are the pigeons that spend all year round here on top of buildings and ravens flying around. A number of people in town have mentioned how few birds there are. But, having said that, a friend that lives on an acreage just out of town has 20 goldfinches that stayed the winter. I couldn't believe it. Worst winter in a very long time and they choose to stay. It's been really, really odd.

Strangely, my birds are back in full force, goldfinches, chickadees, woodpeckers, cardinals, song and white-throated sparrows, juncos, etc. I am relieved to see them for sure :-)

Strangely, my birds are back! Lots of juncos, chickadees, cardinals, song and white-throated sparrows, woodpeckers, wrens, goldfinches, etc. Needless to say, I am relieved to see them, especially through this killer winter.

They are all here in IL. I've never had so many goldfinch. We average around 40. We also had 22 cardinals feeding at once last weekend. We probably have 30 juncos, 20 white crowned sparrows, and the usual amount of doves, chickadees, titmice, bluejays, and assorted woodpecker and nuthatches. We have had more winter birds than ever before.

I'm in Chicago and for the last 10 days, I haven't seen anybirds at any of my feeders. It's freaking my out since we've had such severe weather, and I am thinking I don't remember them ever not being here. Hopefully it's just my spotty memory.

Hmm- scan the trees and surrounding skies for a bird of prey. Maybe one came cruising around, saw the birds and decided to stay. Double check if your feeders are too much in the open. I hope they show up again soon. You're right about the weather; the poor birds are really struggling through it as we are.

Well, this is my first post to this forum, and I'm glad it is just a couple steps over from the Gardening Forums!

You folks further north than Mobile Alabama can look for a big flock of goldfinch to show up, because they left here last Friday (for the most part) all fat and sassy. I've fed the birds all last summer and all this winter, and somehow they spread the word until we had a huge flock at our feeders in a residential surburban area between Mobile Bay and Dog River. I know it was several hundred coming and hanging out in our leafless river birch and vine-covered privacy fences. Black oil sunflower seed consumption for January was MORE than 4 35-lb bags.

We have cardinals here who never migrate, and with mature trees and huge azalea and camellia shrubbery all around, they find cover and nesting spots. One cardinal nested just outside my study window in a camellia, so I watched the male feed his babies....never saw the female do that, she was suspicious of ME. And for about 2 weeks now, the pair of bluebirds have been keeping an eye on their nest box, so I'm gathering fresh pine needles for them to have an easy job of building a new nest.

We also have hawks here. And owls. And cats, which I hiss at and they run--my two dachshunds know the hiss denotes a CAT, and they go running to add to the pandemonium.

If you don't have large shrubbery yet, think about growing some vines over an arbor, even annual vines can give shelter, shade, and sometimes food. Hyacinth beans, scarlet runner beans, morning glories, sweet peas, green (veggie) peas are all good annuals. The sound of running water, or a bucket dripping into a birdbath, that will give them a reason to come around when it is hot and dry. I try to locate my enticements where I can see the activity from inside.

I'm hoping to again host a nesting pair of Carolina wrens for the 4th consecutive year in a pig flower pot (containing a spiny aloe vera) sitting on the deck railing right outside the back door. So far the "Pig Family" has raised 5 x 3 = 15 babies in that pig pot. Apparently they feel secure because other birds do not tolerate our closeness so well. Instead, the Pig Family fusses at US for intruding on their property.

Love the birds. Love gardening. They go well together.

Look what animal control brought in here at my SW suburban office. It was unable to fly and is now in a wildlife rehab center. We all got to ooh and aah over him til then!

Love the Pig Family, moccasinlanding, and all your other birds that are the same as we have, just warmer (a lot warmer).

Wangshan: Very impressive visitor to your office!

Claire

OMG, what a rare occasion to host such a raptor up close!

And, Claire, are you the same lady who had Zepherine Drouhan roses in your garden in MA several years back? If so, glad to cross paths with you once again.

I remembered you from the other forum, moccasinlanding, and I'm glad to see you're still around, although not in New England.

Claire