Hi Pat, IF I didn't feed year round, I'd wait until either, a) a hard frost makes food more difficult to get, or, b) I couldn't wait any longer because I want to watch them :) Your $, your birds. :) How's Oct. 22nd sound?, hehe, as good a date as any.

Jane

Hi, Jane, you little dickens, you. I've been feeding 2 feeders all year with BOSS but I want to come up with a date to put out 3 suets and a mix for the backyard area. Next June I am going to try to keep ZERO feeders in the "summer" if I can stand it. I do love watching them, so not sure how successful I will be with just feeding in "winter." Can't wait for a hard frost this year, so I think October 1 will be the magic Winter Feeding day. Today is supposed to be the last 80-degree day here, YAY.

Susan, great photos of the hawk siblings. We used to have many more hawks around us, but with the increase in the osprey population due to nearby platforms ... not as many hawks. Maybe the osprey is more dominant and more territorial? I don't know enough about either to comment.

Down at the other end of our river is a wide area before the river meets the sound. About 40/50 egrets congregate there in the early mornings. It's probably a good fishing spot. Next time I walk there, I'll take a photo.

Jane, your rabbit seems very pleased that you've so graciously set out a spread for him/her. At what point will he/she resort to clover?

I'm curious.. and this may require a separate posting, but do any of you have bats?We've had not a one this year! We used to watch them from the deck as they hunted at dusk. Then the population slowly decreased over the years that we've been here.

Molie: I really hope you take a photo of the egret gathering. It must be a great event.

I haven't seen bats here for a long time, in fact, I'm not sure I've ever seen bats here. I may just not have looked at the right time or the right place.

I hope your problem isn't a case of the White-nose Syndrome, the fungal disease that has been devastating bat populations in the northeast.

Claire

molie, yes, outside the belfry, we have bats around us that we've watched for the 41 years here. and, the bunnies already plowed through the clover, happily.

Black-capped Chickadee and the pine cone.

He really fought to take this tiny cone off a branch. Flew off the pine clutching his gold.

Poked at it for quite a while...

It's stuck.

Jane

(he wiped it off on the tree trunk - he's fine)

His contemplative moment was just that: A moment.

And then the family came

Jane

Let's assume the beavers are inside their dam. Posting colors for Pat who wanted to see New England this Autumn. The colors are coming, Pat. The ladies up north may have more colors to show soon.

Beaver Dam - I didn't ring the bell, assume they are home.

I'm way late posting this stuff, but for those interested in the bluebirds.....in late summer, we had 2 boxes fledge one day apart! The boxes were quite a distance from each other. I heard the chirps and watched the feeding. We did not see them fledge. Shortly thereafter, I heard the chirps coming from the trees and watched the parents bring the food. The babies were demanding, but before long they were fending for themselves. These days the yard is often full of Blues. Some pics:

Dad feeding the nestlings

Baby in the pine tree

One making demands on Mom

Watching something in the pines

Sharing the birdbath

Raiding the poke berries

Susan

So glad you posted, Susan. Wonderful pleasure to watch in your yard. Great shots!

Thank you, Jane. I love your photos...you even made the HOSPs look good!

The first 2 pics here are just garden, but I plant sunflowers every year for the birds and bees (and my entertainment). This year's:

Tried a new one, Mexican torch (Tithonia rotundifolia) - a keeper! I saw hummingbrids on them too, but never got a picture :(

Chickadee enjoying seeds (as do many other birds not shown)

Susan

Jane and Susan, really wonderful pictures as always.

I planted so much tithonia last year and nothing came up. Ah-hah, methinks it's an annual. Back to Google.

Thanks, Pat. Tithonia is definitely an annual here, and drought tolerant (which is a good thing this year).

Really lovely pictures, Jane and Susan. Someone (erin sos) posted about tithonia on the Hummingbird Migration thread. Definitely a worthy plant to keep in your garden, even though it's not winter-hardy here.

I've been seeing a lot of Wooly Bear Caterpillars lately, mostly under the rain cover of my wagon. By the time I get the cover off the poor caterpillar is all curled up in horror so it's hard to see the extent of the brown band. It turns out that empty peanut shells are good to transport caterpillars to safer spots. The wagon is not a good place for a caterpillar to overwinter.

Claire

Is anybody seeing Red-breasted Nuthatches in your yard? I think I saw one last Monday, Oct. 3, although it was just a quick glimpse with one picture. That's a chickadee in the back of the nugget feeder and a possible nuthatch with its back to the camera.

I occasionally see Red-breasted Nuthatches here, but only in years when they irrupt south and then only in the winter or spring before they head north again.

I just checked Ron Pittaway’s Winter Finch Forecast 2016-2017 which is posted on eBird and it says:

"RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH: An early southward movement began in early summer and continues as this forecast is posted. This widespread movement is evidence of poor cone crops in the Northeast. It indicates that Purple Finches, White-winged Crossbills and Pine Siskins are on the move too."

I then checked eBird for individual sightings and they're all over Massachusetts and New England! Five Red-breasted Nuthatches were counted in September just down the road from my house, so the ID is looking much more reasonable.

We seem to be having an irruption this year and may have unusual birds visiting this fall and winter.

Claire

I just went out to refill the feeders and when I was about 8 feet away from one set of feeders I got a very good look at a red-breasted nuthatch trying to get a few more mouthfuls before I got any closer.

I'm confident now of the identification.

Claire

Good, glad you have them. I've never seen one. Regular Nuthatch is year round here, but not a red-breasted one in the yard.

Keep watching, Jane - this looks like a good year to see them.

Claire

A new film on hummingbirds by a lady in New Haven, CT to be aired this coming Wed., Oct, 12,2016 on PBS. Super Hummingbirds

Jane

That's a great preview/teaser - I look forward to seeing the whole film.

Claire

Consciousness, in any form, is expressive, IMO. I don't recall ever seeing such a ticked off house finch who went on to nearly empty the bath and all his anger. 22 shots, good grief.

Jane

Wow, that finch did NOT want to share the birdbath (excuse me, the finch bath) with any lousy house sparrows and he didn't think much of the paparazza following him either.

Great series, Jane!

Claire

Your Tithonia looks great, Susan. When Pixie Lou was posting on the flower photo thread, she had Tithonia for a couple of seasons, and that was the first I'd ever seen it. Glad to know the hummers like it. Do you find plants or start from seed?

Claire and Jane, I periodically seen red-breasted nuthatches here, though the white-breasted are much more common. The white is a bit larger, and one of them "yanks" much faster; I never remember which, though so I always have to look it up.

Jane, I always enjoy when you link to a whole series of bird behavior photos!

NHBabs, thank you. I just direct seeded in the garden, along with my other sunflower seeds. They are still blooming brightly! I bought the packet from Baker Creek since I was ordering something else from them, but I believe Johnny's has them in their catalog, too. I will definitely do again.

I planted tithonia seeds after seeing Pixie Lou's and mine looked like pitiful, dwarfed 3rd cousins thrice removed! She had otters too! I'll have to put a reminder on my tablet to order more seeds next winter. They are wonderful flowers...especially if they grow, lol.

There'll be Trouble in River City if that PBS docu tonight influences me to purchase a hummer feeder and all that that entails. So there.

what happened to my old moniker?

Yellow-shafted Northern Flickers may turn orange due to berries. I have not seen this yet, but if we do, this may be a possible answer.Flicker and berries

SuperHummingbirds, that is the best hummer film I've ever seen! Hope everybody got to see it. If not, it should be available online soon at PBS.org

So glad I remembered it just before 8pm. Amazing photography. So much insight into their behavior and a look at many different kinds I didn't know existed! Thanks for the heads up, Jane.

Unbelievable photography. Splendid docu. Nature TV is what it's all about. Nothing else matters. Still not going to buy a hummer feeder.

Thanks for the reminder about his hummingbird documentary. I found a repeat broadcast, and since my tv reception is better than my internet, I set it to record. For anyone who wants the direct link, here it is, Super Hummingbirds, a Nature episode.

Thanks for the link, NHBabs. I'll watch it when I'm ready to sit down for almost an hour.

I saw a hummingbird at my feeder today! I posted on the Migration thread but didn't get a picture.

Claire

Just wonderful, thanks, Jane! And as the film ended and I looked up from the credits, I saw a turkey walk by the deck - sort of a fitting return to reality from the hummingbird world.

Claire

Boy, Oct.13th seems quite late for a hummer. We'll never from where he came. Was he carrying a Hudson Bay blanket? Rugged litlle guys.

and I saw a Junco (snowbird) in my back yard 2 days ago and it was 76 degrees and not a leaf color change in sight.

Maybe it wasn't really a junco, Pat, but a sparrow trying out a new Halloween costume....

Claire

NOOOOOOO! No juncos! Too early. Little buggers show up here and it snows 2 weeks later. Please, Pat, send them back to Canada!

Two of them today. Doing what I can to send them back. They like my new Wagner mix from Amazon. Back to sunflower seeds, I guess.

Claire, too funny.

For those in junco denial, here's photographic evidence from SE NH. A handful of these old friends showed up yesterday. I won't have feeders up until late next month (unless I cave).

Susan

The bluebird community suddenly took an interest in the Red Sprite winterberry. It's way too early for these berries to be ripe, but when any other birds show an interest......

The blues fought amongst themselves, then I saw a couple actually choke down berries (even when ripe, these are a mouthful for blues).

Yup, she swallowed it. After that, I didn't see any more interest in the berries. For now.

Susan

That's amazing!

Love the bluebirds and winterberry pics, Susan! Nothing is trying to eat the winterberries here yet.

No juncoes here yet, but the first white-throated sparrow of the fall/winter season appeared early this morning. They don't spend their summers here.

I'm still seeing hordes of grackles, around 30 this morning, and the white-throat disappeared when the grackles came. I don't usually see so many grackles now - I wonder if the drought has affected their alternate feeding grounds.

This is a picture of grackles a week ago with the winterberry in the background.

Claire

NOT our Junco. First one showed up Sunday afternoon, Oct. 16th. Ours are usually a paler gray. Not sure, but this one looks like it came from Michigan. I let him eat and gave him directions to head west. Maybe I should renew my passport. Not ready for winter!

Jane, that can't be a Junco -- too dark. Ours our a paler gray also. Same as yours. Do not leave.

It might be one of my juncos, Jane, that didn't follow the directions (and/or looked at the weather forecast and said "I'm too early"). Maybe it flew by here and didn't see any snow so kept going.

I sometimes see the dark ones, here's one on Jan. 28, 2015 in a snow canyon.

Claire

ah-HA! Well, I sent him to Pat.

We've had dark charcoal Juncos here before, but usually they arrive in multiples. This chap appeared to be alone.

They let me know when it is time to plug it in and clean it.

Too cold!

What's that stuff on the bottom?

I just posted a new thread, Birds and other mobile features in the garden 2016 #9, partly because I didn't want this thread to get too long, and partly because I made a new turkey video this morning and I like to start new threads with something to look at.

As always, feel free to continue any relevant discussion here, but please post new material on the new thread.

Claire