Are there neighborhood cats or other predators? Do you have neighbors who have started feeding the birds?

What is WNY? I’m not familiar with that term.

No prowling cats or other predators, and no neighbors who have started feeding birds. Absolutely nothing has changed in or around our yard, or of those yards that are around us either. This is why I am so stumped. It seems more of a larger environmental issue, which is why I am curious to know if any other birdwatchers in my area have noticed the same thing. WNY stands for Western New York.

Any habitat changes that might have effected the corridors they use could be a culprit. Even if it isn't in your immediate vicinity, if these "highways" that the birds (and other wildlife) utilize to get to and from your yard get changed, disturbed, or degraded (all of which can happen as a result of natural processes) or blocked by human development you will likely see a decrease in diversity and population.

This seems like a reasonable and logical explanation. I guess it will take time, patience and persistence to build back up the diversity and population of my birds again! Thank you for your input, Zach.

Same thing here at my place in central Indiana. I have 35 acres of woods and fields and some days, I hardly see any birds at all. I thought maybe someone close by was "stealing" them by feeding them a lot but I don't know. It's very disconcerting..........I fear it might be a harbinger of things not good.. Then again, I'm an eternal pessimist!

One thought I just had is that if you have farm fields around, I've seen lots of birds around here, eating the dropped corn and beans after harvest. I don't think all birds like those things, so that might not be what's happening. Or maybe they're getting at the insects that were hiding in the crops? It IS very disconcerting though.

Can’t say as I haven’t thought the same thing, Catherine, about it being a harbinger of less than desirable things to come. I was so surprised you’re seeing the same thing as far away as Indiana! Concerning to say the least.

Populations do naturally fluctuate.

If we are noticing a decline of seed-eating birds, the answer could be as simple as something like a late freeze that prevented their food source from producing a good crop. Or perhaps over population in the prior years has resulted in scarcity of a resource, such as food or suitable nesting sites, causing the population to taper off. Nesting failure can also be increased by natural events such as weather and predator populations.

Another thing that can effect feeder activity is an abundance of natural food sources. It could be that your birds simply don't need to use your feeder as much because they have enough food that they can stay more "spread out" instead of every bird in the neighborhood relying on you.

It is a fact that overall species and their populations are in decline as a result of human activity, and we should absolutely be wondering about and investigating the causes at play. But a localized event, such as a decrease in your feeder activity, really has so many variables that its nearly impossible to say what the cause is without some serious investigation.

If it were just my feeder, or a miscellaneous feeder here and there, I can completely understand each of the answers you’ve given as reasons for why bird activity has decreased at these feeders.

But in the last week I have been scouring the internet for information and have stumbled on way too many concerned birders experiencing the same exact thing in places as far away as Texas, to Catherine in Indiana, and others in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and all across New York. One woman said she has friends in various places along the east coast, and they also were seeing a startling lack of birds at their feeders as well.

Additionally, what is puzzling is that, despite it being a mast year according to one woman at Cornell, the birds are NOT foraging where the supply of natural food is abundant around me. We have wild grapes left untouched, still hanging on their vines. Our Burning Bush has tons of berries that are left untouched day after day. Apples are still hanging on the bare tree branches left untouched by birds and squirrels alike. Across the road there are bushes filled with fruit that are usually either filled with Cardinals or Cedar Waxwings at this time of year. This year, they, too, remain untouched. These are some examples, just to name a few. One would expect to at least see a handful of birds from time to time feeding on all of this abundance, but day after day there are none. No bird sightings, and very few bird sounds, if at all.

With so many of us who feed the birds that are spread out across the US, if I don’t see them, I would expect at least then someone somewhere else would be seeing them. I would expect that if the birds moved out of my area, then someone in an area nearby, or certainly in another county, or even a neighboring state for that matter would be seeing them, but they aren’t.

With that being said, just where then, are all these birds? The issue seems to be so widespread that it leaves one to wonder just what could be going on that maybe we’re not seeing, but the birds are sensing? It could simply be just a fluke thing, but I’ve read several accounts from others who have been feeding the birds for 20-25+ years, both here in NY and elsewhere, that have said they’ve never seen anything like it in all their years of bird feeding. It certainly is a head scratcher for sure....

I'm in SE Michigan and seeing the same issue. I am thinking that the snow we are supposed to get this weekend, really the FIRST snow of this season which has been too warm for snow this year, will bring in all the birds I am used to seeing in the winter. Very disconcerting and troublesome indeed! Thank you for posting this. Hope there is an answer some day.

So glad you’ve added your thoughts, Pat! I can say over the last several colder days I’ve had a few more species of birds show up, but it’s only one or two at a time. Then they’re gone again! Not the numbers I’m used to seeing, that’s for sure. I, too, hope once winter sets in that our birds will return, and one day we know the reason behind the absence of our birds!

We didn't see the Canada geese fly south this year. This is in DFW area of Texas where I see many groups fly over typically in October or November. Our usual black capped chickadees and titmice are mia too. We have lots of Blue Jays, cardinals and Carolina wrens as always, but now that you mention it, I've seen very few cardinals. We usually have a lot of those here. I am hearing and seeing hummingbirds though. They are the black chins.

Cornell University, as well as other reputable sites say that birds can sometimes appear as if they've all up and left, but there could be several reasons why. Availability of natural food sources may be more plentiful, and they'll always choose that first. Also, there may be a new predator in the area... cats or hawks are often the culprits. They could also be lured away by someone else's feeder if there's something there they may like better or want.

In my case, I've been thinking about it a lot and I've decided that since our power company, in order to create more space around the electrical wires in our area, cut down or trimmed so many of our very mature trees this last year, that the birds are missing their owl stomping grounds,so to speak. Virtually all of the hemlocks and spruces that I planted when we moved in here 40 years ago are GONE, leaving the Western half of our thugas STRIPPED (because the hemlocks, which are now gone, were shading their Western sides. Kkow what I mean? I'm talking the entire lines of trees up and down many streets in my area and more. So, while my feeders are generally in the same places, many of the trees and limbs that they once used are GONE. Also, all of our Colorado Blue Spruces have died from some fungus disease in the past couple of years. I had about 8 on my property. SE Michigan is in the Ohio Valley where is is humid quite a bit of the summer. Perhaps Colorado Blue Spruces should remain in Colorado. I'm 76 years old wondering what I can plant that will mature in my lifetime. Really?

Pat, I'm sorry to hear about the habitat destruction in your area. I absolutely loathe it when this happens. There are a lot of fast-growing trees and shrubs you can plant that won't take long to grow to a nice, mature size. Just be very sure you're planting native trees, shrubs, etc. for your area, because the impact on native wildlife with too many 'introduced' or genetically-altered non-native plants etc will not give them what they need, especially in terms of food. We're lucky in that the private drive we live on isn't open for anything new to be built, and we have a bluff on one side (our back yard actually includes some of the bluff drop off), and the other side, behind the houses across the street, have a steep drop off as well. We live on the blown out wall of the Wetumpka crater, so it's an interesting layout here. Anyway, ask your local nursery about which trees and plants are NATIVE (not hybrid!), find out which are fast growing, and make sure there's nothing that can cause disease to other trees. Some just do this by default if grown too close or in the area of vulnerable trees. The east coast has an issue with cedar trees causing fungus on apple trees, for example.

We travel about an hour and a half to go to a nursery called "Petals From The Past," because they specialize in native plants. The DO carry a few hybrids, but they specialize in native plants. You may have something similar in your area.

I'm sure they're not cheap, but many nurseries have very large trees you can buy so that you don't wait years for them to be of significant size or maturity. Also, you can invest in growing shrubs as a hedgerow around your property. Go for diversity in this, and don't stick to having a 'well manicured' lawn or border to your yard... because the more diverse and varied and 'not neatly trimmed' shrubs you have the better the birds like it.

For example, I have so many different trees and shrubs in my yard that it's amazing, and some were planted by the birds! For example, black cherry trees are native here, and they're often planted by the birds themselves. They eat the fruit and poop out the seed, which usually ends up a brand new tree, and they grow fast too. We have two new ones this year in varying parts of the property, and we didn't plant them.

All you can do is help the destroyed habitat heal and revitalize, and as long as you plant native plants that vary.... fruit producing, nut producing, flower/nectar producing, etc.... the birds will love your property and find food, shelter, and safe places to nest.

ella, I agree with everything you've said and have already been spending a lot of time researching which native shrubs and trees I am going to seek out in the Spring. I cancelled three serviceberry shrubs this Fall and kick myself every time I think about it, but Spring is coming. I have a neighbor who is very into native plants for her yard and I will be working with her landscaper. Also, yesterday I discovered on another birding website that I might be feeding an inferior grade of black oil sunflower seed, instead of a "name brand" one. Apparently the cheaper ones can be picked too early and the seed does not get a chance to get full with more "meat." I picked up this current bag in a hurry and did not realize it was an off brand until I got home.

Our foot of snow is gone today and it is warmer and raining. We went from 18 degrees to 43 in one day and I have not seen one bird since. I even purchased white proso millet to attract native sparrows, juncos, Carolina wrens, towhees, etc., and not one appeared today.

Your property sounds wonderful. Thank you.

Kimberly, we have also found that the amount of bird population is down. We are 1 hour outside of Vancouver BC, Canada.

We provide fresh water everyday. For nine months of the year there a two water fountains running all day. Quite a few trees in the yard and neighborhood, plus flowers to attract the bugs.

We have been feeding the birds for years, every day of the year, and there is days now if we see a bird we are lucky.

We have a cell tower about 3 blocks away, some people say that the radio waves might be emitting a sound that the birds might hear, not sure?

Hmmm.....that's interesting. We are about 1 mile away from a cell tower. Who knows. Our butterfly population really dropped for a couple years and is starting to come back up (this past summer). There are just so many factors that could cause things like this........man made and natural fluctuations.

The juncos have returned!

Blue Onblue, I agree. We've seen only one Yellow Rumped Warbler, and it wouldn't touch the Nyjer seed we have out. It did, and does, go to the platform feeder. BUT, we found a spot not terribly far from our house, maybe 1/2 mi, and there were probably about 30-40 of them hunting bugs at the edge of a wide open field (farm). They were also eating stuff off the vines growing up the trees as well. That was before our massive Winter blast that we're still in, but they had access to natural food and chose that first. Definitely a VERY good thing. There were bluebirds there as well. Feeders honestly are just supplements for them, especially in Winter. Some research does show that many species are surviving well and flourishing due to human help (ie feeders, etc). Humans are one of the main reasons for bluebirds bouncing back. But yep... natural food sources are always better for them.

Warblers of every kind are pretty much exclusively insect eating birds and to see one at a seed feeder would be interesting indeed! I have tons on the yellow rumped here in the Phoenix area, my entire neighborhood is filled with them in every single tree, including the mesquite that hangs over my fence. In places that have large cottonwoods, many other warbler species, such as orange crowned and even some chestnut sided and black and white (and I even saw a northern parula the other day) can be found picking insects from the leaves. But they will never come to the thistle/nyjer feeder, although they could potentiallyuse the suet feeder.

Pat, Colorado Blue Spruce is a high elevation tree. They enjoy more water than say a ponderosa pine, but are not as tolerant of higher temperatures. They will survive your figid winters just fine, but your (I'm guessing) warm and humid summers are not something that you find on the high peaks of the Rocky Mountains. They are commonly planted in the Denver area but typically look horrendous there. Too dry and too hot for them even in that part of Colorado!

Have your birds returned with the cold weather?

We moved to Long Island, NY last year and our property backs up to a 500 acre park preserve that has a river running through it. Even though we have parkland surrounding the neighborhood, my feeders are full on regular basis. I generally have about 5 going, 2 filled with no mess mix, a safflower, a nyger, and peanuts. I temporarily gave up on the suet feeders after the blue jays proved their proficiency in flying upside down. Sometimes I have to refill during the day in bad weather. I have to take the feeders in nightly due to the raccoons, and the birds are waiting for me in the morning.

With the snow storm yesterday, until I shovel out a path to the backyard poles, the 2 feeders in a protected area at the front of the house have to service all. The birds were stacked up waiting their turn. I was surprised with the amount of woods that surround us, that the feeders are such a draw in all weather.

I too here in Wisconsin have noticed the birds disappearing. That's why I came in here to ask questions about it. After reading the posts, the only two things I can think of were some construction down the road and a verizon cell tower being replaced with a different one(forgot the name).

I was getting a lot of morning doves and black birds tho this spring and summer. At first the black birds took over, maybe they scared away the rest of the birds. Then the morning doves took over. But now just a few here and there. I was walking last month for about a couple of miles, and in another neighborhood. When I walked past a house and about 20 or so morning doves spooked and took off from the feeders they were being fed at. Then on the way back I passed and they took off again. It was just a few feeders right next to their house only. But really not many other species tho here.

Some mourning doves will stick out the winter in the northern states, but most of them head to warmer climes onces the winter weather rolls in. So with this arctic blast you guys got out there, It doesn't surprise me that you noticed a lot of them disappearing.

I am curious if any of you giys have noticed any increase in feeder activity with the severe cold? Here in the West its been warm and dry. Colorado has the lowest snowpack it has seen in over 30 years and it was 80º in Southern Arizona last week.

Zach I am seeing mourning doves at my feed station now in Northern Ohio. Not sure if it is because the weather is staying so cold or that I added millet and cracked corn to the feed. Right now I am spreading about 5 pounds of black oiled sunflower seeds mixed with millet, safflower seeds, peanuts, cracked corn, hulled sunflower seeds, dried berries and canary seed (that none of the birds touch) daily. This I place under a large pine tree. I also have suet feeders with suet made of beef lard, meal worms, hulled sunflower seeds, cracked corn, and peanuts. The daily visitors include: cardinals, blue jays, nut hatches, sparrows, mourning doves, junkos, finches, titmouses, chickadees, red bellied woodpeckers, hairy woodpeckers, downy woodpeckers, house sparrows, starlings, crows, finches and the occasional Carolina Wren. The squirrels start feeding at the crack of dawn and the birds come about an hour later. I might see 50 birds feeding under the pine during most days. The weather is so weird right now and the birds are acting weird too. For example, I can actually walk up the birds (when I want to add some more feed) and they won't even fly away until I am basically right on them.

We now have several American Goldfinches eating a lot of Nyjer seed, and a couple of Pine Warblers that go to several of the feeders. Of course, we have a ton of other birds too, but each day is different... some days a lot of birds, other days not so much. But then, our mockingbird pair has decided they own the entire front yard. Good thing we have several feeders out back too. ;) Shhhhh! Don't tell the mockingbirds!

I’m so glad to read all the conversation about everone’s thoughts and experiences in each of your own neck of the woods. In the several weeks since my last post, I have slowly noticed changes around my feeders. We now have about a dozen bluebirds who are daily visitors. They began coming even before the recent arctic weather we’ve been experiencing here in the NE lately. Same for the woodpeckers - downy, hairy, and red bellied, and cardinals. Before the cold blast, we had more chickadees than we do now. We had less than a handful of goldfinches, but now their numbers are ever so slowly creeping up. Not too many nuthatches or titmice, but a few that frequent daily. A couple of squirrels have returned. Interestingly, my husband has a friend who feeds squirrels exclusively and his friend said the population of those that are regulars at his house nearly all but disappeared! Also, last week we heard about a gentleman in his 90’s in our town who has fed the birds for over 40 years! He experienced the same mass feeding frenzy near summer’s end that I did, then the complete drop off of any birds to be seen at all. He says he’s never experienced this in all his years of bird feeding that he recalls. We were going through nearly 2x’s the amount of seed than normal, to all of a sudden having seed sit out and basically spoil because it was hardly even touched for weeks on end. With the frigid temperatures, I have noticed an increase in the hawks eyeing our feeder birds. They have been unable to find food in the woods and areas they normally frequent due to a tremendous amount of snow and have, unfortunately, captured some of our unsuspecting feathered friends. They are quite bold, and hard to scare off, which is also unusual. And yes, we also have some feeder birds that seem unbothered by my presence at the feeders while filling them, and don’t fly away til I’m nearly on top of them! This year has certainly been a very interesting year in the local bird world!

In the past, when I would feed the birds the nut and berry blend, there would be many birds I normally did not see. They love the dried berries, I was going to try that, but I need to clean my feeders. It' going to warm up above freezing in a couple days, so they will dry nicely in the sun too.

Also, I guess we have to try to appreciate the normal ebb and flow of things. We, as humans are around for such a short time, it might seem like something is terribly amiss......but hopefully it's just part of "normal" on a longer time continuum. Although I have to say that with all the "growth and development" that seems to be so popular everywhere, it's hard not to believe that humankind has a hand in some of this seeming "imbalance" in nature.

"Also, I guess we have to try to appreciate the normal ebb and flow of things. We, as humans are around for such a short time, it might seem like something is terribly amiss."

I love tgis Catherine and you are so right. Of course it is also just as true that humam development has had a profoundly negative effect on the land and the creatures that live here, there can be absolutely no denying that fact.

They are moulting.

Sure glad I found this site; lots of birds, mostly drinking and bathing, then it turned cold and snowed and we have NONE! Haven't seen one of my beloved black and white chicadees or nuthatches in 5 days, after being greeted in person many times this summer. If the 2 cats my neighbor began letting out a couple months ago did it, I won't be able to stand it.... DID find a chicadee dead, untouched, under the birdbath a week ago (?). 2-3 homes being built about 5 acres away; may be the cause - I HATE this!

I’m in Mesquite, Texas. Ive had 100’s of birds. Now all have been gone for a month or two.

I read somewhere that it’s a multifaceted issue. They believe the decline could be from pesticides, wind turbines and the improper feeding. Feeders and baths need to be cleaned every few weeks with bleach and thoroughly rinsed to cut down on the spread of disease. i had a neighbor that never cleaned her bird bath and it was full of mold and algae. I mentioned to her the importance of cleaning it and she felt it wasn’t necessary. Cornell’s website and Wild Birds Unlimited give good instruction on proper care and feeding.

I'm glad this thread was brought back. It has a lot of good info. This year, again, the bird AND the butterfly population is down. But....a couple weeks ago there was a huge ruckus in my backyard.....tons of different birds yelling and flying around. I've heard it was probably a predator close by. Then things got really quiet for several weeks. Then the other day there was another ruckus in my back yard (in the woods), and it was mostly all robins. There were tons of them and they seemed to be arguing with each other, and drinking tons of water in my various tiny ponds and birdbaths. I found it very curious. But.....a week or so later, I was riding my raised golf cart around our big property and it hit me............they love to eat all the invasive honeysuckle berries! I was bummed, because our property is covered with that honeysuckle. We're too old to try to get rid of it, and we don't use chemicals. It's hard to believe the original owner of this property bought the honeysuckle from the DNR. :( That was 40 years ago and now it's all over. Anyhow.......I used to think "at least those bad plants give the birds some food", but someone here told me the berries are low in nutrition. don't know if that's true or not. Plus, they are pooping those seeds all over the county/state. Anyhow......I guess it was sort of a good news/bad news story for me, seeing all those robins. It's really hard being a person who loves this earth and is acutely aware of how we humans are treating it. But as was said above, there is also the factor of the ebb and flow of how things go in the natural world. But I sure miss seeing more birds and butterflies, for sure!

Add Northwest Michigan to those scratching their heads. What I do think of is the HUGE Starling Population around and all the egg destroying done by them…