This is from our local Wild Birds Unlimited website. WHERE ARE THE BIRDS ? We've heard that question more than a few times the past couple of weeks! NOT TO FEAR! This is the time of the year when "mother nature" provides lots of food sources from ripening seeds, fruit, weeds, etc. Combined with our "warm fall" temperatures there's not a lot of feeding required. As soon as the temperatures drop, the activity at your feeders will definitely increase! In the meantime, keep fresh water in the birdbaths. It's been extremely dry with only .3" of rain for the entire month of October!" We've had an abundance of bluebirds, wrens, chickadees, titmouse, and goldfinches, but not all day long like we had during the summer... and it seems like we hear more than we're actually seeing right now. Here is a link that might be useful: [Wild Birds Unlimited~Clayton](http://stores.wbu.com/clayton)

I think we saw some in the back yard yesterday morning, but not sure. Still watching. Okay I looked it up and I want to see a blue gray gnatcatcher. Does it come to feeders? The yellow birds never come to the feeders. They just eat bugs from the trees. Like Bookmark

Same here about the mockingbirds. For years I've had a pair that guarded the front yard, nested in the Youpon holly tree outside of the dining room window, and feasted on its berries all winter. I think feral cats in the neighborhood have killed them off. My next door neighbors feel sorry for them and feed them. I've seen mockingbird feathers in and round the birdbath in the front yard more than once so I stopped filling it. Now coyotes have been seen coming into the neighborhood streets at night apparently on the hunt for cats. The coyotes have become very bold and follow people who are walking their dogs on leash near the woods. Also people on our neighborhood Facebook page report that owls are taking cats. Plus I see and hear far fewer squirrels. Oh well. Things change. We just do the best we can to manage the wildlife visiting our gardens.

I'm in Missouri and things are slower right now, but I am seeing a slight increase as the weather cools. I see tons of finches, few cardinals, couple nuthatches, quite a few doves & sparrows, and some woodpeckers... Oh and I saw my first junco the other day (hadn't seen one of those in months!). The blue jays are coming back too. Hopefully your area picks up. I started taking notes of what birds I see during the year because a while back (a couple months) I started freaking out too after not seeing many birds. I hope nothing bad is going on with them...