Where are the birds?.........still

[CathyA]

Still, hardly even of the fraction of the birds that should be here now. I only see a couple a day instead of the many I usually see this time of year. It's rather eerie.

[Greg44]

What kind of birds frequent your area? I just put out a couple fresh suet cakes and the bird feeder for the season. Our old mail box serves as the squirrel feeder - trying to keep
everyone happy!

We have never had pets - but we enjoy the wild ones that come and visit our yard.

[BikingLady]

Yes this year the birds were few here and on other side of state at my father's feeder. He has lived in his home since 1956 and keeps daily logs of his sightings. The last few years really have been sparse.

[rosarugosa]

We haven't noticed a difference in our area.

[Rogar]

I'm a bit of a birder and have not noticed anything different about this year personally or in the posts on the birder sites. It's still a little early here for the birds that migrate here or pass through and some are just starting to show up.

[razz]

Lots of singing and flying around here.

[CathyA]

They're finally picking up here now. Who knows.......maybe some people in the area (big rural area) are feeding them and they are drawn away from here. But I've talked to a fair number of people online who have noticed a drop off in numbers too. It may just be a normal variation...........but with other funky things going on (pollution/climate change, loss of habitat, etc.) it makes you wonder. I've had a huge drop-off in butterflies too.

Seems like the birds are starting to mate/nest now. We have a nest over our light outside one of our doors. I hope it's the usual nester, which is a phoebe. They are so mannerly. haha They don't freak out if we go on the porch.
And I saw a Carolina wren with nesting material in its mouth outside the kitchen window. So I went out and looked, and it had built a nest in a basket I had out there. I see male mourning doves chasing females. I'm hearing lots of woodpecker drilling in the woods. I'm still waiting for the turkey vultures to return. I love those guys. Lots of tufted Titmous singing going on too. Love those birds!
Oh....and I've been seeing bluebirds.

[Tybee]

We had a bluebird in our pasture yesterday when we were fixing fence!

[Float On]

I slept with the windows open since we're running 15-20 above normal. Yesterday it hit 90. Let me tell you, the birds were loud this morning. Lots of conversations going on in the trees around my house. I've heard someone in the area already saw a hummingbird and it's very early for that.

[Tybee]

Cathy, are you a member of your local Audubon Society? I am, and we have a list serve, and everyday people send out what they are seeing--this week it was a golden eagle, a kestrel, and something else that was really early. They tell where they saw it and then you know where to look--I saw a snowy owl over by Menards because that is where he hangs, and someone told us that.
So you might enjoy being part of your group if they have listserve, or start one if they don't.

[CathyA]

Wow Float On......that is a bit early for hummers! I live in central Indiana I usually see them the first week of May.

Tybee......thanks, I'll look into that. That would be cool to hear that others have seen something, so I would be more on the lookout. What part of the country do you live in? It must be north or Canada. I would DIE if I saw a snowy owl!! :)
I haven't even seen any barn owls. My friend in southern Illinois put up a barn owl house last spring and got a nesting pair that had babies!

Greg.........sorry I never answered your question about the kinds of birds around here, so here goes:

cardinals
doves
chickadees (black capped and Carolina)
Wrens (Carolina and House)
nuthatches
woodpeckers - downy, red headed, flickers, pileateds, sap suckers, red-bellied, Hairys
cuckoos
meadowlarks
woodcocks
phoebes
Great crested flycatchers
kingbirds
pewees
brown creepers
juncos
ruby throated hummers
blue-gray gnatcatchers
Northern parulas
robins
trushes
waxwings
veeries
thrasher
thrushes.
Indigo buntings
all different sparrows
bluebirds
scarlet tanager
turkey vultures
great horned and barred owls
Oh.....and I can't forget robins.
Okay.........you get the idea. haha I could go on and on. I love migration time, but last year, there didn't seem to be any. I'll keep my fingers crossed for this year being better.
Okay........I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

[pinkytoe]

It's all new to us since we moved north so I will have to relearn the birds for this area. Yesterday, I saw my first ever northern flicker. I do miss seeing mockingbirds and cardinals though.

[Tybee]

Cathy, we live in Northern Michigan. I know it's a lot warmer in Indiana; my son lives in southern INdiana and they barely get snow!

[JaneV2.0]

I saw a hummingbird outside my window a month or so ago. A friend was kept busy thawing out her feeders during our cold spell to keep hers fed. Apparently, some don't migrate.

[BikingLady]

I have my Hummingbird and Oriole feeders up, frozen today in MI, but ready for the scouts when they arrive!

[KayLR]

Lucky us...we have Annas hummers year-round. The rufous are here now.

[BikingLady]

Now that it is late spring, my feeders are so busy. We have an assortment of Woodpeckers, Hairy, Downey,RedBellied, Flickers, Oriole are back and hoping they are nesting out back, the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds are back in full force. I thought the neighborhood Foxes took out the Chipmunks but nope more than we possibly need. Fox we only had occasionally seen them in our country sub, this year we have two litters and they are very brave. I walked my 80 pound mutt and the mom Fox paced us the other day, growing the entire time. First I was amused then I got a bit bothered as I did not want that confrontation. Nature is wonderful.

[razz]

Birds are busy in southern Ontario but no hummers at my house as yet despite my feeder. I asked a friend who has about 5 feeders going to keep up with the orioles and hummers and she said that they are busy. I have planted a pollinator garden so hope that helps.
Nice variety of birds nesting in the 4 large spruce trees back of my yard so my birdbath and niger/sunflower feeders are busy. I put a suet block in a metal frame in a rotating feeder and the robins are enjoying it. Didn't know that robins would eat at a suet block.

ETA: I was out planting in my garden and saw my first hummer!

[KayLR]

We had our annual visit from the Western Tanagers last week. They leave as quickly as they come. But so pretty to see while they are here. The downer is that I learned they love to feast on honeybees! :0! And our neighbor has hives. Good they're not here for long, I guess.

[CathyA]

We have a lot of Chats and Baltimore Orioles this year. The indigo buntings just showed up recently. A little bird hit my window this morning and was dazed for awhile. I kept my eye on it, and it eventually flew away. I think it was a warbler or thrush.
Funny thing, for 2 summers now, downy woodpeckers are coming to the hummer feeders constantly. I hope they don't get diabetes. haha

I realized a few years ago that the hummer feeders that had the yellow on the feeding holes, drew too much attention to the bees, and then the bees would drown.
Walmart carried a very inexpensive brand called "First Nature", that had all red ports, and the ports consisted of 2 tiny slits. I think the slits really kept the bees from drowning, although the ants would drown.
Anyhow, I went to buy another one and Walmart has changed brands back to the yellow ports. But I did find a couple places that still sell it, but they've gone to the bigger round holes again. Bummer. The woodpeckers don't seem to hurt those tiny slits. Maybe they just use their tongues, like the hummers do.

[nswef]

Wow Cathy, Haven't seen any downys at our humming bird feeder although we do get goldfinches who like to drink from the center ant water deterrent cup. I have to make sure I keep it filled! Saw a Baltimore Oriole the other day, only the 3rd one in my life! Same place, the electric wire coming into the house. It's a great perching spot for bluebirds, mocking birds, doves, sparrows and finches. They just amaze me. I envy you your indigo buntings. I've never seen a chat.

[frugal-one]

I bought a new hummingbird feeder because we did not see any hummingbirds on the one we had (decrepid). We have not seen any on the new one either. Times are a'changing..... not for the good, I'm afraid.

[KayLR]

This has been a weird year. We do have our usual amount of hummers, but there are a few others we usually see that we haven't (Townsend warblers, varied thrush). But we had a flock (16-18) of Cedar waxwings that we've never had before in the yard. They stayed around for a week or 10 days and moved on.