Where Are the Birds?
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Where are the birds this winter? There seem to be far fewer than usual at our feeders. We have lots of blue jays, a couple cardinals, a single nuthatch, a small flock of goldfinches and another of chickadees, a few woodpeckers on the suet, a couple dozen mourning doves and a bunch of squirrels. We have two large tube feeders that I only have to top off once a week, as opposed to major refills twice a week in normal years. The winter is mild, so are they all staying further north? Maybe one of my neighbors is running a better restaurant? Anybody else seeing a scarcity?
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Seems like the same amount, but if they want to eat they better hurry cause. The deer clean out the feeders in no time or the turkeys
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- tsb
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They are at my house. Eating everything I can afford.
- davidmcbeth3
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My cat caught one ..... that's #3 for the cat over the years.
He's not very good at it. Never caught any squirrel, try as the cat may try.
He's not very good at it. Never caught any squirrel, try as the cat may try.
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I have fewer birds, but I think this is where your birds go in the winter.....not sure but maybe they just didn't come this far down as it is milder?
Kevin
Kevin
- freetown fred
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You got it Kevin. RB, birds will stay to the wild except for harsh winter conditions. AND, let's face it, they're not here YET!!!!!!!!!!
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My bee hives populations takes a hit here whenever the "no-till" "cocktail" gets sprayed over the early blooming flower varieties...wild mustard, henbit and others. The old moldboard plow never got very many bees.
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The limited studies that are being done (the government has outlawed most of them) are showing that the residue left on the grains, after they do the 'spray and kill' to enable faster drying, is what is killing the birds. The birds eat the leftovers after the harvest.
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Not seeing anywhere near the same numbers of birds at the feeder here either. The wife next door puts out a feeder all year. The sparrows that we have every year, all year round are gone the past several months, too.
But then I have trouble keeping the bird seed for the birds. This winter I have gained deer. The stinkers are empting the bird feeder every night they come here. I guess that cheap Tractor Supply bird seed is better than I thought ?
Momma's taught the fawns to lick the bird seed out of the feeder. Then it scatters after bouncing off the aluminum squirrel skirt and they just eat it up off the snow.
Paul
But then I have trouble keeping the bird seed for the birds. This winter I have gained deer. The stinkers are empting the bird feeder every night they come here. I guess that cheap Tractor Supply bird seed is better than I thought ?
Momma's taught the fawns to lick the bird seed out of the feeder. Then it scatters after bouncing off the aluminum squirrel skirt and they just eat it up off the snow.
Paul
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- SWPaDon
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And the bunny's pick up what's left, like the first pictureSunny Boy wrote: Then it scatters after bouncing off the aluminum squirrel skirt and they just eat it up off the snow.
- freetown fred
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Donny, you got pretty good eyes for a old guy!! I got a whole hay barn full of them thar lil critters!! They're fun to watch.
- warminmn
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Cant feed deer in my area now, not that I ever considered it a good idea except in extremely bad weather. Chronic Wasting Disease got in the deer herd a few miles away. Its open season here so come shoot some deer It hit close to a city so I imagine people feeding them spread the disease. I think 6 deer so far had it that they tested.
I had the normal amount of Robins here this summer, but not as many Thrush and Kingbirds. I don't get a lot of variety here, living in the middle of a million acres of crops. I still have bees pollinating my fruit trees and hope I always do. There numbers have fallen though. In the winter all I have for birds is blackbirds, crows, partridge, and a few bald eagles until the waterways freeze up.
I had the normal amount of Robins here this summer, but not as many Thrush and Kingbirds. I don't get a lot of variety here, living in the middle of a million acres of crops. I still have bees pollinating my fruit trees and hope I always do. There numbers have fallen though. In the winter all I have for birds is blackbirds, crows, partridge, and a few bald eagles until the waterways freeze up.
- freetown fred
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If that were so, we wouldn't have any birds here & we are loaded. Maybe I'm confused but what the hell is spray & kill--ya mean after they cut the crops--never heard nor seen it done up this way.
SWPaDon wrote:The limited studies that are being done (the government has outlawed most of them) are showing that the residue left on the grains, after they do the 'spray and kill' to enable faster drying, is what is killing the birds. The birds eat the leftovers after the harvest.