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Winter Bird Feeder Report from Valley Forge
January 24, 2014 | Doc Savage

Posted on 01/24/2014 1:20:45 PM PST by Doc Savage

We have about a foot of snow on the ground here at Valley Forge. Birds have been very active at our feeder. We're using Cherry-Scented Dark Oil Sunflower Seeds - no squirrels!! This morning, about 6*F, we had lots of Cardinals plus the usual assortment of Juncos, Sparrows, Black-Capped Chickadees, Purple Finches, and Blue Jays. I did a double take this afternoon as I saw a Carolina Wren - the eyebrow and beak were unmistakeable - for the first time ever. We had a Northern Flicker a few weeks back but he hasn't returned. Just wondering what you've had at your feeders. Anything unusual?


TOPICS: Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: birds
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To: Rodamala

Many, many years ago I worked as a hospital representative for Merck & Co., Inc. and I covered every inch of Hunterdon County. It was unspoiled back in the early seventies. Wish I’d had money to buy land there. I’d be Donald Trump today!


41 posted on 01/24/2014 4:29:04 PM PST by Doc Savage ("I've shot people I like a lot more,...for a lot less!" Raylan Givins)
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To: Ciexyz

Several different but similar wrens. I’d say a Carolina but the very long white arching eyebrow is the give-away.


42 posted on 01/24/2014 4:30:23 PM PST by Doc Savage ("I've shot people I like a lot more,...for a lot less!" Raylan Givins)
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To: Doc Savage

This is the first year that I’ve had a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker. I nearly lost my mind the first time I saw him. HeS a regular now, haven-t seen a female though.

The brown-capped nuthatch is endangered in my area, I have a pair that are normally regulars but haven’t seen them for a couple of weeks. I also get the Northern Flicker, red wing blackbirds, grackles, Cooper’s hawks...


43 posted on 01/24/2014 4:35:41 PM PST by Calm_Cool_and_Elected (" Undecided Voter: someone who parades their stupidity as proof of their morality." ~David Burge)
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To: Rodamala
I never ever in my whole life saw Robins wintering over before there.

That's not unusual anymore, we have year around robins here in Michigan.......

44 posted on 01/24/2014 5:24:19 PM PST by Hot Tabasco (Miss Muffit suffered from arachnophobia.....)
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To: Doc Savage

Here in East TN our feeder is full of cardinals and bluejays. Have seen a couple of red-bellied woodpeckers (no red-headed woodpeckers yet this year), which we’d not seen before.

For about a month, once in a while a big ol’ owl has taken to sitting in the back yard — on the ground — for a couple hours a day. He watches the deer and turkeys wander by but doesn’t move. Interesting.


45 posted on 01/24/2014 5:32:03 PM PST by MayflowerMadam ("If you think healthcare is expensive now, just wait until it's free." P.J. O'Rourke)
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To: cripplecreek
What's also cool to see as the snow begins to melt and settle down are the under the snow tunnels created from my back deck to the bird feeders by the voles living under it.......

My guess is that they create a scent line or something that begins before the first snowfall then continue to use it throughout the winter

46 posted on 01/24/2014 5:41:17 PM PST by Hot Tabasco (Miss Muffit suffered from arachnophobia.....)
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To: Hot Tabasco

There is a lot of movement under the snow. When the weather is decent my dog kills lots of moles, voles and other rodents. I think he mostly finds them by sound.


47 posted on 01/24/2014 5:44:47 PM PST by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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To: Rodamala

Wow, those are cool pics of the turkey.........Looks like it’s found a permanent home.


48 posted on 01/24/2014 5:45:50 PM PST by Hot Tabasco (Miss Muffit suffered from arachnophobia.....)
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To: LSAggie
Our city only allows us to use non-hulled seeds in our feeders.

Really? What's the purpose of that law?

49 posted on 01/24/2014 5:48:09 PM PST by Hot Tabasco (Miss Muffit suffered from arachnophobia.....)
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To: Hot Tabasco

What was funny was that when I got home Mom was telling me about the turkey’s first visit... and how she wanted a picture but the digital camera my father has was to complicated to use... and she couldn’t figure out how to use the cell phone camera... she was really upset that her old film camera had been thrown out... so as a protest piece she sketched out the scene of the sliding patio door with 2 grey kitties cats perched at the door watching a turkey outside the door.

She then put the sketch on the fridge as a big FU to all the technology being shoved into her face to no benefit at all. The sketch... is hilarious. I wish I thought to take a picture of the sketch to show everyone... my mom is just... awesome.


50 posted on 01/24/2014 6:04:53 PM PST by Rodamala
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To: Doc Savage

In late February the red-winged blackbirds will show up and hang around until early May, when it gets too hot for them and they head back up north. I love those little birds for the short while that they’re around. They have a sweet, piercing song that just makes me feel good. I keep a bird feeder hanging off a limb of my oak tree, and I put raw corn on the cob around to keep the fat, greedy gray squirrels out of the bird feeder. After the red-winged blackbirds leave for the summer, the local mockingbirds try to imitate their song. But it’s just not the same.


51 posted on 01/24/2014 6:55:22 PM PST by jespasinthru (Proud member of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy)
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To: Doc Savage

Nothing unusual at the feeder, but we had a flock of fifty or so robins around here in south Jersey just last week - wonder where they are in all this cold and snow....


52 posted on 01/24/2014 9:05:54 PM PST by Intolerant in NJ
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To: Hot Tabasco

I think the purpose is not to have extra seeds on the ground that may encourage mice, squirrels and other critters to the feeding area.

My guess is that it started as an argument between two property owners, and one complained, loudly, to their city councilman.

This used to be a great town, 38 years ago. Now, not so much.


53 posted on 01/25/2014 5:04:05 AM PST by LSAggie
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To: Intolerant in NJ
we had a flock of fifty or so robins around he

I'd like to see the robin dumped as Michigan's state bird and nominate the chickadee as its replacement.

The robins head south for the winter and those that don't are just plain stupid......The chickadees are here year round, and no matter how cold it gets, they happly flit to the feeder......

They also have manners. They don't swarm the feeder gorging themselves and knocking seed to the ground like a pack of ill mannered sparrows, instead, they pick one sunflower seed and fly off to a tree branch to eat it. Then they return for another one.......

54 posted on 01/25/2014 5:30:19 AM PST by Hot Tabasco (Miss Muffit suffered from arachnophobia.....)
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To: Hot Tabasco

It is my understanding that non-hulled seeds have a very low germination rate. It cuts down on the number of weed sprouts growing in the ground at the bottom of a feeder.

I have no experience with the non-hulled variety of seed myself. I do know that I am a very busy ‘weeder’ during the warm months of the year. I pull all the millet seedlings and such but let the sunflowers go to town. It’s so much fun watching the goldfinches and Baltimore orioles feed on them.


55 posted on 01/25/2014 7:17:34 AM PST by mplsconservative (Barack Hussein 0bama has American blood on HIS hands!)
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To: Hot Tabasco
They don't swarm the feeder gorging themselves...I'm not expert enough to know all the different species we have at our feeder, but swarm they do - it's one of those which closes when too much weight is put on the perch bar to thwart squirrels, and I have it adjusted so that anything heavier than a male cardinal shuts it down - with all the cold and snow, we've sometimes got up to a dozen birds waiting around for a chance to eat, but when even smaller birds land two or three at a time on the bar the feeder goes closed. I've been waiting for a couple of weeks to see if any of them learn to take turns and not continuously shut off the food supply for not only themselves but their buddies, but so far none of them appear very bright in that regard....
56 posted on 01/25/2014 10:10:51 PM PST by Intolerant in NJ
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