This past weekend was the second weekend of the Cornell U. feeder watch, and we finally got some birds! We had 13 species, which was 'way more than we'd had for almost a month. Here is one of my favorites, an Eastern Phoebe:
I don't think I've seen one before. Your photo is so clear and close-up that I think I could identify one though if I see one!
Are Eastern Phoebe's migrant birds to your area or are they residents? Our smallest bird is the European wren but I think yours is much smaller and has lovely colouring.
Eileen, the Eastern Phoebe is a "stay-grant" in that it will migrate in the late winter from Central Texas to south Texas and into Mexico, but can be seen once in a while here during most of the year. Our phoebes only have the yellowish breast in the early fall. They are such adorable birds--small, quick, and very fond of our seed feeders!
Thanks Jane. I'm interested to know about the birds/animals others see in their area. I learn so much about wildlife here that I never even knew existed.
Our count isn't until januari. How many weeks is your count for? That is a cute little bird there. Can you share some numbers with us?
Sjoerd, so glad you asked--I love talking about birds! Our count is from Nov. 12 to mid-April, two days a week and the birds have to be on your property, no fly-overs. The first two weeks we didn't have much, but last week we had 13 species but only 17 birds. The migration is just reaching central Texas, so our numbers will go up. The redwing blackbirds are beginning to show up in greater numbers (seven in the tree while we were having coffee) so they will contribute to the larger numbers of birds.
I like talking birds too. The blackbirds will eventually come in great flocks, won't they? I can remember when I worked over there there was a type of lung disease that some farmers would contract and it was because of this type of bird. I believe that the name of the disease was Histoplasmosis. The bird's droppings would mix with dust and when the farmer would walk about the fields or work the ground it would become airborne and the farmer would inhale it. What other migraters do you get? Is the phoebe a migrater or is it always present. I hope that you will be able to get more pics. Another question I have for you is what type of feed do you place out to attract the various migratory and non-migratory birds in your yard? I have just made the suet balls and paddys for the winter here.
My count so far are 21 different species. While the grackles and starlings show up in great numbers every so often, the finches are the most abundant bird at my feeders. At this time I have a total of six seed feeders, and two suet feeders. I would also like to add a large block feeder for dried meal worms Many, many finches!
LIcenter, that is a marvelous specie count! I hope we can get up to your level. We had our first pie billed grebe on the pond this week, so perhaps some of the other ducks will come our way. Sjoerd, we have a hanging feeder, a platform feeder, and two suet feeders. We have black oil sunflower seed in the platform, a commercial wild bird mix in the hanging feeder, and use commercial suet cakes. The local hardware store calls us when the cakes go on sale--can't get better service than that! The phoebe is technically a migrant, but it's around most of the year. We get a variety of sparrows (white crowns, chipping, lark, etc.) and house and gold finches. When the cedar waxwings come through they strip all the berries from our ashe junipers, and the eastern kingbirds perch on the utility wires until it looks like a scene from a Hitchcock movie. Of course the ducks are migrants, but we have great blue herons and egrets all the time.
I have to add; every time I go out to restock the feeders, one little red breasted nuthatch is always there sitting on one of the suet feeders watching me. I'll bet in another couple of weeks I'll have it sitting on my finger. I call him, puffball.
Here is my list. 01: Fox Sparrow 02: Song Sparrow 03: House sparrow 04: Carolina wren 05: Tufted titmouse 06: Blue Jay 07: Red-Bellied woodpecker 08: Black Capped chickadee 09: Northern cardinal 10: Downy woodpecker 11: Mourning dove 12: Dark-eyed Junco 13: American Goldfinch 14: White Breasted Nuthatch 15: Hairy Woodpecker 16: Red Breasted Nuthatch 17: Purple Finch 18: House Finch 19: European Starling 20: Grackle 21: Redwing Blackbird I probably should add the coopers hawk also. Just about every day it stops by for mourning dove breakfast. edit: Whoops I meant coopers hawk, not redtail. Duh!
I see Jane. You get a nice variety. I always like to hear what others are feeding their yard birds. Thanks. Well, keep up the good work Jane.
If you don't mind, I'd like to chirp in with what I use in my feeders. First and foremost, please don't buy cheap food. It is loaded with junk, like twigs, pebbles, and who knows what not. Wagners is one of the biggest bird seed sellers, but if you look at what the ingredients are, you will see the major bulk is junk seed. In most cases the first ingredient is millet. Most birds will not eat millet, and you wind up in the spring with a nice undergrowth of weeds. I buy three different types of food for my birds. The first is a vitamin fortified black oil sunflower seed from Pennington. The second is a nut and fruit blend either from Pennington or Wild Delight. Both are premium seed, so whats on sale determines which one I buy at the time. The third is a finch blend. It took me a while to find one that the finches would flock to. Of all the seed I buy, this last one is the highest cost, but well worth it if you want healthy birds. It comes from Wild Birds Unlimited, and the cost of a twenty pound bag runs $46.00 US. I rely on email alerts for this blend. This week I was able to save 25%, which equals out to $11.50 US. As stated above I also use two suet feeders, and did just add a mealworm block to the mix. I have quite a few woodpeckers here, so it became a must to add this. Hope this helps in you quiry, Sjoerd.
Interesting to hear your choices there LI. Whilst we have totally different birds to you guys over there, it is still interesting to hear what your birds like to eat. The birds here are now working on the sunflower pips and a variety of other grains, but they really like the balls and patties that I make for them. I gradually introduce the balls and patties, as they are more for deep winter. Success with further feeding there...and thanks for chirping-in.
