This was our first year doing FeederWatch at VINS in Quechee, and we did
record 17 species, but some were one-offs (Cooper's Hawk, Brown Creeper,
Pine Siskin, Evening Grosbeak (just the one!), Northern Cardinal). Most
common visitors, other than chickadees, were American Goldfinch and
American Tree Sparrow, with regular Tufted Titmouse, White- and
Red-breasted Nuthatch, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, American Crow, Dark-eyed
Junco.
Anna at VINS
On Sat, Apr 1, 2017 at 12:08 PM, Connie Snyder <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> I have felt "abandoned" by the birds for months now - big reduction in
> frequency of need to refill feeders -- like, nothing for weeks. Even went
> out and bought all new seed and thoroughly cleaned the feeders thinking
> there was something wrong with my offerings of mainly sunflower seed and
> some more expensive "special mix" concoctions that seemed to appeal even
> less than the black oil.
>
> A few Black-capped Chickadees - not nearly as many as usual, Blue
> Jays, Red-breasted Nuthatches, less-frequent White-Breasted Nuthatch,
> Tufted Titmouse, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, no Mourning Doves until
> mid-March, occasional sprinkling of Dark-eyed Juncoes and, a few times in
> March, a couple of American Goldfinches. Usually, each winter, 1 or 2
> Chipping Sparrows visit from time to time but have seen none this year; no
> Pine Siskins either. Almost never get Redpolls anyway. Even the regular
> visits of Ruffed Grouse to my crabapple tree have seemed less this winter.
> Some years, we have had 2-3 simultaneously "tight-rope walking" the finer
> branches seeking the last of the little apples. On January 26th, a gang
> of robins with a few Cedar Waxwings and 2 Goldfinches blasted through. In
> mid-December, we were delighted by two pairs plus a single (unusually
> light-red yet definitely all-red) male Cardinal - they hung out 3even
> during snowstorms in the lilac bush near sunflower feeder for extended
> periods mid-December and much of January; then, pretty much vanished but,
> whaddaya know?, a single pair is here again right this minute. Haven't
> seen a single owl all winter.
>
> Connie Snyder
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> No Purple Finches, no Pine Siskins, no Common Redpolls. No Evening
> Grosbeaks (for years now). The level in my thistle feeder never changed
> since I put it up. I did go through quite a bit of black-oil sunflower and
> my third feeder with a mix of sunflower, cracked corn and millet was
> emptied regularly. This was owing mostly to Blue Jays, which at times
> numbered over twenty. A smaller group of Mourning Doves and the American
> Tree Sparrows kept the ground below the feeders clean. I also kept two suet
> feeders going. Gray Squirrels outnumbered Red Squirrels for the first time.
> Kind of a boring and light year as well. Jeff​
>
> On 1 April 2017 at 00:19, Blake Allison <000000085d6e0931-dmarc-
> [log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> Sitting tonight in the kitchen filling out the on-line form for my 20th
>> week of the 2016-2017 Project FeederWatch season, I was struck by how light
>> feeder activity has been this year. Through the vernal equinox, I tallied
>> only 15 species. Seed consumption was much lower too.
>>
>> Anecdotally, I have heard from birding colleagues and my purveyors that
>> it has been a light feeding season.
>>
>> What feeder experiences have other observers had?
>>
>> Blake Allison
>> Lyme, NH 03768-3322
>>
>>
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--
Anna Autilio - M.S. Raptor Biology
Environmental Educator
Education
802.359.5000 ext. 234
[log in to unmask]
Vermont Institute of Natural Science
6565 Woodstock Road
PO Box 1281
Quechee,VT 05059
Main: 802.359.5000 x-
Fax: 802.359.5001
www.vinsweb.org
<http://www.vinsweb.org/>
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