Artic Air and Birdfeeding Frenzy

The last week in the backyard has been amazing. I have been getting up early and feeding the birds before they show up. 30 minutes before sunrise each morning the backyard has been coming alive with birds coming from everywhere to reenegize their tired and cold bodies. High energy foods like bark butter, suet, peanuts, mealworms, thistle and black oil sunflower seed are essential in keeping their metabolisms up and bodies warm. Here a few pictures from the past week.

FOX SPARROW!!!

What a great couple of days of birdfeeding! Something about snow showers drive our birds into a feeding frenzy. I Love it! Pileated has been in the backyard for two days straight. I counted over 120 American Goldfinches on feeders and while watching the ground feeders outcomes a Fox Sparrow. We have had Fox Sparrows the past two winters but never in November. Maybe this will be the birdfeeding winter we've hoped for the past few years... Snowbirds!

Birdcam pics 11/10-11/08

Here are some pictures from the Wingscapes Birdcam of a ground feeder in our yard...

White-throated Sparrow

Tufted Titmouse (mice)

Northern Cardinals

Cool female Cardinal in flight!

American Goldfinches

Kaya, our Australian Shepherd

Happy Birthday, Mom!

This Grey Catbird was taken with the Wingscapes Birdcam last summer on a Kozy Bird Spa. As we gear up for winter birdfeeding and begin to welcome our winter bird friends (note: Dark-eyed Juncos were in high numbers in our yard today!), it is always nice to reflect on the season before. Catbirds are one my favorite summer birds. Mimics like the Northern Mockingbird and Brown Thrasher, catbirds are great songsters and our known for their cat-like meow. Many frequent the brushy parts in our yard and like many birds, they love brush piles. We feed them suet dough and mealworms and they are always frolicing in the birdbaths. In the winter, catbirds move back to their tropical wintering grounds but will begin to return next April to raise their young again.

Snowbirds are back!

Known as snowbirds in the Cincinnati tri-state area because they usually show up around the 1st snowfall of the season and leave by or shortly after the last snowfall going into Spring. Dark-eyed Juncos are now showing up at feeders and more-likely underneath feeders. Junco's are a small native sparrow (unlike House Sparrows, which are european Old World Weaver Finches) which nest in northern Michigan and Canada. Like the other native sparrows in our yards, Eastern Towhees, Song Sparrows, American Tree Sparrows, White-hroaed Sparrows and Fox Sparrows to name a few, Juncos usually feed on the ground looking for seeds and insects underneath the forest leaf litter. At feeders, all sparrows love white millet, cracked corn and sunflower seeds. This time of year, we broadcast white millet around the brush piles and near ground feeders to make sure these winter beauties have plenty to eat as they make themselves home again on their tropical winter grounds of Cincinnati.

WBU Advanced Pole System

Having fun, with the exclusive to Wild Birds Unlimited, Advanced Pole System. This is the woodpecker station in our yard. Hanging on one pole is 4 tail prop suet feeders, 2 peanut feeders, 1 seed cylinder feeder, 1 mealworm dish with weather guard, a bark butter feeder, one naural branch perch, 2 decoraive APS perches and two suet cages attached to the pole. We have had 6 species of woodpeckers visit: Pileated Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Not to mention nuthatches, jays, chickadees and titmice love it as well. We are waiting for a Red-headed Woodpecker and with the hurricane damage to the trees in the woods, this just might be our year!

Check Out Pictures of our flying squirrels eating Jim's Birdacious Bark Butter. These pictures were taken last August. Click Here: I figure, I'll feed anything hat "flies". Stop by the store to see Steve Maslowski's video of hese nocturnal forest dwellers.