Where are all my birds?

[Diggin It]

I used to have 8 or 10 pairs of cardinals, uncountable numbers of smaller birds of several varieties (wrens, sparrows, finches, etc), Mockingbirds, blue birds, indigo blues, blue jays and lots I didn't now what they were. A full feeder might last a day or two, suet cakes maybe two weeks. I'd open the back door and they'd all flutter off to the trees.

Lately, I have a small fraction of that. I saw one pair of cardinals a few days ago and a Mockingbird here or there. Few if any of the smaller ones. Suet cakes put out two weeks or more ago have barely been touched. Feeders are still half full.

There are a few predator birds and a stray cat or two, so I can see how some could have become snacks, but not all of them.

That mystery bird disease didn't bother them as the numbers didn't drop then, this is more recent. I haven't found any remains anywhere either.

I guess I'll save some money on seed this winter if the numbers don't pick up again.

 

[rademamj1]

Predator birds will surely keep them away, but stray cats are just mainly annoying to the birds at the feeders. Right now I see its migration time, and many birds are on the move. Maybe you just need to give it a few more weeks for the majority of birds to arrive.

I watch my feeders very carefully, and see that many older cardinals won't make the seasonal migration. They tend to just hang around the feeders if they are reliably filled each week. In my case, I fill them twice a week.

Here in Texas, we should be seeing perhaps a 5 fold increase in the bird population around mid November. Suddenly they will be everywhere. Cardinals, Blue Jays, Mocking Birds, Red Robins and even Woodpeckers show up.

 

[skipmarcy]

OP - It's been the same here in middle TN, my wife & I have been discussing it just the past few days. I've been feeding the birds here exactly the same for 15 years now and it's a ghost town the past few weeks. I have 1 large feeder that holds about 15 lbs. and 2 smaller open-type feeders and I keep all good and clean and never empty - I do the open feeders every morning. I also throw out about 5# of whole corn EVERY morning for the deer & turkeys & squirrels. Now they DO come & go seasonally but the small birds never have here - they have always been in good numbers all year 'round until now. Only see a couple of chickadees, a handful of robins and hear one or two blue jays and/or mockingbirds - not even seeing them.

Our hum-birds were typical this year - a lot of them as usual and the last one we've seen was Oct. 20th. again right on time as the past 15 years. It's only been the past month or so that the songbirds have all but disappeared as described and I'm pretty sure it's not a migratory issue. Hopefully they will all show-up soon and prove me wrong !!

 

[deserteagle71]

That mystery bird disease didn't bother them as the numbers didn't drop then, this is more recent. I haven't found any remains anywhere either.

I guess I'll save some money on seed this winter if the numbers don't pick up again.

Not sure which mystery disease you are referring to. But I noticed the same thing. When the Nevada Department of Wildlife issued their request for people to stop using bird feeders (supposedly spreading some disease) I still have plenty of birds around, and did for several months afterward. Now I notice there's almost no birds - and there is a dead sparrow laying next to the house. Recently I read another article saying that there may be more than one disease involved, and it is affecting different parts of the country at different times.

 

[Bullwinkle123]

I definitely had a banner year for predator birds that have scared all my favorite birds off. Mostly one of the true hawks, a sharp shinned hawk perhaps, and a "sparrow hawk" (really I kestrel I think).

The result is I haven't seen any of my favorite birds most of the second half of the season. I only hope they found a place safely away. Bluebirds, indigo buntings, robins, all missing early in the season. I also think a couple died hitting my windows while being chased (flickers in particular).

The blue _jays_ banded together and at least attempted to hold their ground with the sparrow hawk, I could always hear the ruckus when the they were fighting.

I really have been on the fence about whether to permit the predators to remain, but... circle of life and all that. I missed the bluebirds and the buntings in particular. Normally the buntings sit at the very top of my fruit trees and sing all day. It was a quiet year.

[Update] On the bright side, the blue jay numbers were much smaller, and they spent next to no time in my fruit trees. Usually, after protecting the fruit from all the mammals all season, my work is undone by a gang of 18 blue jays in October. Not this year, so... more fruit, yay.

 

[stephenh]

I normally fill all the feeders once a day; going on forty years. Past three weeks, I haven't refilled one. Yesterday, two chickadees and one woodpecker, finally, but none today so far. No idea.... Now the hummingbirds were around all summer until early Sept., which is when they leave per usual.

 

[ruffdog]

Summer birds are gone except for a few Robins lagging behind. Chickadees, Blue Jays, and Nuthatches are still here as well as owls and hawks.

 

[deserteagle71]

I really have been on the fence about whether to permit the predators to remain, but... circle of life and all that.

I have hundreds of quail living around my buildings - not unusual at all to see 50 or so on my lawn in the morning. They have not been affected by this bird die-off. I do feed them during the winter - just chicken "Scratch" I throw out there. I call it "hawk food" because I feed the quail...and the hawks eat the quail. I don't interfere. Been here nearly 30 years and there's just as many quail now as I've always had.

 

[Bullwinkle123]

I have hundreds of quail living around my buildings - not unusual at all to see 50 or so on my lawn in the morning. They have not been affected by this bird die-off. I do feed them during the winter - just chicken "Scratch" I throw out there. I call it "hawk food" because I feed the quail...and the hawks eat the quail. I don't interfere. Been here nearly 30 years and there's just as many quail now as I've always had.

Bluebirds are not quite endangered, but they are definitely low in numbers so they are special to me. The buntings also are never here in great numbers. We're talking 2's, most years. So that's where I feel protective. As I said, the blue jays are another thing, I was happy to lose a few and have more fruit for the trade.

 

[nybirdman]

Our birds are in short supply;lots of natural feed available right now.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

The birds I am concerned about are the owls and other raptors. The drought last summer was really hard on the rodent population. They survive by licking dew during periods of no rain, and there were weeks that were so dry there was no dew. They died of thirst. There are hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of acres with no field mice, voles, or other small animals. I think it will be a hard winter for owls. Even now, of the three owl territories on my property, apparently only one is occupied now.

 

[ruffdog]

When the cicadas were finished and dropping to the ground, our Great Horned owl would hop around on the ground and eat dozens ..every night.

 

[Alien]

This fellow (scrub turkey) has claimed our property as his territory. He is pretty quiet and has always come to see us over the past years. He has built his mound in the bush to attract females. It is huge. About 10 ft across and 3 1/2 feet high. He came for a feed yesterday. It was a bit late for video so his colours don't show as much as in the sunlight.

 

[Diggin It]

Getting a few more, but still not the numbers or variety of before. One, maybe two pairs of cardinals instead of eight or ten pairs for example.

Birdseed has changed though. The stuff I used to buy seems to have more corn now.

 

[RalphVa]

We're killing off the birds' food: insects.

 

[Oaktree]

I definitely had a banner year for predator birds that have scared all my favorite birds off. Mostly one of the true hawks, a sharp shinned hawk perhaps, and a "sparrow hawk" (really I kestrel I think).

The result is I haven't seen any of my favorite birds most of the second half of the season. I only hope they found a place safely away. Bluebirds, indigo buntings, robins, all missing early in the season. I also think a couple died hitting my windows while being chased (flickers in particular).

We had several hawks around here this year too.
Usually we have the feeders up by now, but it's been such a mild fall that the bears haven't yet gone into hibernation so I'm holding off putting them up. That may explain the lack of noticeable birds, did see a bunch of chickadees on the sunflowers a few weeks ago. Seen a few bluejays, and have heard (but not seen) crows. There are several large flocks of turkeys too.

 

[rademamj1]

Well the birds migration back to texas is only now starting. I estimate they are 3 weeks late this year. I just saw four cardinals, couple blue Jay's, lots of finches and chickadees and one lone Robin around my feeders. I just put the bird food in my feeders this week, a nice blend of small seeds, raisins, cracked corn and sunflower seeds. Heard many birds back in the trees.

This year has been a dry fall for Central Texas. Lack of water may stress the birds. Thousands of small ponds stock ponds are dry, but many larger ponds managed by Texas Department of Conservation are still at 90% capacity, despite the limited rainfall.

 

[Bullwinkle123]

The birds I am concerned about are the owls and other raptors. The drought last summer was really hard on the rodent population. They survive by licking dew during periods of no rain, and there were weeks that were so dry there was no dew. They died of thirst. There are hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of acres with no field mice, voles, or other small animals. I think it will be a hard winter for owls. Even now, of the three owl territories on my property, apparently only one is occupied now.

I have exactly the opposite problem, vole-wise. We've had above average rain the whole second half of the year. Voles have been out in huge numbers the last two years. After I did my annual field cut recently, barn cats, owls, and hawks were all hunting the voles, and I'm cheering them on. As I drove the tractor through the field, I could see 4-5 voles at a time fleeing the tractor in places. I only wish they could eat more voles.

 

[kenmbz]

We had probably 10% of the birds we normally get through the summer.
Usually a massive amount of robins, this year very few around except during migrations.
We have migrations coming through, and even these seem less than normal.
We had tons of bugs, lots of turkeys and raptors. Just not many song birds.

Lots of rain and little creatures here.

 

[Bullwinkle123]

I saw 6+ turkeys yesterday in the vole filled field. I wonder if Vermont turkeys eat voles. Here's hoping.