Where are all my birds?

[rekees4300]

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.

https://www.audubon.org/news/north-america-has-lost-more-1-4-birds-last-50-years-new-study-says

 

[kenmbz]

This change was only from last year. We had plenty of birds last year.
They were everywhere.

This year, very sparse. Almost no Robins at all, few cardinals, not many of the smaller birds.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

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.

Let me guess: You're east of the Rockies? Probably east of The Big Muddy.

Unfortunately, owls are territorial and not migratory. Hawks move around more. I had a sharp shinned hawk move through last spring that only stuck around for a couple of days on its way north.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

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

I know jays, crows, and ravens are meat eaters. I don't know about turkeys, but wouldn't be surprised. A flock of chickens can bone out a mouse in short order.

 

[oosik]

I don't know where you are at Diggin it. But here it's winter. All the song birds, dickey birds, ducks and geese have gone south. All that remains - hawks, owls, ravens, crows & magpies.

 

[deserteagle71]

I don't know where you are at Diggin it. But here it's winter. All the song birds, dickey birds, ducks and geese have gone south. All that remains - hawks, owls, ravens, crows & magpies.

Oosik, I got a shot of some of "your" flock heading south yesterday. I was standing in the mountains at about 7500' elevation when I heard the honking and looked up to see this. They were WAY up there - this is a telephoto shot. But I don't ever recall seeing two small V formations within one large one.

 

[rgr33]

I belong to a bluebird preservation group, have several nesting boxes installed in the fields and vineyard, also a several swallow boxes close to the barn area, the two don’t get along well and have to be separated.

We lost all of the bluebird chicks during the summer heat wave, which hit 114 degrees here, it made me kind of sick to see.
All of the swallows and hummingbirds made it though
Putting plenty of seed out this winter, to help them get through the cold weather.

Wish we had some of those cardinals around here, they are beautiful.

 

[herm0016]

we have about 2 dozen turkeys that love our little valley. magpies, some others nexting in hte hole in the shed. need to put up some next boxes for them, and maybe a bat house too.

 

[Diggin It]

Oosik, I got a shot of some of "your" flock heading south yesterday. I was standing in the mountains at about 7500' elevation when I heard the honking and looked up to see this.

I hadn't realized it, but I have not seen a single goose this fall. Multiple formations are common, usually several each day for a few days. This year, not a one that I recall.

Wish we had some of those cardinals around here, they are beautiful.

I have a Redbud tree in my yard near the feeders. One morning a few Winters back, I looked out the bathroom window and saw a perfect sight for a greeting card. It has snowed lightly. The ground was white and so were many of the Redbud branches. But there were maybe a dozen bright red Cardinals perched on various branches. By the time I went to get the camera and got back, many of them had flown off.

 

[oosik]

Yea - we got turkeys too. Wish they would go south.

Deserteagle71 - just a guess, they won't be stopping in Northern Nevada for a bite to eat. I have geese forming up on my big lake. They honk, squawk ALL night long. They will be heading south soon. With the light snow cover the last two years - there has been a few geese that will stay all winter. They spend most of their time in the wheat fields. Pecking up the threshed grain that fell on the ground. They get so fat - they can barely waddle.

 

[etpm]

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.

Here on Whidbey Island we had this year a bumper crop of owls. We have a pair of Great Horned Owls that hang out here year after year. They added at least one owl this year. We also have Barred Owls and this year they had twins. And we got to watch them grow up. They would often hang out with the adults close to our house. Like 30 feet away. The babies grew up fast! It was not long before they were almost as tall as the adults. Clumsy though. Flying and hunting. My wife and I really got a front row view to their activities. Taking pictures of one of the Barred Owl adults one day I was able to approach to within about 10 feet. I dunno if I could have gotten closer, I didn't want to spook it. I'll attach a pic.
Eric

 

[Diggin It]

I've been seeing a little more activity including Woodpeckers and Blue Jays. But I'm not sure I'm going to be able to afford 200 pounds or more of birdseed this winter. I was paying under $10 for 40 pounders that are now $15 or more. I went through 6 or 8 of those one winter a few years back, plus 20 or 30 suet cakes.

 

[lman]

It seems like I'm seeing less song birds and more bald eagles around here.

 

[Bullwinkle123]

Let me guess: You're east of the Rockies? Probably east of The Big Muddy.

Unfortunately, owls are territorial and not migratory. Hawks move around more. I had a sharp shinned hawk move through last spring that only stuck around for a couple of days on its way north.

View attachment 721401

Sharp shinned hawks are one of the birds that hunt the other birtds I value. I know, big circle of life and stuff, but I hate seeing the sharp shinned hawk hunting the birds I like. Unfortunately these hawks are quite nimble at chasing birds in the branches of trees.

 

[Bullwinkle123]

I belong to a bluebird preservation group, have several nesting boxes installed in the fields and vineyard, also a several swallow boxes close to the barn area, the two don’t get along well and have to be separated.

We lost all of the bluebird chicks during the summer heat wave, which hit 114 degrees here, it made me kind of sick to see.
All of the swallows and hummingbirds made it though
Putting plenty of seed out this winter, to help them get through the cold weather.

Wish we had some of those cardinals around here, they are beautiful.

I've seen a poor solitary bluebird on top of the nesting box in my field stand on top and try to keep four swallows at bay. The bluebirds also supposedly don't get along with sparrows which also lodge closer to the house/barn.

 

[JasperFrank]

No shortage of birds here in Western Central Oregon: Hawks, Chickadees, Sparrows, Owls, Blue Jays, Robins, Wood Peckers, Hummingbirds, the occasional Eagle or Osprey, Starlings and a huge rafter of Wild Turkeys. We also have a kettle of about seven Turkey Vultures that return every Spring and leave at the start of Fall. Edit: Just went out for a morning smoke, and the birds saw me..... they have just now started to gather around the feeder in expectation that I'll refill it.

 

[dadiehl]

In north east Pennsylvania we were asked to pull in our bird feeders this summer because of something killing off birds that was transmitted from feeder to feeder. We just put ours out for the winter. A few cardinals that’s it. Chickers are gone. We usually have hundreds.

 

[JasperFrank]

dadiehl, got some of that info also about feeders transmitting something in my area. So the bird feeders got cleaned and a bleach bath for a few days.
They are dried out, and are now back in action.
I don't doubt the concern is real.
Yet, if we are feeding these things, we do need to be responsible.

 

[rekees4300]

dadiehl, got some of that info also about feeders transmitting something in my area. So the bird feeders got cleaned and a bleach bath for a few days.
They are dried out, and are now back in action.
I don't doubt the concern is real.
Yet, if we are feeding these things, we do need to be responsible.

Seed and suet feeders should be cleaned at least once every two weeks by scrubbing feeders with soap and water, followed by a short soak in a 10% bleach solution to keep birds healthy and limit the spread of disease.

Songbird Deaths

 

[Diggin It]

^^ I don't wash MY dishes that often.