My Garden/Yard (2 Viewers)

mkdon

Well-known member

• Jan 10, 2003

• #1

In my garden (yard) the main winter birds are black-capped chickadee, tufted titmous, cardinal, goldfinch, mourning dove, dark-eyed junco, white throated sparrow, house sparrow, house finch, purple finch, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker, white breasted nuthatch, and on occasional sharpshinned hawk. I have deciduous trees behing my yard and mainly evergreens on one side. It is great to read about birds from other parts of the world. It certainly sends me to the books to see what they look like. Could you please list a few of the main winter birds that you see most days? Thank you.

 

Last edited: Jan 10, 2003

Steve

Member

Staff member

• Jan 10, 2003

• #2

Hi Mk,
In my case its more or less the same year round, mainly Robin ,blackbird, Song Thrush, ETC................
But winter visitors to my garden include:

Redwing
Fieldfare

Both of these come down from Scandinavia when its particualy cold.
Hope you find them in your books.

 

D

Donna

Well-known member

• Jan 13, 2003

• #3

Mkdon, my visitors are very much like yours...minus the nuthatches. I have one on occasion, but it's not very regular. In the plus column, I have Carolina Wrens, Blue Jays, White Crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows and a Brown Thrasher who loves the homemade suet I put out. I have a Mocking Bird who visits the water regularly, but have only seen him at the feeder a few times. He seems to be more of an observer than a partaker. I also saw a Brown Creeper once at my suet...but he's so difficult to spot, that unless he's moving, I doubt I'd know he's there. I lost my Rufous-sided Towhees when I cleaned out some brush close to the house. It had to be done, the wild honeysuckle was about to swallow us up! I see a lot of red tailed and red shoulered hawks, but not in my yard and there are always turkey vultures riding the thermals. I even had a Greater Roadrunner visit my porch a year ago!

Guess you won't have to look these up in your book, I'm on the same "side of the pond" as you...but that's my list. I lived in PA for about 12 years, still have most of my family there. Stay warm!

 

HokkaidoStu

occasional moderator

Staff member

Supporter

• Jan 13, 2003

• #4

garden stuff

In the north of Japan I don`t have a garden but from my balcony here in town I can see a few winter birds-Dusky Thrush, Great Tit, Brown Eared Bulbul, Large Billed and Carrion Crow, Black Kite, Slaty Backed Gull.....yesterday I saw White Tailed Eagle but that was a local first for me. IF I had a garden there would maybe be more stuff but in winter here a lot of the smaller birds seem to move south in the winter (there doesn`t seem to be much of a tradition of feeding birds here).......

 

C

Chicaddd

Well-known member

• Jan 13, 2003

• #5

Hi mkdon. I have H. sparrows [year round], Carolina chickadees, Tufted titmice, Northern cardinals and M. doves in the winter. Sometimes I see a Northern mockingbird or hear A. robins. I have more in the summer.

 

Y

Yve_M

Colonial Member

• Jan 14, 2003

• #6

mkdon
The birds that I see in my area during the winter are: Black Capped Chickadee, Boreal Chickadee, Dark Eyed Junco (slate) Pine Grosbeaks, Evening Grosbeaks, Canada Jay (Whiskey Jack), Common Redpoll, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Spruce Grouse, Raven, Saw-Whet Owl (well I don't see them, just hear them every night), Willow Ptarmigan.
Eve

 

Rosah

Well-known member

• Jan 14, 2003

• #7

The birds I see in the winter are white crowned sparrows, field sparrows, vesper sparrows, savannah sparrows, song sparrows, lark sparrows, swamp sparrows, mockingbirds, American goldfinch, loggerhead shrike, kestrel, turkey vultures, black vultures, caracaras, eastern phoebes and cardinals. Some of the sparrows, the goldfinches, phoebe and cardinals eat at my feeders. The others are fly over birds.

 

KC Foggin

Very, very long time member

Supporter

• Jan 15, 2003

• #8

My yard, in Myrtle Beach, SC is over run with house finches but presently, I have a good assortment of other birds. There are downey and red bellied woodies, titmouse, carolina chicadee, purple finches, brown headed nuthatches, yellow rumped warblers, ruby crowned kinglets, mockingbirds, robins, morrning doves and rock pigeons. The spring and summer will bring great crested flycatchers, grey catbirds and a variety of migrating warblers.

 

mkdon

Well-known member

• Jan 17, 2003

• #9

Thanks for the replies. I have had to do quite a bit of research to begin finding what these birds look like. Anyone else care to list their winterbirds from around the world?

 

HelenB

Opus Editor and Expat from Cumbria

Opus Editor

• Jan 18, 2003

• #10

Another reply from Texas - I'm near Houston. This year we are seeing flocks of American Robins (Turdus migratorius) in the area. For the Brits (I'm one, too) they are a member of the same genus as the European Blackbird (T. merula). I took a few photos the other day - will post one if they came out, then you'll see why they got called robins! I also have a wintering Rufous Hummingbird which came to my garden in October and will probably stay until March. She was caught and banded (ringed) last March and then recaptured by the bander in November to confirm she was the same bird. For some photos of this Rufous, and a Buff-bellied Hummingbird have a look at this page on my website: http://helensbirds.homestead.com/winterhb02.html

 

HelenB

Opus Editor and Expat from Cumbria

Opus Editor

• Jan 18, 2003

• #11

Here's a photo of a couple of American Robins. They forage on the ground and have an alarm call similar to the European Blackbird. With their rusty red breasts, you can understand why the first settlers here called the robins.

 

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T

Tammie

Well-known member

• Jan 18, 2003

• #12

Up north here in the winter, I have about 30 evening grosbeaks everyday along with pine grosbeaks, whiskey jacks (gray jays), black capped chickadees, red- and white-breasted nuthatches (altho' no sign of the latter this winter so far , common redpoll, downy woodpeckers, hairy woodpeckers, black backed woodpecker. For the first time, this winter I also have two starlings. I've never seen them up here in the winter before.
I'm starting to look forward to what spring will bring in. This winter is turning out to be awfully cold!

 

Z

Zil

Member

• Jan 18, 2003

• #13

Mkdon,

My small urban yard has the usual Morning and Rock Doves and House Sparrows but, since I put out seed, other visiters include HOFIs, Inca Doves, Red-wing Blackbirds, White-crowned Sparrows, Abert's Tohee, Curved-bill Thrashers (singing now) and (sigh) Brown-headed Cowbirds. Northern Mockingbird and Kestral are occasional. Verdins and Anna's Hummers use the necter feeder.

This morning I had an unusal visiter, a Lincoln Sparrow. I have had Gambel's Quail and Roadrunner, but my favorite regular visiters are the Peachfaced Lovebirds. I've had flocks of over 15 at one time, and the main colony is probably thrice that -- they breed at least twce a year. I know they're feral stock, but so much fun to watch!

So interesting reading this thread -- thanks for starting it.

Zil

 

T

Tammie

Well-known member

• Jan 19, 2003

• #14

Peachfaced Lovebirds! They are the cutest things! Sadly, I'll probably never get to see a real live one.

 

mkdon

Well-known member

• Jan 19, 2003

• #15

This is fun and educational for me. I am having to check the bird books to see what many of you are mentioning. Thanks for answering. Keep those lists coming. It truly is a global hobby (obsession).