I find it interesting how when a winter storm moves though I get different visitors to my back yard, for example the last northeaster brought me three fox sparrows and they haven't left yet. last winter there were a few Redpolls. where I used to live I would get Redpolls by the dozen and Siskins 50 or more at a time. Now it's mostly House Finches and a few Gold Finches along with the usual stream of white breasted nuthatches, chickadees and tufted titmice. Let us know what you find interesting in your back yard?
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Bird Feeder Reports. (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter jvcbrdfrm
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Who Replied?It was an interesting spring, for one weekend I had A male rose breasted grossbeak. Last year I had two females, and they were tough to distinguish from female redwings, but it was them. I found it very interesting to watch as the Dark Eyed Junko's leave and the chipping sparrows come back, as well as the hummingbirds. Speaking of hummingbirds, I'm getting woodpeckers at my nectar feeders. I have seen it before, but this year they are quite common, and they are not sapsuckers, I had one on my neighbours ewe tree and you don't see that and forget it. Now It's almost summer, the migrations are all done and my attention is on killing chipmunks. They never bothered me before, but they are the most destructive rodents in the yard I have now, them and squierrells that I hate. they dig up everything and it makes me crazy!
We had an interesting spring here in our yard in northern NJ. We had a male rose-breasted grosbeak visiting the feeders for a few days, and then later had two males and two females in the trees around the yard. We didn't see a lot of warblers in the yard this spring, but had a few unusual sightings including Chestnut-sided, Canada, and our first ever Blackburnian. We also had a beautiful male orchard oriole - another yard first. Unfortunately no photos of any of them except the feeder grosbeak.
A year in Central Jersey. All "the usuals" at the feeders: Downy Woodpecker, Red-Bellied W., an occasional Northern Flicker, Finches - 'Gold' and 'House', Black-Capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-Breasted Nuthatch, Song Sparrow, White-Throated Sparrow, probably American Tree Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Gray Catbird, Northern Cardinal, (we have found that they like cashews, which have a thin end that is easy to grasp in their beak), Mockingbird, Juncos galore, BlueJay, Eastern Bluebirds occasionally at the birdbath, European Starling acrobats at the hanging suet feeder and bathing in 20 degree weather, Mourning Doves, House Sparrow, American Robin, Red-Winged Blackbird migration stopover in late winter, the lone ruby-throated hummer female who returns every year. Her favorite time in the garden is when the gladiolas are in bloom. The occasional Cooper's Hawk. For the past two years a Cooper's in juvenile plumage has been around in the late summer/fall, seeming to indicate that they breed somewhere in the vicinity.
Unusual in my yard: last Sept. a Red-Breasted Nuthatch appeared for a few days, and has not been seen or heard from since. Large flock of Cedar Waxwings stopover in the fall. Fish crow flock flyover this winter: they look interested in establishing some territory here but get grief from the resident American crows. A pair of Baltimore Orioles has established territory here this year. The male has been seen sipping nectar from the lupines.
In the winter of 2014-15 Pine Siskins were ubiqitous at the feeders. Having heard of the bi-yearly irruption of this species, I was eagerly awaiting them during the winter of 2016-17, but they did not appear. A Red-Breasted Grosbeak with his female companion was a brief visitor back in July of 2014, and the species has not been seen since.
Black Bear sighting reportedly in town has prompted me to take the feeders down for now. I intend to investigate native plantings as an alternative source of forage for the avian locals.
*Happy Birding, New Jersey*
Unusual in my yard: last Sept. a Red-Breasted Nuthatch appeared for a few days, and has not been seen or heard from since. Large flock of Cedar Waxwings stopover in the fall. Fish crow flock flyover this winter: they look interested in establishing some territory here but get grief from the resident American crows. A pair of Baltimore Orioles has established territory here this year. The male has been seen sipping nectar from the lupines.
In the winter of 2014-15 Pine Siskins were ubiqitous at the feeders. Having heard of the bi-yearly irruption of this species, I was eagerly awaiting them during the winter of 2016-17, but they did not appear. A Red-Breasted Grosbeak with his female companion was a brief visitor back in July of 2014, and the species has not been seen since.
Black Bear sighting reportedly in town has prompted me to take the feeders down for now. I intend to investigate native plantings as an alternative source of forage for the avian locals.
*Happy Birding, New Jersey*
Replies to my thread.
I'm so glad that I'm getting replies to this thread. To tell you the truth, I don't do this very often, and I didn't think anyone would respond at all.
I find it interesting how when a winter storm moves though I get different visitors to my back yard, for example the last northeaster brought me three fox sparrows and they haven't left yet. last winter there were a few Redpolls. where I used to live I would get Redpolls by the dozen and Siskins 50 or more at a time. Now it's mostly House Finches and a few Gold Finches along with the usual stream of white breasted nuthatches, chickadees and tufted titmice. Let us know what you find interesting in your back yard?
I'm so glad that I'm getting replies to this thread. To tell you the truth, I don't do this very often, and I didn't think anyone would respond at all.
Native Plantings.
(Wow, I just started using Grammarly, and it's pretty good).
I've found Purple coneflower and tall blue cornflower are loved by goldfinches for their seed in late summer/ autumn. I have Bee Balm for the Hummers, also this year I planted a bag of seeds to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. I was having a problem with the homemade nectar going bad, so I bought the premade stuff, it lasts over a week, but they don't like it so I'll be going back.A year in Central Jersey. All "the usuals" at the feeders: Downy Woodpecker, Red-Bellied W., an occasional Northern Flicker, Finches - 'Gold' and 'House', Black-Capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-Breasted Nuthatch, Song Sparrow, White-Throated Sparrow, probably American Tree Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Gray Catbird, Northern Cardinal, (we have found that they like cashews, which have a thin end that is easy to grasp in their beak), Mockingbird, Juncos galore, BlueJay, Eastern Bluebirds occasionally at the birdbath, European Starling acrobats at the hanging suet feeder and bathing in 20 degree weather, Mourning Doves, House Sparrow, American Robin, Red-Winged Blackbird migration stopover in late winter, the lone ruby-throated hummer female who returns every year. Her favorite time in the garden is when the gladiolas are in bloom. The occasional Cooper's Hawk. For the past two years a Cooper's in juvenile plumage has been around in the late summer/fall, seeming to indicate that they breed somewhere in the vicinity.
Unusual in my yard: last Sept. a Red-Breasted Nuthatch appeared for a few days, and has not been seen or heard from since. Large flock of Cedar Waxwings stopover in the fall. Fish crow flock flyover this winter: they look interested in establishing some territory here but get grief from the resident American crows. A pair of Baltimore Orioles has established territory here this year. The male has been seen sipping nectar from the lupines.
In the winter of 2014-15 Pine Siskins were ubiqitous at the feeders. Having heard of the bi-yearly irruption of this species, I was eagerly awaiting them during the winter of 2016-17, but they did not appear. A Red-Breasted Grosbeak with his female companion was a brief visitor back in July of 2014, and the species has not been seen since.
Black Bear sighting reportedly in town has prompted me to take the feeders down for now. I intend to investigate native plantings as an alternative source of forage for the avian locals.
*Happy Birding, New Jersey*
(Wow, I just started using Grammarly, and it's pretty good).
Red breasted nuthatches.
Red-breasted nuthatches are really quite awesome little birds. When I lived in Oak Rodge, up in the highlands I had one that would eat seeds off my hat. The white-breasted variety are cool are very common, and not as friendly.I've had a female red-breasted nuthatch at my feeders for most of winter, and two downy woodpeckers. After a big winter storm, I had three downy woodpeckers and two red-breasted nuthatches.
Very good birds at your local.
I don't know where you are on the east coast, but you get some good birds. I've had Phoebe's, but never Flycatchers, and you mentioned Eastern bluebirds, I am so jealous.Yesterday: a Great Crested Flycatcher came to the garden. It has been in the vicinity of our yard for several weeks, but this is the first time I got a good look at it. |:d|
Pine Siskins and Pine Warblers
I haven't been using this Forum for some time because of login issues and quite frankly lack of interest, but the fall migration is now in full swing and I would like to tell someone about it. The last two weeks have been interesting and unusual in a good way when it comes to birds at my feeders. Starting with, last week I saw 1 Dark Eyed Junko, rare to see just 1 and before the Chipping Sparrows have gone. Then I noticed a half a dozen Pine Siskins in with my Gold Finches, common enough for northern NJ, but not a common occurrence for central NJ. Then to my wonder, a Pine Warbler, easy to mistake for another Gold Finch, but to the trained eye a welcome guest to my backyard.
I haven't been using this Forum for some time because of login issues and quite frankly lack of interest, but the fall migration is now in full swing and I would like to tell someone about it. The last two weeks have been interesting and unusual in a good way when it comes to birds at my feeders. Starting with, last week I saw 1 Dark Eyed Junko, rare to see just 1 and before the Chipping Sparrows have gone. Then I noticed a half a dozen Pine Siskins in with my Gold Finches, common enough for northern NJ, but not a common occurrence for central NJ. Then to my wonder, a Pine Warbler, easy to mistake for another Gold Finch, but to the trained eye a welcome guest to my backyard.
Lots of bluebirds all of a sudden, they seem to travel with the goldfinches. I've had more than 4 male bluebirds on the ground at one time under the suet feeder.
I've never seen a Carolina Wren or a Red Breasted Nuthatch before coming to Little Egg Harbor. I do miss the pileated woodpecker that used to live in my woods in north Jersey. And the phoebes.
The cardinals are around most of the time as well. Red bellied woodpecker and hairy woodpecker. Along with chickadees, white breasted nuthatch, juncos and house finches.
I've never seen a Carolina Wren or a Red Breasted Nuthatch before coming to Little Egg Harbor. I do miss the pileated woodpecker that used to live in my woods in north Jersey. And the phoebes.
The cardinals are around most of the time as well. Red bellied woodpecker and hairy woodpecker. Along with chickadees, white breasted nuthatch, juncos and house finches.
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My Carolina Wrens come around several times a day, they might be siblings or a mating pair. I also get White-throated sparrows, sometimes five or six at a time and song sparrows, one or two several times a day with the white-throats. I've been lucky and the countermeasures to discourage house sparrows have been working most of the time. I can tell that spring is coming because I had a flock of blackbirds the other day, soon I'll see fox sparrows may be some winter warblers before too long. I'm also seeing hawks nearby, a big red tail and a coopers hawk, they can take the squirrels or the blackbirds, but I haven't seen any sick birds or found any dead birds yet this winter. Thanks for replying and you're in a good location to see the big migrations that must be fun.
A co-worker saw a groundhog the other day, this inconsistant weather has a lot of plants and animals confused, but spring is coming.My husband saw an opossum eating seeds on the ground under the feeders last night.
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