Today at the feeder (1 Viewer)

[snowyowl]

hey last night a cat came by and left some prints in the new snow and left some yellow snow too. i know cats dont count, but on another theres tonnes of bird prints all over the snow today and to my surprise the ducks were back and left 2 sets of prints, and a rabbit was here and left prints too!

wow what goes on outside my house! i closed my blinds then went out tonight to fill the feeders. and to my surprise there we're new prints in my garden! im pretty sure they are opossum! and this little crittur wasnt just in my garden he was on my fron stoop right outside my door!!!! ive uploaded some pics can someone confirm that they are opossum?

I've never seen an opposum track (or a wild opossum) but I looked in Elbroch's "Mammal Tracks and Sign" and I'd say you are definitely correct - opossum. Now all you need is to get a picture that you can post for us to see.
Nice job on the picture of the track, by the way. They can be tough to get good pictures of because of the lack of contrast.

 

[Kentucky]

Hi Kentucky - I too am on the Ohio River / southern Ohio. Excited to hear you're seeing redwings - but are they with the dreaded grackles? Guess we'd better check the hbird migration map to see where they are and get the feeders out!!

Hello there.
Affirmative on the purple grackles. This morning I counted about 15.
I actually enjoy their visits.
I think the morning sun on there blue/black plumage produces color that rivals the iridescence of the hummingbirds.
Do you get sea birds in summer on the river at Gallopolis ?

 

[amasara]

Hello there.
Affirmative on the purple grackles. This morning I counted about 15.
I actually enjoy their visits.
I think the morning sun on there blue/black plumage produces color that rivals the iridescence of the hummingbirds.
Do you get sea birds in summer on the river at Gallopolis ?

I wouldn't mind the grackles if they weren't such voracious eaters! I just bought more birdseed and opted for the "with corn" with their coming in mind!
If you mean seagulls - we get them every winter after Lake Erie freezes over, I read somewhere. They inhabit a shopping center parking lot and I've photoed them around puddles. My hairdresser just told me she fed them regularily during the cold spell we just went thru... nice to know kind people!
I did look for them today as I was up that way - and they seem to be gone - another sign of SPRING!!

 

[amkid247]

i live on long island ny in west hempstead, nassua county, and my town is pretty far away from the ocean yet we are swarmed with seagulls! they inhabit every parking lot with those tall lights to light the lot up at night. they fligh over my house everynight. so i was wondering why they here. all year they are here too! maybe ill ask in another topic.
anyway today at the feeder i had lots of birds but they werent really eating anything and the feeder is still full from 2 days ago...

 

[snowyowl]

There are a lot of reasons why some species of gulls are spreading out but the big one is tha availabilty of food. We scatter garbage and the gulls eat it. Why scour the sea and shore for food when they can just hang out at macdonald's or a dump? :-C

 

[vsjr]

pine warbler & others

It's been busy under our feeders the last two days. Yesterday I spotted a Pine Warbler at our feeders, alternating between suet and sunflower seeds. The bird returned today and has been at our feeders constantly.

http://129.79.35.49/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=2557&g2_imageViewsIndex=2

That's one photo from yesterday, but there are others in the gallery and I'm working on getting a few more up from today.

I've checked ebird and our local Audubon chapter, and from what I can tell, the previous earliest sighting in Indiana was March 12th.

We typically see Fox Sparrows all winter, but I have never seen more than one in our yard at a time. Today there were four under our feeders at once, several times throughout the day.

I don't know what happened to the Titmice in MI, but we consistently have 20+ at our feeders at a time, and those numbers are actually down from last year.

Not much else out of the ordinary today, but numbers for everything are really high today. Eastern Towhees are really increasing in number and we had more than a dozen Song Sparrows under the feeders, a fairly high count for our yard.

Vern

 

[snowyowl]

Spring First

The first Common Grackle of the year showed up at my feeders this morning.

 

[r2didi2]

Reed Buntings

I always know when spring is really here as, living near a wetland system, I begin to get 2 couples of reed buntings visit the garden - mostly the ground feeders (as per photo attached). Last year, one of the males learned to use the tube feeders - I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this. He always did it when it was too gloomy to photograph, but hopefully if he's around I'll "shoot" him doing it this year!

Didi

 

[snowyowl]

Neat birds. First time I've seen them.

 

[snowyowl]

Drama at the Feeders

I noticed this little Downy Woodpecker clinging to a ranch very near the feeders. He stayed there for at least 1 1/2 hours with very little movement. I decided that he was probably a window strike bird so i kept an eye on him in case the sharpie would get him. sure enough the sharpie showed up and landed with 18" of the little woodpecker. I didn't see how the little guy did but he had slid around the branch so that he was away from the hawk. The hawk didn't see him and left. A very short time later the downy moved onto the suet feeder, had a snack and then left.
One very lucky bird! I wish I had got a shot of the hawk.

 

[JamieoftheNorth]

I noticed this little Downy Woodpecker clinging to a ranch very near the feeders. He stayed there for at least 1 1/2 hours with very little movement. I decided that he was probably a window strike bird so i kept an eye on him in case the sharpie would get him. sure enough the sharpie showed up and landed with 18" of the little woodpecker. I didn't see how the little guy did but he had slid around the branch so that he was away from the hawk. The hawk didn't see him and left. A very short time later the downy moved onto the suet feeder, had a snack and then left.
One very lucky bird! I wish I had got a shot of the hawk.

Great shots, snowyowl!

 

[r2didi2]

I noticed this little Downy Woodpecker clinging to a ranch very near the feeders.

Wow, gorgeous photos...

Didi

 

[amasara]

The first Common Grackle of the year showed up at my feeders this morning.

maybe you've got mine - they seem to have left my feeders - haven't seen the favorite red-wing either!! send him back if he makes it to your place!
Love your downey photos - sometimes we have be detectives to observe birds!

 

[snowyowl]

maybe you've got mine - they seem to have left my feeders - haven't seen the favorite red-wing either!! send him back if he makes it to your place!
Love your downey photos - sometimes we have be detectives to observe birds!

Hi Sara!
I was wondering where you were.

 

[redeyedvideo]

A garden first, Yellowhammers arrived about a month ago with males outnumbering females 10-1. There were 6 together on the patio yesterday, here's one of the brighter birds...


Dave J

 

[Dranzer]

A garden first, Yellowhammers arrived about a month ago with males outnumbering females 10-1. There were 6 together on the patio yesterday, here's one of the brighter birds...


Dave J

What a nice little yellowhammer Dave, I wish we had them in America

 

[redeyedvideo]

What a nice little yellowhammer Dave, I wish we had them in America

I'll do you a straight swop for a Northern Cardinal


Dave J

 

[Dranzer]

I'll do you a straight swop for a Northern Cardinal


Dave J

Lol, you mean a shot of a Northern Cardinal?

 

[Mary Evelyn]

As usual, repeating myself but lots of Sparrows,Starlings and Collared Doves in high numbers.

Blackbirds,Chaffs,Greens Dunnocks,Blue and Great Tits, also,1 Robin 1 Woodie and 1 Wren.

Think we have also had Blackcaps but not sure as they were moving pretty quick.

 

[Jaff]

Well we had a first for the garden today, a male pheasant! As if that wasn't enough there was another one in the field in front of the house, we we're being surrounded!

Yday was pretty good too, saw male & female GS Woodies in the back and a Barn Owl hunting over the fields out the front c. 5:30p.m. Who says you need to go out for a good days birding!

Jaff.