Tufted Titmouse? (1 Viewer)

[CBirds]

Hello! I have been feeding birds through the winter here in New Jersey for over 15 years and the Tufted Titmouse is usually one of the most common visitors. This year, I have yet to see a single Tufted Titmouse! Has anyone else in New Jersey had the same experience?

 

[KC Foggin]

Hi there and a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here at BirdForum
We're glad you found us and please join in wherever you like.

Do you have any Hawks hanging around? They are great at keeping the songbirds at bay.

 

[CBirds]

Hi there and a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here at BirdForum
We're glad you found us and please join in wherever you like.

Do you have any Hawks hanging around? They are great at keeping the songbirds at bay.

Thanks so much KC! We actually do have a lot of hawks and I've noticed more of them this year. ☹️ Thanks for sharing that!

 

[MiddleRiver]

We have hawks - Coopers and Red-tailed mostly - and still have tons of birds at feeder. So... dunno.

 

[CBirds]

We have hawks - Coopers and Red-tailed mostly - and still have tons of birds at feeder. So... dunno.

Yes, us too, MiddleRiver. We do still have other song birds. Lots of white throated sparrows, chickadees, fox sparrows, song sparrow, cardinals and blue jays. I have a platform window feeder and miss hearing the loud tapping from the tufted titmouse while they cracked open sunflower seeds!😂

 

[Streesh]

I am a long time fellow feeder of birds in New Jersey, and I too have noticed a dearth of tufted titmice here. Yes, I've had one or two, but usually many more come. Junco numbers seem down as well. Feeder birds in general less numerous this year, even in the periods of cold and snow.

 

[CBirds]

I am a long time fellow feeder of birds in New Jersey, and I too have noticed a dearth of tufted titmice here. Yes, I've had one or two, but usually many more come. Junco numbers seem down as well. Feeder birds in general less numerous this year, even in the periods of cold and snow.

That's interesting, Streesh...and now that you mention it, I haven't seen many Juncos either. We had so many last year!

 

[etudiant]

The absence in NYC Central Park of Titmice and Chickadees this season has also been quite notable,
It is a sharp contrast to last winter, when both species were very abundant and absurdly tame, coming to the hand readily for sunflower seeds or peanuts.
Hopefully they just settled elsewhere, as the slump in numbers is dramatic, well over 90% at least for the Park.

 

[MikeInPA]

In South Central Pennsylvania Tufted Titmouse and both Carolina and Black-capped Chickadee's were common in my wooded backyard. Then suddenly the Tufted Titmice totally disappeared, not just from my yard but the region as a whole. Chickadee numbers dropped considerably at the same time. The winter of 2021 they reappeared but now nothing again. One of my biologist friends believes the drop in numbers may be due to West Nile virus.

 

[CBirds]

In South Central Pennsylvania Tufted Titmouse and both Carolina and Black-capped Chickadee's were common in my wooded backyard. Then suddenly the Tufted Titmice totally disappeared, not just from my yard but the region as a whole. Chickadee numbers dropped considerably at the same time. The winter of 2021 they reappeared but now nothing again. One of my biologist friends believes the drop in numbers may be due to West Nile virus.

Wow...thanks for sharing that. That really makes me sad. Watching birds can really tell us so much. It's sad what we're doing to our environment, isn't it?

 

[dak]

Maybe they all came to south Jersey. I got tons of titmice and chickadees along with assorted finches, juncos, woodpeckers, and bluebirds. Once in a while I see all the birds scatter and sure enough, there's a sharpie or coopers nearby.

 

[Pinewood]

Hello,

There is a plethora of titmice in New York's Central Park, this year, unlike last year. Black-capped chickadees are common, as well.

Stay safe,
Arthur Pinewood