Signs of Spring

Though it's been cold and snowy, I've had my first signs of spring this week. The cardinals are singing; males are chasing each other off and males are following females.

what are you seeing (bird wise)?

I noticed the geese, ducks and hawks are pairing off. On sunny days a Bluebird is sitting on my nest box and singing. We just haven't had many sunny days lately.

I agree.. Ive heard the Cardinal's singing the last few day's here and there, plus I seen 2 Cooper's Hawk's yesterday playing around in the sky.

I just can't tell you how happy I am to hear those cardinals sing again! C'mon spring!!!

Still haven't seen a Robin yet. Usually I see one around the beginning of Feb.

The cardinals have been singing here for a week or 2 now. I have noticed the males arguing more this week. Have seen the blubirds out a couple of times. The house finch seem to be pairing up. I usually start seeing the robins too by now. But Haven't seen one yet.

Lots of chickadee and titmouse chatter....I always like that! The morning noise is slowly increasing. I love hearing all the talking and calling in the mornings while I put the food out.

Pileated Woodpeckers drumming....and the calling.

Robins have been here for about 2 weeks and this morning I noticed the finches are starting to turn colors.... Yeah Spring...doing a happy dance !!!!!
Christine

Oh yeah...the gold finch have started to turn here too...forgot that one!

This is the first day in a couple of months I have not heard or seen a Robin. Maybe they have headed North already?

Mrs_Ed-The photo of your Cardinal is just beautiful
Reddirtretiree-I have never seen a Bluebird in my part of NJ, thanks for sharing yours.
This is a female Red-Bellied that stayed around for a while today.

Oh...I just got back from walking Buddy....and the Barred Owls are hooting at each other!!

Photo from 2008

Pretty female Red-bellied Marie!

Ach.. still want my first owl.

Same here Pelle, I was late last year or I could have got some nice Great-horned Owl (with chicks) picture's but the area was too grown over.

Bunting in the Florida Privet, which as you can see is full of blooms and new growth for spring. I just wish it felt like spring. Still having lows in the thirties most of this week.

Saw a Turkey Vulture last week...and lots of Robins in the fields. Also saw a pair of "Sweet Little Juncos" fighting this morning!! The Goldfinches are starting to turn yellow and the tops of their heads look like 5 o'clock shadow!! That being said it is colder than a well diggers buckle and the snow is flying like crazy!

More snow on the way...yay. Heard 3 Cardinal's singing and now the House Finch's are singing. :)

Yay spring!

Can't say that I've seen much more than I already reported. Some interesting goldfinch chasing each other around today. Don't know if that's a spring thing or not.

Rose, any Kildeer yet? Seems like they always arrive here with the robins.

Spring is beginning here too. I have some daffodils in bloom and my Tree Swallows are arriving and fighting over who's going to be first to nest in the houses under the roof.

awww!!!!

Now that you mention it Marna...I did see some Kildeer last week, I think they were flying over the farm making all their racket! LOL!! You always hear them before you see them. They are supposed to be here year round, but I usually just see them in the warmer months. I have also noticed that the Hawks are pairing up.

Duc...I am still waiting to get my first pic of a Tree Swallow. Now that you mention it I see lots of Daffodils poking through the ground and the Daylilies are starting to grow as well.

I will be digging up Daylilies before I know it...get ready for them Marna!

I can't wait for the Hummers, Orioles and Swallows to return...

waaaa, I can't get ready for them because the ground is still frozen under my 4" of snow. Good thing I'm not out east though!

Great photo's and its so nice to read about all the signs of spring you have all noticed. We have snow coming tonight :>(
Christine

Snowing here again today. I've had enough. The snow on the sides of our driveway is piled six feet deep and the piles at the shopping center parking lots is 20 feet or more.. Fourteen degrees again last night. Gonna be a while before it melts. This may be normal for you folks further north, but we are not used to it.
Dave

Did you get your mealworms? did the cat food suffice?

Dave, you've gotten more snow than us in upstate NY. Weather has been real strange this winter.
Christine

I didn't have to resort to cat food after all. I was on my way over to the store to get some, and maybe try some suet, when I decided to swing by the FedEx warehouse on my way. To my surprise they were open and since I knew my tracking number, they were willing to go look for my package. Quite a feeding frenzy when I got home!

I am headed for much the same predicament this week as I was in then. Because the ground is covered with at least a foot of frozed snow, and the temperatures haven't been above freezing for a while, my nine regulars have been joined by a lot of their cousins. Yesterday I counted more than 20 out there for breakfast and there are six or eight that stay outside the kitchen window all day. When they see me inside the house they fly to the window and flutter, obviously trying to get me to come out. It is very hard not too. The bottom line is that they are eating them much faster. I get an automatic shipment of 10,000 each Wednesday and I have to ration them to have enough for the last few days before the resupply arrives.

This message was edited Feb 15, 2010 4:47 PM

Wow...20 Blues...I would faint for sure!

Dave, I have had read good luck feeding the Blues sunflower hearts. I keep it in the worm feeder cage and they will pig out on those if there are no worms. They also eat them all day long at the different feeders I have them in. I get them at our local farm store and they are more ground up instead of a whole seed...if that makes sense. Anyway whenever I run out of those I just grind the regular hearts using my trusty little nut grinder. I also have a female that appears to be eating at one of the Boss feeders...I didn't know they could break open the seeds.

Marna...don't worry...I won't start digging until you are ready! Still snowing here too....but...the Carolina Wrens and Tufted Titmice seem to be spending a lot of time together lately...more signs of spring I hope!

Snowing here too! Just great (not). Dave, How much are you supposed to get? Their only calling for a few inches here.

We are not supposed to get much this time. Maybe an inch or so and then wintery mix. In fact, it has stopped, at least for the moment. Farther west they were to get several inches.

Rose I will try the sunflower hearts. I am sure the cousins will eat it. They are obviously very hungry and the regular BBs chase them whenever they try to enter the cage feeder. I have been putting a few mealworms out in the open in the catfood cans and at least they can get a few before the regulars can chase them.

It stopped here too Dave. I'm very thankful.

I spoke too soon, it's snowing again.

Male Cardinals are being un-nice to each other but are singing. The Starlings are trying to fit their fat selves into old woodpecker holes in the buildings--guess they are getting ready to set up housekeeping.

It is still snowing like heck here. We have nothing like some others have, about 24 inches on the ground plus whatever we get tonight. This morning it was still only 9 degrees here at 8:30. Lord only knows when my daffys will pop through all of this, but I will really be glad to see them when they do so.

Come on Spring time!!

It's still snowing here! Booooo

Dave....while I am "used" to lots of snow up here, I still don't like it. I like about 3-4" to cover the perennial beds so that the plants and shrubs are protected from the below freezing nights but that is about it! Our last round of snow was very wet and now I have very thick sheets of ice in the driveway that does not respond to salt. :(

My bluebirds like peanut hearts. In fact, that was what brought them in that first winter that I had them. They were picking them out of the window feeder. They will also pick the fruit bits out of the woodpecker mix that I use. The p'nut butter/Crisco crumble is their staple for now and they like it just fine. They will sit on the top deck rail and eye-ball me through the kitchen window if they are hungry. Such funny birds!

Hope that your snow melts soon!!!

I have noticed the goldfinches changing color and now they are chasing around in the yard like crazy and making that "mewing" sound. And the cardinals have started up too. I LOVE, LOVE it....esp. with snow on the ground still!!

I'm hating the cold too. But I have to say that if it is cold out, then I'm happy to have snow covering and insulating the plants.

The silver lining on all of this is that you now have so many BBs to photograph. And we know you always wanted them in the snow!

I can't wait until I hear my first Red-winged blackbird of the season!

Finally a few days of sunshine and normal temps. I've noticed that my roses and honeysuckle are trying to leaf out. The male Goldfinches are also coming into their breeding plumage.

This is the exact spot yesterday that I took a pic of the two Canada Geese feeding in the snow.

I make something called "Bluebird Banquet" that the bluebirds love and also all the rest of the birds. I also feed mealworms but mostly Bluebird Banquet.

Birder....I make Bluebird Banquet also and everyone loves it. I even had a cardinal picking at it a few days ago!

I dont know if its a sign of spring, but we just saw our first baltimore oriole at the feeder. What a great bird. Its eating something out of the feeder, I wish I knew what was in there it liked so much. I have an oragne by the feeder but it wasnt interested in that. Waiting for it to get hungry again, I have the camera sitting on go, altho getting a picture thru the window is something I have not mastered.

sacarvounis Yes, my cardinals have eaten it for years. Even my little juncos pick at it.