Mid-Atlantic Bird Watching - Winter 2012-2013

JB--
I have just replied to your AV saga! Go see....

Moved the one feeder yesterday and we will see what happens. Still no robins are back. I think I saw one black bird... I did see a cat bird yesterday.

Ric saw some Robins yesterday. Not at our house but near by.

I heard Robins singing all thru the trees over the weekend.

My feeders are overrun with blackbirds now..Stopped putting much feed out.
Don't know how to deter them. Any ideas??

They arrived in NJ today, at least in my part of NJ. I also still have Mr. Hawk circling and I felt a bit intimidated today when I drove into town and there he was 3 miles up the road still circling me. Hmmmmm I wonder who is following whom or is it who or Hoo? Whatever.

Those blackbirds and crows were eating most of the day. I was surprised that the hawk was here at almost the same times the crows were. I think they drove him to go to town with me.
They do not really like each other.

Off to bed. I am still trying to get used to daylight time.

we've had blackbirds on the lawn but not on the feeders. I only use safflower and millet.

I had to surround the feeder with chicken wire so only the smaller birds could get thru

I get blackbirds in masses. They trash everything....

I stand there and bang on my window with something--and they all fly away
and sit in surrounding trees to re-group. Then they start dribbling back to my patio feeder
and my lawn. And--I bang again. Sometimes they really DO fly away.
The suet I had out--when they found it--they devoured all 4 cakes in a matter of days.

I have read that if you scatter cracked corn that really attracts them. I have not done that--but then,
they will eat anything...anyway. UGH!
G.

about the only good thing about the starlings and grackles , they do eat grubs and bugs

So much activity just now with all sorts of birds I am excited. Robins are back too. Hard to keep the feeders full when they are this active but I love them so I will not complain. The blackbirds found the sour/moldy feed we dug out of the Iris bed over the weekend and threw in the field where we plow it under. We did not plow it under yet and they found it and there must be hundreds of birds in that field. At least it keeps some of them away from the feeders.

Have a birdy good day. JB

The goldfinches are continuing to chow down at my tube feeder.
Gonna re-fill it soon again--for the 4th time...

Seeing a lot more "gold" now on the males....pretty! G.

No goldfnches just purple....send some up here...they are the State Bird of NJ. Flow has them all at her house. GRRRRR

LOL, sorry


new thread this one is getting slow to load
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1302351/

Karen, I have to thank you for your pictures of your downy woodpeckers. I have been trying for weeks to determine if all my pairs of woodpeckers are hairy or downy. The ones in your pictures are our guys for sure. Mystery solved!

This message was edited Mar 14, 2013 12:11 PM