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Preparing my backyard for the Project Feeder Watch this past week. We have repositioned the feeders and added some pine branches to protect the feeders and are using an old Flexible Flyer Sled to add a ground feeding zone. Also ,used the interactive Cornell Winter Feeding Web site and Bird Notes to redesign our feeding area for location, feeder type, and feed options. With our first Seasonal Snow and the above changes in place we have observed an abundance of Pine Siskins, Gold Finches, House Finches, along with our Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, Red breasted Nuthatches, White Breasted NutHatches, House Sparrows , Black -Capped Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Red bellied Woodpecker, Red Winged Blackbirds, Mourning Doves, and our Winter Season favorite , the Dark Eyed Juncos !! Of course, with all this activity we have had frequent raids from the Coopers Hawks . And the Ground Feeding Zone has been active especially after sunset, with our some of our four legged visitors, skunk and a good looking young 4 point Buck !
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In our location (Northern Illinois),we enjoy all our backyard visitors and those we can find in our trips to local wetlands and nature preserves ! As far as those with distinct shapes to note , we have sizes and shapes from the finches all the way up to mallards and the migratory egrets and herons and also predators that frequently raid the feeders, mainly red tailed hawks, and sharp shinned hawks. When we are fortunate to have the waterfowl here, the size and shape come into play with the Great Egrets , and herons , as long with the hawks to help decipher them apart. As our Winter leaves us, we see groups of somewhat similar sized dark colored birds.... Grackles, Blackbirds, Cow Birds ,,,,feeding mostly on the ground under feeders. The distinctive red bands ease to ID of the redwinged blackbirds, the brown head/crown helps spot the cowbirds, and the iridescent blue head and crown aid in the ID of the Grackles. Feeding helps spot our woodpeckers, downy and hairy, at our peanut stations, our Northern Cardinals at our platform feeders going after striped , golden sunflower and safflower , and at this time of our early spring, both Baltimore Orioles, and Orchard Orioles at our fruit/nectar stations mainly oranges and grape jelly . Have many favorites, but must say I really enjoy the Nuthatches, both the Red Breasted and White Breasted. Love to see them visiting our feeders, taking their seed and heading to our trees and going down the trunk upside down. Also love to hear their chattering and calls when I'm out restocking the feeders !!! Wish we saw them more often !!
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Three of our favorite backyard birds who have been steadily visiting our feeders recently : Northern Cardinals; Purple Finches; Goldfinches. Also, we have several species of Sparrows, (House/Chipping/ Fox/Tree), have had a steady flock approximately 10 - 15 each of Cowbirds,Red Winged Blackbirds, along with several Grackles and Starlings . We still see our Woodpeckers and occasional Chickadees at our peanut feeders when the squirrels have not drained these feeders . We have missed our cool Nuthatches since February, hoping they will return soon !
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Besides our backyard birds, was able to catch this Bluebird on a Winter walk down the Fox River Trail in N. Illinois , in January a few years ago. Typically we do not see these beauties until late April, so getting our blue bird boxes ready now !!!!
Besides our backyard birds, was able to catch this Bluebird on a Winter walk down the Fox River Trail in N. Illinois , in January a few years ago. Typically we do not see these beauties until late April, so getting our blue bird boxes ready now !!!!
Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)