Bird Feeders are full, where are the birds?

[platoonDaddy]

For years our bird feeders have many visitors in Nov & Dec, such as: cardinals, finch, chickadees just to name a few. The woodpeckers are here, but the others are MIA.

Thinking the food might be corrupted, emptied out old food, cleaned feeder and refilled. Reached out to neighbor who has many feeders and he is experiencing the same.

Is this just confined to AA Co?

Any words of wisdom?

Forgot to add, we use: Nyjer & sunflower seeds in the feeders

 

[swinokur]

gone south.
.

 

[Rambler]

We are experiencing the same thing on the Eastern Shore. I have full feeders in Talbot County attracting mostly squirrels and a few resident non-migratory birds. We should be swarmed by this time normally. Friends and relatives further south on the shore are experiencing the same thing.

 

[SKIP]

A big decrease in Howard County. I should not have this much seed at this time.

 

[Brychan]

Everyone is eating the birds, and washing them down with snow coffee.

 

[namrelio]

I had a similar problem. Lots of birds one day, hardly any the next. Turns out a small bird hawk was hanging around and eating a lot of birds. Somebody got the hawk with a pellet rifle , and I haven't had a problem since.

 

[Engine4]

They all moved up here to Carroll. Plenty of Juncos, a few bluebirds, loads of finches, & squirrels. Woodpeckers too. The chipmunks even came out last week when it was warm.

 

[rgramjet]

I threw a bunch of deer corn in my front yard. Saw 8+ bluejays and several cardinals tearing it up. More blue jays than Ive ever seen at once.

I also spotted 2 bald eagles in the past week.

Im no bird watcher......these were just note able.

 

[engineerbrian]

I kicked up about a dozen doves in my yard today as i was walking out to go deer hunting. Is it dove season?!?

 

[Docster]

I am loaded with my usual population. Even some robins are still regular visitors. I think what really helps is the heated bird bath. It was completely covered with birds today. I've identified 4 pr of nesting Cardinals, both Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, Black-Capped Chicadees, Bluejays, Mourning Doves and the usual assortment of Grackles and Blackbirds.

Aside from the bath I have 8 houses and 5 feeders with a variety of seed and suet. Also lots of garden cuttings left out for protection and building nests.

Of course, there's the Hawks. "Feeding the birds" is also feeding the Hawks......

 

[Mr H]

Nice Red-Shouldered!! We have had resident Cooper's Hawks for probably 20 years.

We're a little lighter than usual this year, but it's the usual assortment.

No Grackles, but plenty of Starlings.

 

[wilcam47]

typically they start hitting feeders when they run out of food elsewhere, maybe this year was a good year for forage/seeded plants?

 

[engineerbrian]

typically they start hitting feeders when they run out of food elsewhere, maybe this year was a good year for forage/seeded plants?

I was thinking about this when i was in my deer stand today. I have yet to see a single squirrel eating out of any of our corn piles. There is so much food on the ground this year its crazy

ETA; wrong thread, but it still applies

 

[wilcam47]

yep, we had a ton of weeds this year but the birds barely came out till this past snow fall. Now Im feeding them, I have juncos, chickadees, and a lone Eastern blue jay way out here where I dont think Ive ever seen one. couple other birds I dont what they are.

 

[Blaster229]

I have bluejays stealing the peanuts I throw out for the squirrels.

 

[rob-cubed]

I get the regular cardinal cheeping for food outside my window every morning... we just spread out seed on the porch railing for them, the mourning doves and finches clean up the rest along with an occasional bluebird. I never had a ton of luck with feeders, the cardinals would feed off the ground from spilt seed.

There are lots of things that decrease bird attendance. The neighborhood cats like my yard a lot.

 

[Mr H]

Wife would spread seed on the deck in the snow, and the uneaten stuff would fall under, thus mice.

Got rid of the deck, and insisted that the bird feeding area would be at the other side of the yard... no mice.

 

[John from MD]

I'm having the same problem. My suet is hardly touched and oil sunflower containers are still pretty full. Only one pair of Cardinals is hanging around along with two or three Carolina Wrens, a downy woodpecker, a couple of chickadees and a few nuthatches. No Junkos which is really odd at this time of year. It really is looking pretty bleak.

 

[BigSteve57]

We have seen the same thing here in HoCo for the past several years.
I think it's an uptick in predators: hawks.
This spring I saw 4 pairs of hawks circling - never seen that many before in one place - even in rural areas.
We sorely miss our birds though - we have numerous feeders that sit unvisited until the seed or suet gets moldy.
On the bright side: squirrels, rabbit, chipmunk, mouse and other assorted vermin will also take a hit I think.
Now if we can just get some mountain lion or wolves to get some of the deer we'd be all set.


EDIT: I have not seen a squirrel in our yard in about 3 weeks.
That's unheard of.

 

[hodgepodge]

It seems a little slow in Arnold.