Red-breasted nuthatch returns..

For the first time I can recall this year there was a red-breasted nuthatch at the feeder. They were common late in 2008 but then they disappeared for a few months. There are plenty of redpolls these days plus more chickadees the last while. There are very few house sparrows.

A few more redpolls

There are a few redpolls visiting the feeder these days. The only other birds are house sparrows and black capped chickadees. There have been no woodpeckers or nuthatches or other common winter birds lately.

Redpolls and a few chickadees appear.

These are three red polls at the feeder. One is hiding but the other two are out in the open but a bit fuzzy. You can seen the pinkish breast of the one facing the camera. A few chickadees came today as well.

Faithful chickadees

The black capped chickadees seem to visit faithfully most days during the winter. There are never large numbers often just one or two at a time. They don't seem to like to share the feeder ledge space!

Even during this very frigid weather I see chickadees almost every day visiting. The only other birds lately are some house sparrows and a few red polls.

House Sparrows clean out feeder

The house sparrows have rediscovered the feeder and are feeding with a vengeance. Perhaps with this very cold weather they are having some trouble finding food since there have not been that many around so far. I will have to venture out into the cold and refill the feeder. Actually there is not that much wind so it is not too bad out. There are still redpolls and chickadees feeding as well.

Very very cold and windy..

We went shopping to the next town today. It was more than minus 40C windchill. The only birds we saw were half a dozen ravens. At the feeder there are only red polls and chickadees and only a few of them.

More chickadees

There are quite a few chickadees visiting these days probably the most frequent of all visitors. I have seen a few more red polls and the occasional sparrow as well. The squirrel refuses to admit winter is well under way and is still active every day even though there is now a significant amount of snow on the ground.

Pine siskins appear

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Another new bird for the year appeared at the feeder yesterday, a pine siskin (photo) The feeder is now very busy with oodles of slate-coloured juncos feeding constantly. We went overnight to Winnipeg and when we returned late Saturday the feeder was almost empty. This is the first time this year the feeder has been emptied! Most of the seed underneath the feeder is also gone.
On the way to Winnipeg we did not see too many birds. There were quite a few geese though and some of the sloughs are already unfrozen and there were some with a few ducks on them.
Aside from the juncos there are still some red polls and house sparrows about. Of course the black capped chickadees and the odd red breasted nuthatch also visit.

Redpolls and juncos frequent visitors.

The weather is gradually warming up although it is still far below freezing overnight. There is still quite a bit of snow around but the bare patch of lawn near our spruce trees is slowly expanding.

Traffic is increasing at the feeder. Redpolls are fairly common and slate coloured juncos often together with house sparrows are frequent visitors. The black capped chickadees and red-breasted nuthatches are still faithful visitors as well.

Snow geese returning..

We saw a flock of snow geese yesterday morning. They will travel further north in time. We saw Canada geese earlier but these are the first snow geese. At the dump there was a large flock of robin sized birds. I am not sure what they were but there must have been fifty or so. Crows are quite common now and whenever I go outside I hear them. There are often some in the spruce trees so perhaps some will nest here again. Some people do not like their incessant cawing but I very much enjoy watching them and the cawing is a sign of spring.

There have been quite a few redpolls at the feeder. Sometimes there are a few sparrows mixed in and vice-versa when a flock of sparrows visits there are sometimes a few redpolls even though the house sparrows are quite a bit larger.
Black-capped chickadees and red-breasted nuthatches are still frequent visitors.

A bit more traffic at the feeder..

Yesterday there were several redpolls (photo) at the feeder along with almost half a dozen house sparrows. Strangely enough there have been few house sparrows around this winter. Some winters house sparrows were the only birds to be seen. However, this winter there have been black-capped chickadees and red breasted nuthatches all winter at the feeder.
I believe that there are quite a few more crows already. I can hear them at times even from inside the house.

Redpolls at the feeder.

I guess the weather was not very good at many places for the annual bird count. The weather is fine here but I did not go out counting. However, for the first time this fall I have seen redpolls at the feeder. I have seen a few flocks in the countryside but this is the first time they have visited. There is not a flock just a few individual birds. Once in a while a Savannah sparrow still visits and the occasional red-breasted nuthatch. Chickadees are common. However, there is not heavy traffic at the feeder. I have not had to fill the feeder for almost a week now. There seem to be only a few house sparrows and that means the food is not scattered on the ground too much.

On our trips outside the village we see occasional ravens and today we saw two flocks of snow buntings.
Merry Xmas everyone...

Warming up a bit

The weather is moderating somewhat but there is still no sign of the lone junco that was around a few days ago. No new birds have visited the feeder. Groups of sparrows are still visiting regularly and eating voraciously. Certainly many of the sparrows look very plump and well coated with fat for the winter. The sparrows are visiting in smaller groups thank goodness. There is even room on the feeder for a chickadee (photo) or red-breasted nuthatch to butt in and snatch a seed.

Along the highway we encountered another large flock of redpolls but they still have not discovered our feeder. Perhaps they are finding enough feed on their own.

Ravens and Redpolls

On our trips out of town there are few birds to be seen but a couple of days ago we saw a large flock of birds, probably redpolls. Yesterday, we saw a much smaller group that also appeared to be redpolls. So far no redpolls have appeared at the feeder. Last year there were quite a few from time to time. The only other birds we have seen in the countryside late are ravens. They often appear singly or in pairs.

The feeder is busy but mostly with the occasional visits of sparrows who consume a great deal of seeds and distribute even more. There are also quite a few chickadees and red-breasted nuthatches.

The record cold weather is continuing in spite of global warming! The windchill this morning was minus forty three. This is about as bad as it gets anytime in the winter. The actual temperature is minus 29. We go quite a bit lower than that but usually the wind dies down so windchills don't usually go into the minus forties.

So far I haven't bothered to plug in our old 93 Acclaim but it is in a garage so that may help. One of these chilly mornings it may decide enough is enough and not go.

I haven't seen the lone slate coloured junco the last couple of days. Maybe the weather finally did it in.

Still some redpolls about!

I saw at least one redpoll at the feeder today a male with plenty of pinkish red on his breast. There are also a few black-capped chickadees as usual. The goldfinches are still plentiful as well as the chipping sparrows. I saw a number of white-crowned sparrows as well. Yesterday there was one pine grosbeak that appeared at the feeder for a short visit. It is beginning to warm up again so I will put out my hummingbird feeder soon.

A few flurries!

I hope no humming birds are back. I guess I should put up my feeder soon. I see a neighbour has one up already. This morning there were a few flurries and it must have dipped to around zero last night.

I finally actually saw a robin on my property today. I have heard them and seen them on my walks but not on my property. They seem interested only in insects and worms so they never visit the feeder of course.

There are still many goldfinches about and today I saw the first house sparrow I have seen in some time. It was a male and looked quite large compared to the red polls that are still here. A few starlings are still landing awkwardly on the feeder. I put out some chicken bones and the crows cleaned them up in no time. There is nothing left for stray cats. I saw several more Harris sparrows and also a chickadee or two.

Robins are back!

There is still very little traffic at the feeder although there were a couple of chickadees today as well as a handful of red polls. However when I was on my daily walk I saw robins and also two northern flickers. At the lagoons there were a pair of Canada geese. I think they may be nesting in the swampy area near the lagoons. I also saw two ducks but was not close enough to identify them. There are still some juncos about even though they have decided they have had enough of my sunflower seeds!

Another quiet day at the feeder

There are no juncos or anything else at my feeder except for a very few plump redpolls that look rather sickly, not like the one in the photo.

There are still some juncos around because I saw some at the neighbour's feeder. He is feeding the birds a different kind of seed, much smaller, and he has some oats as well. The only other birds I saw today were some crows.

Quiet times at the feeder

There were only a few redpolls and a chickadee at the feeder today. The photo is of a chickadee of course. I haven't seen a junco for several days now. I assume they are gone now until next fall.

I took a walk to the lagoons. There were two wading birds but I did not get close enough to identify them. There were also two Canada geese. Crows are common throughout the village and usually visit the yard at least once a day to check if we have put scraps out for them.

One pine grosbeak returns

A quite gorgeous pine grosbeak with some vivid red feathers appeared at the feeder today. However that was the sole bird except for a very few red polls. I haven't seen a single junco all day.

This evening just at dark I am sure I heard a robin but I haven't seen one yet. The disappearance of most birds is very strange. My wife cleaned out the seeds from below the feeder and raked the grass maybe that scared them away!