No traffic congestion at the feeder

There are very few birds at the feeder the last few days. I have not seen a single house sparrow feeding! The only two types of birds I have seen are red-breasted nuthatches and chickadees. Today I have only seen nuthatches.

We will be going shopping tomorrow so perhaps we will see a few birds on the way but the New Year is very slow as far as watching birds is concerned. It is for the birds!

A slow start to the New Year

For the first couple of days of the New Year all I saw was one house sparrow and a few red-breasted nuthatches. Today I see a number of black-capped chickadees (photo) are visiting again. However, I have not had to fill the feeder this year as yet!

In the countryside all I have seen are a few lonely ravens. The weather has warmed up quite a bit today. Whether that will encourage more birds to visit the feeder remains to be seen!

Ice Fog and Mild Temperatures

Traffic has not been that heavy at the birdfeeder. The spruce trees are heavy with snow and ice. We have had a sort of ice fog several mornings in a row that coats all the tree branches and wires. The result is a beautiful ice etching against the blue skies.

This is the time of year when annual bird counts are taken. The list I saw from a Regina group overlaps quite extensively with birds I have seen hereabouts. The one expection is the "sterling". Around here I have only noticed starlings! They also note that they saw rock doves whereas around here they are pigeons!

At the feeder the last few days there have been: chickadees (photo), red-breasted nuthatches, and a few house sparrows. Fortunately the number of sparrows has declined and so all the feed is not tossed on the ground!

In the countryside we saw a few more snow buntings and the occasional raven.

Downy woodpecker back

Yesterday a downy woodpecker visited the feeder a number of times. Actually, it possibly might be a hairy as it seemed to me a bit larger than the last downy I saw some time ago.
There were also a few more redpolls yesterday as well as the usual red-breasted nuthatches and plenty of chickadees. There are some house sparrows but no large flocks. We saw another flock of snow buntings on our travels on Xmas day.

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...

First Day of Winter

We have not seen any flocks of snow buntings or redpolls of late but yesterday in Shoal Lake we saw plenty of pigeons. They frequent an older style grain elevator. No doubt it is a good habitat for them. Aside from the pigeons we only saw a few ravens always alone or at most a pair.

The feeder is not as busy as it was. There are fewer sparrows and the ones that do come do not unload all the seed unto the ground. I have seen a number of chickadees but only few red-breasted nuthatches. I have not seen any Savannah sparrows for the last couple of days.

Finally a magpie!

Finally we saw a magpie(photo) on our way to the dump but not at the dump itself. At the dump there were over half a dozen ravens searching through the trash for lunch. Magpies do not seem to be all that common hereabouts for some reason. They appear off and on for a while and then they seem to disappear from the scene.

There are plenty of chickadees these days at the feeder. THe house sparrow invasion has tapered off a bit. There is still a Savannah sparrow visiting regularly and a few red-breasted nuthatches.

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.

Feeder running on empty

Since it was Sunday yesterday and very cold I did not venture out the whole day, and as a result the feeder is almost completely empty. It is raided from time to time by voracious flocks of house sparrows. However there are several other types of birds visiting. There seem to be a few red-breasted nuthatches that roam the spruce trees searching the bark for something to eat and then dashing to the feeder for a much easier way to get food. Chickadees are also back in some numbers, enough that I have seen at least two at the feeder at once.

The lone slate coloured junco is still around. He is often completely alone at the base of the feeder eating dropped sunflower seeds. I just wonder if he is completely well as he should be far south by now. At least the cold hasn't killed him. He seems to fly without trouble but I noticed when his wings are folded one sticks out slightly. Perhaps he cannot fly long distances.

Frigid weather

The weather has turned very frigid. Last night the windchill was minus 35 C or more and tonight the temperature it to go to minus 27 C but at least the wind is not very strong.

The sparrows must be fattening up for the cold weather as they are eating a lot of sunflower seeds. I see some chicadees back feeding again as are red-breasted nuthatches (photo).

On trips out of town I have seen mostly a few ravens but near a damn at Rivers where there is still water flowing at the foot of the damn I could see some ducks but I was not close enough to identify them.

I guess all the snowbirds who are going south have gone already! The chickens!

Slow days at the feeder

There has been some snow, lots of wind, and cool weather but it is warming up today. The snow will all be gone by around noon I expect. I have not been out in the countryside to see any birds but at the feeder there are very few.

The house sparrows are still present but not in large numbers. Aside from the sparrows I have only seen a few red-breasted nuthatches and black-capped chickadees (photo). It is just a slow period. Perhaps when winter arrives traffic will increase. At least I do not have to fill the feeder every few days!

Snow on the ground!

Strangely enough when it started to snow and blow I didn't see any birds at the feeder. I thought they would be hungry. Even after the snow had stopped not many birds came. The first birds back were the house sparrows (photo). They were lazy. They only ate from the side of the feeder that had no snow banked on it. THe other side they just ignored.

Today the snow has melted from the feeder but there is still some in the grass and at the sides of the road. More birds are visiting but it is not busy as it was before the snow and colder weather came. I have seen a few chickadees and the odd red-breasted nuthatch but that is about all so far. Maybe things will look up next week.

Just a few flurries

The weather is cool and windy often below freezing at night but so far we have had only a few flurries that have melted away quickly. On the way to shopping yesterday I saw two ravens and one magpie(photo). There were no other birds to be seen. The geese must be all gone or most of them at least. The sloughs are freezing over already.

At the feeder house sparrows are still predominant. However this morning the feeder was not too busy. At leastl the chickadees and red-breasted nuthatches had an opportunity to dart back and forth without encountering a wall of sparrows already on the feeder! No juncos in sight. Perhaps they are already moved on south.

Signs of winter coming.

The weather is getting quite cool with temperatures dipping below freezing during the overnight period. We have had quite strong winds and also a few brief flurries. There are still geese about but many have already flown south.

The feeder is busy but the variety of birds seems not to be increasing. The house sparrow dominates more than ever. However, there are still quite a few red-breasted nuthatches, and the faithful chickadees (photo) that are here all year long. I have not seen any juncos the last few days. It seems a bit early for them all to have passed through. I did see another downy woodpecker yesterday.

Still ducks, geese, and gulls around

We drove to Brandon yesterday. There were ducks in many sloughs. We saw a number of mallards(photo). We saw several farmers cultivating fields with flocks of herring gulls following to feast on whatever was unearthed. We also saw several magpies although they are few and far between.

The feeder is still busy but with the regulars: house sparrows, red- breasted nuthatches, pine siskins, and chickadees. We bought some different seed rather than just sunflowers we have a mixture. Perhaps some new species will appear.

The Usual Visitors

The feeder is busy but there are no new birds. The most common visitors are still house sparrows. However I saw as many as three chickadees at once. There are also more red breasted nuthatches than usual. There are also quite a few pine siskins. The slate coloured juncos are not as common as some years but there are a few. No doubt there are more at other locales.

Another Downy Woodpecker

At the feeder yesterday, a downy woodpeck appeared. They are not that common. I have not seen any northern flickers lately. They are around all winter but only visit the yard occasionally. I have never seen one at the feeder as they are rather large.
The usual house sparrows are busy dumping out seed. There are still plenty of juncos but they do not usually eat from the seeder. They hop around the yard or pick up seeds from under the feeder.
Red-breasted nuthatches are rather common. I saw three at one time at the feeder, most unusual. Purple finches appear from time to time. Chickadees are constant visitors and there is the odd purple finch. Pine siskins are still common visitors.

Geese are still flying south every day so far. Once the weather turns colder they will soon all be gone. We are enjoying almost Indian summer weather these days although the wind is often cold.

Savannah sparrows appear again

There were several Savannah sparrows at the bird feeder again. I had not seen any for several days now. There are still hordes of sparrows who insist on dumping seed on the sidewalk.
There are quite a few red breasted nuthatches every day as well as the always present black capped chickadees. There are also quite a few slate coloured juncos still around and also pine siskins as well as purple finches.
Out in the country I saw two magpies as well as several crows or ravens. This time of year I am never sure. The crows go south but tnen ravens drift in from the north.

Snow Geese Flying south

On the way to shop in Shoal Lake the other day we saw a large flock of snow geese in a field. Some were white but not all of them and perhaps there were other geese mixed in. The photo is of a flock at sunset--not here but in the northern US just south of us.
There are plenty of pine siskins around and also nuthatches, chickadees, and several purple finches. Of course there are oodles of house sparrows as well. There are some slate coloured juncos but not that many as yet.