Any birders here? Massive migration tonight in the US.

[whitewave]

Birdwatcher/lover here! I miss the birds from our previous house including a resident pair of barred owls plus just a greater variety than what I see here. We do have some different birds here though. We live on a small lake, herons and osprey come to fish. I'm hoping one day an eagle will find the pond and put on a show! We get interesting migrating ducks all spring. I have seed feeders out all year and a nice pair of binoculars. I have a camera that I'm still barely capable of using.

@whitewave Try spreading your hummingbird feeders farther apart or even out of sight from each other. Even when one hummer gets territorial others can still get in to feed. There are usually a few smart ones waiting out of sight and when the territorial bird is busy chasing they swoop in for a quick sip.

@LisaRN Carolina Wrens are what I miss the most here! They are such fun birds with big voices and big personalities. I did see a house wren this year but I haven't given up hope of a Carolina Wren finding it's way here.

Thanks, yes, I moved them farther apart and now I’m feeding a lot more hummingbirds.

 

[Yelena]

Spotted in my kitchen last night, eating a egg and rice for her supper. The nerve!

An Aussie enjoying a nice meal. I haven’t seen cockatiels in the wild. It’s on the list of birds that I am yet to see.

 

[OboeGal]

So much expertise about bird-watching and feeding on this thread - very cool!

This is an area I know little-to-nothing about. Back in the late 90s, after my elderly mother had mentioned to me enjoying her morning coffee or some lunch at her kitchen table while watching the birds, I decided as a Christmas present to buy her a bird feeder and some seed for it to get her started. It was just one of those on a pole that you can get anywhere, and I put it in the ground just off from her back porch, where it would be in very good view from the window at the table, and helped her fill it and get started, and then she kept on with it herself, especially in winter. She had the usual struggles with squirrels, but other than that, things went OK and I never worried about the birds' well-being because I knew that she was utterly scrupulous about never, ever letting her beloved Siamese cat outside. (Apparently, the view out the window was a fave of his as well, after that!)

This brings me to my question now. I think I'd like to set up some bird-feeding stations around the periphery of the yard, in locations or at elevations where there's no risk that my collie will be able to get into any of it, but I really want to keep the well-being of the birds foremost there. One concern is, well, my collie - she wouldn't be able to actually get into the feeders, and she doesn't spend a lot of time out in the yard, and never unsupervised, but she's very excitable and might be inclined to bark and chase a bit if she sees a cluster of birds eating when she is out there, and I'm concerned that at best she will repeatedly discourage them from coming around or feeling safe here. The other, bigger, concern is neighborhood cats. Our cat stays inside, but we have a couple neighbors that accumulate cats that they SAY are "theirs", but they never spay/neuter them or get them shots, etc. - just put food out and interact with them. They rarely let them in their house because they get potty accidents when they do, so they just leave them outside 90% or more of the time, and over time they've "claimed" most of the yards in the neighborhood. I worry a lot that, if I brings birds in with feeders into this neighborhood, that it will be like "bringing lambs to slaughter", and that it would be better for the birds ultimately not to do so. Do any of you here with much more knowledge and experience on this than me have thoughts/advice?

 

[1ofakind]

@OboeGal Do you think your collie would eventually get used to seeing/hearing the birds at feeders? If she poses no threat the regular birds may well just get used to her. I would be concerned with her eating seed or shells that fall on the ground though.

Cats are another issue. I do not intend to cause any conflict but I recognize that I might with this. Cats do not belong outside and are responsible for killing BILLIONS of birds just in the US every year. They also kill billions of small mammals that would be prey for raptors or larger predators like foxes. Our song bird populations are in a serious decline over the last few decades and outdoor cats are majorly contributing to the decline. I used to have animal control collect the cats but now I have my own traps. They are taken to the humane society, scanned for chips/returned to owner or put up for adoption if possible but first spayed or neutered. It is very unlikely that any of the cats end up outside killing birds. If I know neighbors have cats I will warn them before I put out traps.
But roaming cats kill birds and small mammals whether you are feeding them or not.

Make sure your feeders are 12-15 feet from cover trees or shrubs. It's far enough that a squirrel can't jump to the feeders but close enough that a bird can quickly flee from a predator. They need a bit of a clearing so they can see all of their surroundings. A feeder in a tree would be a great place for a cat to perch and wait. Consider plantings that provide food for birds in addition to feeders. I would use a good baffle to keep cats, squirrels and other critters off the feeder pole. Squirrels can clean up what falls on the ground.....if your collie will let them, lol.

And thanks to you and your mom for keeping your cats inside.

 

[OboeGal]

@OboeGal Do you think your collie would eventually get used to seeing/hearing the birds at feeders? If she poses no threat the regular birds may well just get used to her. I would be concerned with her eating seed or shells that fall on the ground though.

Cats are another issue. I do not intend to cause any conflict but I recognize that I might with this. Cats do not belong outside and are responsible for killing BILLIONS of birds just in the US every year. They also kill billions of small mammals that would be prey for raptors or larger predators like foxes. Our song bird populations are in a serious decline over the last few decades and outdoor cats are majorly contributing to the decline. I used to have animal control collect the cats but now I have my own traps. They are taken to the humane society, scanned for chips/returned to owner or put up for adoption if possible but first spayed or neutered. It is very unlikely that any of the cats end up outside killing birds. If I know neighbors have cats I will warn them before I put out traps.
But roaming cats kill birds and small mammals whether you are feeding them or not.

Make sure your feeders are 12-15 feet from cover trees or shrubs. It's far enough that a squirrel can't jump to the feeders but close enough that a bird can quickly flee from a predator. They need a bit of a clearing so they can see all of their surroundings. A feeder in a tree would be a great place for a cat to perch and wait. Consider plantings that provide food for birds in addition to feeders. I would use a good baffle to keep cats, squirrels and other critters off the feeder pole. Squirrels can clean up what falls on the ground.....if your collie will let them, lol.

And thanks to you and your mom for keeping your cats inside.

Thank you for the good information here - I appreciate it! I'm glad you mentioned my girl trying to eat seeds or shells from the ground - I hadn't thought of that at all, and that is something she's likely to do.

I totally agree with you about keeping cats inside! It's better for wildlife, better for the cats, and more considerate to the neighbors, in my opinion.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

We saw hummingbirds at my Mother's house today! It was so exciting, first time I've ever actually seen them!

 

[pearlsngems]

It's been 2 days now since I saw a hummingbird at our feeder.

I expect there will still be the occasional straggler now; last year I spotted the last hummer on September 19.

As for robins, I have not seen any in several weeks.

 

[1ofakind]

We are having a flurry of hummer activity the last 4 days. I know they will be gone soon though.

 

[Lookinagain]

I started feeding birds a few years ago when my daughter gave me a feeder for Christmas. But I never saw many as I was always at work. Now that I'm working remotely, I started seeing so many I decided to buy a decent camera with a zoom and take some photos. I think most of my birds are fairly common (cardinals; nuthatch; tufted titmouse; house wren; american goldfinch, gray catbirds, etc). I do have 5 kinds of woodpeckers (Downy, Hairy, Northern Flicker, Red-Bellied and the occasional Pileated) and I did have a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a Great Crested Flycatcher, but only once. My hummingbird hasn't been around for a few days so I assume she has started her migration. I'm in New England.






this was through the glass. It was only there for a minute.
I've really enjoyed watching the birds. It relaxes me.

 

[pearlsngems]

I saw a hummer at our feeder for the first time since Friday. Possibly just passing through, from parts north of us.