BIRDS

[SwampDonkey]

I never mentioned blue jays because they are as common as robins up here. You stick a sack of sunflower seeds out and watch about 40 come by within a couple days. :D

[HemlockKing]

Yeah, I see those nut hatches up the road sometimes in the maples, high up.  There are 24" sugar maples there by the road. On mill ground. Could be the odd one in the back yard, but not so much. They never came to the feeder when I tried feeding the birds and not the pigeons.

Get vireos in the summer in the back yard. One last summer musta had a nest close by, sang all day long.

Nut hatches and chickadees work together so well because chickadees work the twigs and branch tips, nuthatches work the trunk and main stem of the tree, I'm not sure what they find there but in the summer lots of insects    
I had 2 white breasted nut hatches take up home in my nest box this past spring, they had a family, hopefully they return this spring. The parents are still around and I know it's them because these 2 are very trusting with me, they wont land on me, but they will get within a foot or less when near the feeders. Im still working on getting crows to land  :D

[SwampDonkey]

I had a tiny little house wren take over a blue bird box and they are a nasty little bird, will drive a blue bird or a swallow off. Never had one before.

Nuthatches and chickadees have caches in tree bark....or bird houses. I found a chickadee cache in a nest box, full of ironwood nuts. I had noticed them coming and going from the box.

[SwampDonkey]

There's a fellow down in Millville, a musician from Newfoundland, he gets lots of birds to come to his hand. Takes hours of patients and finally they come. Even blue jays, I never thought a blue jay would be enticed. Grey Jays, yes, they aren't as bright. :D

[HemlockKing]

SD, do yourself a favor and search up "Leslithebirdnerd" on youtube, a newfie lady that has all sorts of birds land, including jays.

There's a guy not far away that has some crow friends, patients is right!

I figure they are like chickadees though, get one to land, since they are social others will see and be fine with landing..

[HemlockKing]

The BLUE JAY | Complex, Fun and Smart - YouTube

[KEC]

SD, You might be happy to know that the American Ornithologist Union that assigns common names to birds changed the Gray Jay back to Canada Jay. I'd bet that those ironwood seeds were put in a nest box by mice and the chickadees were helping themselves to the seeds.

[SwampDonkey]

KEC, chickadees are known to cache. But can't rule out the mouse cache either.

[woodroe]

Lost a Blue Jay to a hawk this week, under the feeder.
Had seen the hawk hanging around at a distance a few days earlier.
No red breasted nuthatches this winter, a few whites though. 
Yellow finches are getting on my nerves dumping seed on the ground one by one from the feeder till its empty.
Makes the Squirrels happy though.

[Chuck White]

Lost a Blue Jay to a hawk this week, under the feeder.
Had seen the hawk hanging around at a distance a few days earlier.
No red breasted nuthatches this winter, a few whites though.
Yellow finches are getting on my nerves dumping seed on the ground one by one from the feeder till its empty.
Makes the Squirrels happy though.

I think when the finches do this, they're looking for a seed that will be easier to crack!
The dropped seeds really don't go to waste, the ground feeders will find them!

[woodroe]

Probably right about that Chuck.
The Juncos and Bluejays along with gray squirrels do clean up. Moles or voles too.
You would think after going through thousands of black oil seeds dat after day the finches
would give up trying to find a seed easier to crack and just move on.

[KEC]

Here is a fairly complete list of birds seen near the house in the past 3-4 days: Canada Geese-60 flew over, Turkey Vulture-1, Red-bellied Woodpecker-2, Hairy Woodpecker-1, Downy Woodpecker-3, Mourning Dove-13, Blue Jay-4, Crow-3, Black-capped Chickadee-3, Tufted Titmouse-3, Red-breasted Nuthatch-1, White-breasted Nuthatch-2, Starling-1, Carolina Wren-1, House Finch-7, American Goldfinch-5, American Tree-sparrow-2, Dark-eyed Junco-8, White-throated Sparrow-2, Eastern Bluebird-3, Song Sparrow-1, Northern Cardinal-3. This is a testament to how broke I'm going buying sunflower seed and suet. Also had a Gray Fox by the house a couple days ago.

[Chuck White]

Through a typical year, I go through about 300 pounds of blackoil sunflower seed!

Not so much in warmer months, mostly in Winter!

[HemlockKing]

I've had a 20lb bag for a couple months now, I only put out a few handfuls every day or 2, just enough to keep them around often but not so much they are entirely dependent on my feeding them. If we have a big dip in temperature I try to especially put out a little for them since I know they need the fuel to stay warm. It seems to be a good balance, I dont dilute or disrupt nature much(artificial population boost), they still come by everyday, keeps the squirrels at bay, and it saves me money 

[woodroe]

I'm on my 2nd 40 lb bag of the black oil seed.
They started feeding late this winter
probably due to milder temps.
Definitely hitting it hard now. Forgot to mention the Tufted Titmice
being regulars here. Seen a Cardinal on occasion too.  

[thecfarm]

woodroe, ever try Nyjer seeds for the finches?
I finally did, they really like it, for a while.  :   Than they seem to stop eating it.  ???

[SwampDonkey]

I find there is a lot of seed in those mixed bags that birds aren't even interested. They high grade the sunflower seeds. I've even tried to feed seed eaters millet or flax by itself. They don't touch it. If a stalk of lambs quarters is standing, or thistles, or nettles, they will fleece it. You can't force a bird to eat what we eat. Well sometimes if it's a pork rind or piece of salmon. :D

[woodroe]

woodroe, ever try Nyjer seeds for the finches?
I finally did, they really like it, for a while.  :   Than they seem to stop eating it.  ???

No haven't tried that Ray. Bulk Black oil and suet blocks is all I can afford. 

[thecfarm]

woodroe I use the same, except for the nyjer. 
I tell customers my Father fed black oil sunflower seeds and so do I. We have a poster board of birds. I show the customers what birds they will get with black oil and they still want the mixed seeds as swampdonkey said. He is right about them not wanting some seeds.Black oil is the cheapest and it works!!! Been around it my whole life. But I guess 60 years don't count.  ;D  :

[KEC]

Black Oil Sunflower seeds have high fat/calories content and less shell by weight than the old striped seeds. It is attractive to many birds; the Gray Fox was just outside my basement door last night eating black oil seeds. Yes, seed companies put cheap filler seeds in the mixes. White millet is attractive to sparrows. Cornell looked at seed preferences by birds. Interestingly, in western states birds seemed to be less fussy. Black Oil is the best bang for your buck. I buy suet and also pour fat pan drippings into a bowl and chill it, then scoop it out and put it in a feeder I made for it. The woodpeckers, chickadees, Blue Jays, nuthatches and titmice eat it. And birds, like animals and children all go to the foods at the top of their preference list first. Let 'em get hungry enough and they will eat what's available.

[woodroe]

A pair of crows perched along the wood line this morning patiently
waiting for a snack. There is usually something for them, stale chips or bread.
They aren't fussy and will clean up just about anything. A 3rd one showed up and sharing with the bluejays
is always fun to watch. Bluejays have to be fast.
Crows will sometimes pursue a bluejay until it drops its snack then grab the snack.
Simple entertainment at its best..

[Mooseherder]

Nesting Pair of Sandhill Cranes feeding Brood. - YouTube

[WV Sawmiller]

  My eastern bluebirds are back to building a nest in the box they used 2 years ago to raise 2 broods. They moved in 2 days after I put the box out. I am thrilled to see them back. I love my bluebirds.

   Last year barn swallows moved in and raised a clutch or two, had one dead one in the box when I cleaned it out and the bluebirds moved to the box in the back yard about 100 yards apart.

   Oh yeah, my 2 big turkey gobblers are back for at least the 3rd year in a row. They were strutting around a flock of hens in the pasture 75 yards from the house a couple days ago. These gobblers are in their prime with beards dragging the ground and can really put on a show.

[wisconsitom]

One of my son's has big floodplain woods behind his yard.  Very large black willow stub, top long busted out, has featured great horn owls nesting last. few years....followed later each year by a goose family that then uses the nest. 

[KEC]

WV, If swallows nested in your bluebird box they were most surely Tree Swallows. My neighbor and a friend  and I went out back of the house a few evenings ago and watched the woodcocks doing their courtship flights, always a great show.