Altmod writes in…
Migration is in full swing! Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks are here! I’d love to see what others are seeing in their yards via Eye on the Feeder! 🙂
I’ve already got at least one other photo already ready to go, but send in your bird picks and we will post!
Scott
Walker1
Chris Billingsley
Decatur Metro
Upatoi Boy
J_T
Robert Butera
Robert Butera
Steve
Scott
Scott
Deanne
http://imgur.com/JTFbQKO
My front yard.
We have severalfeeders in the yard. Had crazy number of golden finches for a couple of weeks, but they seemed to move on. A bluebird family has returned to a birdhouse. Never seen a grosbeak in the yard. Cool
Our rush of gorgeous goldfinches has also subsided. Love them, though!
We have had a gross beak too! I was so excited bc my birdwatching app said they were rare here. Great pic BTW.
Thanks! They are the best.
Yesterday, my husband saw a kildeer on the front lawn of the Decatur Post Office.
Barred owls are making lots of noise every night. Hope one of them is a descendant of DM mascot Hootie!
I hear the barred owls every night and in a tree near my house there is a Red Shouldered Hawk nest–which means my chickens are cooped up more than they’d like.
I haven’t seen yet hummingbird that has frequented my backyard the last 2 years.
The hummingbirds were very late for us, too. I usually expect them in mid March. Did not show until last week.
I saw that same Kildeer–doesn’t it seem out place?! Hearing the Barred owls too (sorry about the chickens). Been seeing Broad Winged hawks too.
The Cornell Ornithology Lab site calls killdeer the “shore bird you can see without going to the beach.”
They can be year round residents in this region . Others pass through as they migrate . There was a killdeer around the Post Office lawn last spring, too. I saw it twice over the space of about a week but then never again . Maybe this is the same bird passing through again ?
The hummingbirds are here, although not in the numbers we will have by June. We have a nest of bluebirds, 5 eggs still unhatched, and just fledged 5 brown headed nuthatches. Life is good.
Okay, can you tell I’m excited about Eye on the Feeder?
On the feeder this week: White breasted and Brown headed Nuthatches, Thrashers, Towees, Bluebirds, Chickadees, Carolina Wrens, House Finches, Rose Breasted Grosbeaks, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Downy Woodpeckers, Titmice, Robins, Grey Catbirds, Mockingbirds, Cardinals, Mourning Dove, Blue Jays
In the yard this week: Broad Winged Hawk, Red shouldered Hawk, Red Tailed Hawk, Red-eyed Vireo, Blackpole Warbler, Palm Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pileated Woodpecker, American Redstart, Phoebe
I share your excitement. This thread lets me live vicariously through the rest of you. After months of battle against rats in our attic, I gave up my bird feeders. The rats are gone but I sure do miss all the spring bird activity around the feeder.
Try a hummingbird feeder.
First hummingbird of the season last Saturday. Already had a brood of house wrens fly the coup.
Have a family of Carolina Wrens in a fern on the front porch. Beautiful little dome-shaped nest.
Lots of goldfinches last week at the bird bath.
We did a feeder a few years ago and had rats eating the debris on the ground.
Actually saw a rat and a squirrel fight over ground scraps.
Any recommendations on how to deal with squrrels and rats in yard. I dont really want to encourage the squirrels to find nests in yard / attic.
We had a feeder for years (squirrel-proof) without an issue. Last year we saw a rat (also when we started composting near the feeder). We pulled the feeder down, stopped composting, and called Crocodile Dave. We spent a pretty penny having the entire house sealed (apparently we had more than the one “guest” enjoying our hospitality (attic, garage, wall). Once we sealed up the house we put the feeder back up. All seems okay for now.
I saw a few birds yesterday when Commerce was backed up.
Beautiful shot altmod!
Thanks! I sat in front of the window grading papers all day–waiting…. 🙂