Finally, a sparrow

     A House Sparrow showed up at the platform feeder on my deck this afternoon, the first sparrow I had seen here in weeks. The weather system that moved through must have brought it in. It was hungry. When a big old cardinal flew up, the sparrow didn't yield an inch, just kept on eating. The sparrow flew off soon enough, and I don't know if I'll see it again. I think it was just passing through.
    Strange that it was a House Sparrow - it actually adds to my backyard life list. That's right, one of the most common birds in North America never comes around here. House Sparrows prefer urban settings, so if you live in the middle of the city, chances are you'll have more at your place that I do here. They're the chirping birds that like to hang out in parking lots and stores like Lowe's or Home Depot. Like crows, they feed on stuff we leave behind. I recall being at the Mall in Washington, D.C., and the House Sparrows were so keen to being fed by people that you could simply reach for your jacket pocket and they would fly to you with the pigeons.
   I still haven't seen any of the sparrow species I used to see around here. Nor have I seen other newcomers from migration season.

 

Here's what I did see today:

(PM, cloudy, 67 degree, 20 minutes)
Northern Cardinal
House Sparrow
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Blue Jay
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren

I'm seeing red

   Still no sparrows seen nor heard around here. No hawks either, but I suspect they still shop from time to time.
    As they say in the wild kingdom, when one species goes into decline, another replaces it. With me it has been cardinals. They're almost always at the feeders. I have seen as many as four males in the yard at one time, with their entourages of females and juveniles in tow. This tells me that I have three or four families visiting. This time last year it was one or two groups. 
   I guess there are worse things than a bunch of cardinals raiding the feeders. They do bring color to the surroundings.
   But I'm hoping one of these weather systems will bring some migrants soon. I need new faces.
   Here's what I saw today:
(AM, drizzle, 66 degrees, 20 minutes)
Northern Cardinal
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Carolina Chickadee

The case of the missing sparrows



Here's a White-throated Sparrow in my yard - back when I
had sparrows.

 

     This sparrow thing is beginning to concern me. I haven't seen one in about a month now, and I used to have them regularly. Now I'm not sure what to do.

     I once had as many as four species of sparrows feeding here. Chipping, White-throated, Song and Field sparrows all showed up from time to time. They are generally ground feeders, but they also came to my platform feeders and even to a tube feeder if it had mixed seed. They're hard to identify from a distance, because their size and coloring are so similar and they are well camouflaged.

     Over the past few days I have been putting mixed seed on the ground between my feeders and a nearby holly bush, in order to provide a feeding area near cover.

    Why near cover? Predators. There may be a number of reasons for the missing sparrows, but I’m putting my money on things that like to eat birds.

       So let’s take a look at the clues and the suspects.

• Clue #1: Hawks have been raiding the feeding station with more frequency lately. I had to run another Cooper’s Hawk from my yard the other morning.
• Clue #2: Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned hawks have an affinity for munching on sparrows.
• Clue #3: I saw a cat schlepping through the yard just yesterday, tail twitching and eyes fixed on the House Finches at my tube feeder. A ground-feeding sparrow could be easy lunch for a cat.

      So, is it Mr. Cooper, at the feeding station with the talons? Or could it be Mrs. Tabby near the holly bush with the claws? Tune in later.

      Meanwhile, I'll continue to put food on the ground for the next couple of weeks, in hopes of getting a family of migrants to visit. But if the number of hawks I see around here continues to exceed the number of sparrows, I just may take the drastic measure of halting the feeding altogether - for a while, anyway.

Here's what I saw today:

(AM, sunny, 66 degrees, 20 minutes)

 

Northern Cardinal

Northern Mockingbird

Carolina Wren

House Finch

Blue Jay

Carolina Chickadee

Mourning Dove



 





Nuthatches don't hate to eat and run

This Brown-headed Nuthatch has his seed and is headed for

 cover.

Nuthatches are fun little birds to watch. With their fat bodies, short tails and no neck, they have a cartoon-character look about them. They’re bundles of energy, scooting around tree trunks and branches looking for insects. And they're bold enough to fly in close to people. They often buzz me when I’m putting out food.

If you have suet and sunflower seed out, there's a good chance you'll get to see these entertaining little birds at work. Of course, they also like nuts. They'll also nibble on crunchy peanut butter.

Nuthatches, like titmice and chickadees, are grab-and-go eaters. Their thin bills aren't designed for crunching down on sunflower seeds. So they don't light at feeders for long, like the thicker-billed cardinals and finches. They zoom in to a feeder, grab a sunflower seed, take it up to a limb, put the seed between their little feet and peck out the good stuff. Seems like a long, involved process, I know. But in a day, a crowd of nuthatches can go through about as many sunflower seeds as a baseball player would during nine innings.

Most Americans have two types of nuthatches - Red-breasted and White-breasted. In the South, we have the Brown-headed Nuthatch, too.

Here's what I saw today:

(AM, sunny, 55 degrees, 30 minutes)

Northern Cardinal
Carolina Chickadee
Mourning Dove
House Finch
Northern Mockingbird
Carolina Wren
Brown-headed Nuthatch

Windows, as birds (don't) see them

A couple of wrens were chasing about my deck yesterday, and one hit my storm door. The bird wasn't hurt and flew off. This is not common in my yard, but it happens a couple of times a year. Most times the birds aren't hurt. If they fly in fast from a distance, sometimes they are stunned and fall to the deck. I have also seen a bird killed. The break room at my former workplace had a huge picture window. One day a flicker flew in hard, smacked the window and never came to.

               The instances of birds flying into windows are more common than you think, particularly in cities with skyscrapers that have a lot of window glass. The birds either see a reflection of sky or see past the glass to the light from another window and think there is a flight path. The number of bird deaths because of window glass rises during migration periods like now.
               In my yard, a bird will hit a window or storm door out of panic caused by a hawk or a rival. (Doves fly too fast for their own good, sometimes.) If you have a large window, it may happen just because the bird thinks it has a path to find cover. If a bird sees a reflection of a tree, it might be flying toward that.
               Reflection is a big factor. My brother's family had to deal with a cardinal that had regular war with the side-view mirror on the family car. The cardinal saw a rival in that mirror and continually attacked it. They ended up having to put a bag over the mirror to keep the cardinal safe!
This rare; matter of fact I had never heard of it. So I wouldn't worry about covering your side-view mirrors.
               However, there are things you can do to make things a little easier for your backyard buddies. What you are trying to do is make sure the bird knows there is some sort of barrier in front of it.

• One my favorites is to let the windows get dirty. Ha! That's just too easy. 
• You might try putting up blinds or curtains to block their view. I know, "So how am I supposed to watch birds?"
• Well, a sticker or two on the window can work. People with sliding-glass doors have these to keep their kids from running into them.
• Screens over windows help, too.
• Or try hanging ribbons or a flag in front of the window.

       There are some more-expensive measures to take, like installing shutters or special windows.
      Of course, if this doesn't happen in your yard, you probably shouldn't worry. Just go out to your feeder and look back toward your house to get a bird's point of view. If you see yourself, the reflection of a tree or something, or if you see through the window or door to light from another window or door on the other side of your home, the bird probably sees the same thing. Then there's a chance of an accident.

----- 

OK, the last time I saw a hummingbird was on Sept. 17. I'll leave the feeder out longer, just in case a Rufous Hummingbird shows up. That's a long shot; I've never seen one here, but the Rufous has been reported in the vicinity during the winter.

 

Here's what I saw today:

(AM, sunny, 60 degrees, 20 minutes)

 
Blue Jay
Red-bellied Woodpecker
House Finch
Carolina Wren
Northern Cardinal
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
Mourning Dove                

Hummingbirds hanging out

I missed seeing hummingbirds for a couple of days, so I thought they had moved on. Then one showed up today. I couldn't tell if it was one of the two or three families that have been here this summer, but it had no competition, so it may have been passing through.

    Eight doves were in the yard the other day. That's more than normal around here, so I suspect they like the new seed mix I put out.
    Conspicuously absent for about a week or so have been sparrows of any sort. They may NOT like the seed mix, but I suspect a hawk problem. Sharp-shinned Hawks like sparrows.
    I have also missed seeing - or even hearing - any woodpeckers lately. Don't have a clue about that.
    Oh yes, the rabbit that likes to graze in the yard, now has a baby following along. It seems to be curious about the squirrels; today I saw it chase after one as if looking for a playmate. Its survival skills may be tested, since there are a couple of Red-tailed Hawks who patrol the neighborhood regularly.  

Here's what I saw today:

(AM, clear, 62 degrees, 30 mins)

 
Northern Cardinal
Mourning Dove
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Northern Mockingbird
American Goldfinch
House Finch
Brown Thrasher
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Carolina Wren

Fall, football and flight

               Fall is on the way and that means a number of things. Yeah, I know; football and ragweed. But around this time of year, something clicks in the heads of millions of birds. We're not exactly sure, but we think they notice the length of the days changing. Whatever it is, they decide it is time to move. And by move, I mean thousands of miles in some cases.  
              It is the seasonal migration, and people who feed birds in their yards may notice a few things. Birds get more active and aggressive around feeders. Some change colors; the most noticeable is the American Goldfinch, who loses those bright yellow feathers for something more drab. Then the birds come and go. Depending on where you live, you may see a number of species you haven't seen all summer. Other species will be with you year round. For instance, we here in North Carolina have the Northern Cardinal all year. Hey, it's the state bird; it belongs!  But the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds leave. (I'll see the last of them between mid and late September. Farther north, you'll notice their absence earlier.) The martins, swifts and many of the swallows head out too. And the Dark-eyed Juncos show up. A few different species stop at my feeders on their way south.
               With all of this flying, birds need nourishment, and our feeding stations become something like diners on the interstate. So there are a couple of things we should all do.
               First, make sure there's plenty to eat - the birds are either prepping for a long trip, or they have just made one. They're tired and hungry. This applies especially to hummingbirds, who spend their winters in Central and South America. Mourning doves start looking for a feeding sanctuary. On Sept. 1, dove hunting season begins in much of the nation. You might put out a seed mix that includes millet and cracked corn. It offers doves an option to a cornfield that features flying birdshot. 
              Also make sure feeders and baths are kept clean. Birds are coming in from everywhere, and God knows what diseases they're bringing with them. One of the causes of the spread of disease is the common feeding area. I use water with a tiny bit of bleach to clean up (see my April 12 post).
               Then just pay attention to what shows up. For the next three months, you may be surprised at the species that come to your feeders. I'll let you know what newbies I see as they come in.

               Meanwhile, here's what I saw today.

(PM, sunny, 82 degrees, 20 minutes)

Northern Mockingbird
House Finch
Mourning Dove
American Goldfinch
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Brown-headed Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch