Yes, you may well have different birds than usual at your feeders today. With the heavy snow covering many wild food sources and even covering some feeding stations on the ground, birds are making a special effort to find food by going to feeding stations they don’t normally visit.
Meanwhile, in the past few days & weeks many birds have migrated into the area, such as Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles (who may flock together in winter and during migration) and Song Sparrows (more than just those returning to local territories, also lots who will head farther north). And lots of winter visitors are still in the area, such as Dark-eyed Juncos (who regularly visit feeders), and American Tree Sparrows (who rarely visit my feeder, but I’m sure go to other people’s feeders). The American Tree Sparrows may stay until early April, about the time that many Chipping Sparrows return (This makes the ID challenge between them more fun: can you see them together?) The sparrows usually feed on the ground, but today a Song Sparrow learned to use my hanging tube of sunflower seeds and also started coming up to my deck which I strew with sunflower seeds, even though in the past the Song Sparrows have stayed on the ground below the deck eating fallen seeds there. I’ve been seeing flocks of blackbirds (Red-winged Blackbirds &/or Common Grackles) flying past for several days, but today a mixed flock stopped and visited the feeders at my next door neighbor’s and at my place. They were new feeder birds for the year. Meanwhile I was having trouble keeping the seeds accessible. The snow would cover it faster than the birds would venture forth after I put it out. Mourning Doves regularly visit and eat seeds on the railing of my deck, but today the first one alit on the railing and stood staring at the inch-deep snow, then walked forward along the railing not seeing any food. The second Mourning Dove alit behind the first but could see the seeds through the first dove’s footprints, so it walked behind, eating the entire time. A third Mourning Dove alit behind the second, and because there were so many footprints, it didn’t have to walk but just stayed there eating. After the Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles figured out this was a food source, they trampled the snow on the railing pretty well. - - Dave Nutter > On Mar 12, 2022, at 9:24 AM, Poppy Singer <poppysinger.ith...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > Is it possible that both a Song Sparrow and a Tree Sparrow are at my feeder > now? I'm not an expert at sparrows, but I think so. > Also, a Grackle, like Donna mentioned. > Plus the regulars. > > -- > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > Welcome and Basics > Rules and Information > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > Archives: > The Mail Archive > Surfbirds > BirdingOnThe.Net > Please submit your observations to eBird! > -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
