Backyard birders: What are you seeing at your feeders this month?

[formercalifornian]

The squirrel has discovered the feeders, and this is getting expensive. We've taken to lining up peanuts on the top of the fence surrounding the yard in an effort to distract him. Please let it work!

[formercalifornian]

The gentleman manning the cash register when I bought the peanuts informed me that feeder birds in the metro 'burbs at this time of year are typically limited to house finches, goldfinches, nuthatches, chickadees, and sparrows. As for bird houses, he thinks we'd have the best luck luring a chickadee. I asked about hummingbirds, and he advised that I wait to put out a feeder until July, when the next wave will come through. Buntings will arrive in the fall.

My oldest cut up some strawberries and set them out in a shallow dish on the ground beneath the hanging feeders. The robins went crazy for them!

[formercalifornian]

The squirrel is a glutton. He ate all the peanuts I lined up on top of the fence this morning, and now he's having a dessert of sunflower seeds from the bird feeder. The house finches are not amused and all dozen or so of them are sitting at the very top of the spruce tree screeching in protest.

Has anybody seen any nuthatches this spring? Last year, I recall seeing one in the Boston ivy outside my kitchen window, but I have yet to see one this year. As I understand it, white-breasted nuthatches are supposed to be pretty common visitors to backyard feeders in the Front Range. I love their little up-turned tails and the way they hop up and down the fence posts.

I'm thinking a family bird-watching trip to the South Platte Carson Nature Center is in order this summer. They appear to offer a lot of educational programs for Colorado wildlife lovers of all ages.

In other news, we started turning off the porch light at the back door and the 2:00 a.m. serenade ceased. Now, the singing starts at 4:30. Oh, yes, that's much better.

[Nav]

Elizabeth CO, 8650 ft elevation, Ponderosa Pine Forest...

Tree Swallows and Robins are out training their latest batch of Young in the art of finding food.
(more like follow the parents and stand with your mouth open....Hmmm.. kind of like modern teenagers )
House Finches, Bluebirds and Hummingbirds are still sitting on their nests. It will be another week till we start seeing the young. The great horned owl is occasionally out at dusk, as are the little brown bats. Miller moth season is like a huge buffet.

The feeders are full of the usual House finches, NutHatches, Pigmy Nuthatches, Flickers and an occasional Stellar Jay. Ring neck doves are out in the morning. There is a pair of doves who are here every year. Every now and then we have the Red Tailed Hawk sitting in the tree tops.
Of course when they are out, there isn't a squirrel or rabbit or Bird in sight. The yard is totally still until they leave.

Just another summertime in the forest

Nav

[Katarina Witt]

Re: squirrels-A bird feeder on a metal pole works better than the admittedly more attractive wooden poled feeders. You can grease the pole. The squirrels try to climb it, but they can't. . . at first. As the grease wears off, they can get into the feeder, so you have to keep applying the grease. You can buy special bird feeders with "squirrel baffles". They work OK, but the birds are so sloppy that they spill a lot of seed on the ground that the squirrels then eat.

[VALGAL222]

Ah the saga of the Squirrel, he sounds like he is kin to ours. Our squirrel seems to have claimed our property. We have over 25 trees and he mans them all. When I was raking leaves this spring, I found his stash or at least one of them. They are quit the hoarders aren't they?! We have been seeing a black bird, head shaped like a cardinal with a white chest and very long tail feathers-- any clue what that could be? Also I bet it is quite entertaining to watch a crazy squirrel try to climb a greased pole!

[nele]

Originally Posted by VALGAL222

We have been seeing a black bird, head shaped like a cardinal with a white chest and very long tail feathers-- any clue what that could be?

Sounds like a magpie. They're corvids, related to crows and jays and very smart..

[VALGAL222]

Originally Posted by nele

Sounds like a magpie. They're corvids, related to crows and jays and very smart..

Yes, that is it! They are so striking and elegant.