Hello again and Merry Christmas to all!
It’s been a pretty quiet bird feeding season around here so far. My Project FeederWatch counts each week tell me I have 13 or 14 different types of birds visiting my feeders but numbers of each type are quite low right now. Seems to me that last year started out the same way but really picked up in January. We shall see what happens. Here are a few notes & photos about who HAS been visiting this fall & early winter. 🙂
I had a late visiting Robin in November along with a few Juncos and an immature White Crowned Sparrow. At least one Junco and the Sparrow are still coming around almost daily. I gave this Robin some cracked corn to help it through a time of little fruit in this area. I only saw it the one day but heard about a few other sightings throughout town that day.
Robin, a late fall visitor for my area.
Immature White Crowned Sparrow visits for food under my feeders almost daily.
I have anywhere from 1 to 10 European Starlings coming around. I only see them sporadically, maybe once per week or so. This is a species that will sometimes spend the winter here.
European Starling
I have a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers this winter. They visit daily now for peanuts in a tube feeder or for the suet/peanut butter mix in the birch log. I’ve also had a male Downy Woodpecker making a few visits to the feeders.
Female Hairy Woodpecker in my crab apple tree.
Blue Jays are lovely & colourful daily visitors. I put peanuts in the shell and loose peanuts out for them & they are so entertaining to watch. I see anywhere from 3 to 7 daily right now. Last year, I had a high number of 10 at once so we’ll see what this winter brings.
Handsome Blue Jay in my pine tree.
I’m lucky enough now to have 3 Canada Jays making the odd visit to the feeders. I dearly love them! I have put their own feeder out to help coax them in, filled with deer fat that a neighbour’s hunter husband gave me. The Canada Jays LOVE it. They will also peck at the suet/peanut butter mix and take the odd seed or loose peanut.
One of three beautiful Canada Jays visiting my feeders this year.
I’ve had upwards of 3 Crows coming around along with 1 or 2 Ravens. The Crows have been going for seeds on the ground as well as on the feeders. I’m surprised they have not been going after the suet log as in previous years. Maybe I’ll just give them time for that
Crows having a snack under the feeders.
The Ravens like it when I put an extra treat out there on the platform feeder for them. This one had recently come in to grab a crust of multi grain bread that I had smeared with peanut butter. In this photo, it was looking for more! 🙂
Handsome Raven; quite possible the juvenile from last winter.
Some Grosbeaks have been coming around. Numbers are very low this year, so far anyway. I’ve had a high of about a dozen Evening Grosbeaks so far but that’s not even every day. I’m lucky to see 5 or 6 a day.
Female Evening Grosbeaks enjoying a drink at the ‘heated’ birdbath while others in their flock nibble at the feeders behind them.
Pine Grosbeaks are the more steady visitors at the feeders. I have 6 to 10 at any given time with a high of about 20 so far this season.
Male Pine Grosbeak standing on the webcam.
Common Redpoll numbers are REALLY low right now so I’m hardly seeing any of them at all. The most I’ve seen so far this season is 15 or 16 but I’m usually only seeing 3 to 6 at a time and even that is only a couple of times per week. I’m really hoping their activity will pick up in the New Year!
Male Common Redpoll
‘Our’ Ruffed Grouse’s visits are few & far between right now. Earlier in the season, he/she was coming around every day but now, we’re lucky to have a visit once per week. I’m sure it’s because of the warmer weather & low snow amounts right now, making natural food sources readily available.
Ruffed Grouse on the platform feeder.
Over the past month or two, I’ve seen small flocks of Bohemian Waxwings in my neighbour’s fruit tree. On this particular late afternoon (late in the day AND through a window, hence the fuzzy photo!), there were 3 in their tree. I’ve heard them again since then but have not seen them.
1 of 3 Bohemian Waxwings have a fruit dinner.
Aside from the birds, we have a really cool phenomenon going on near here right now. I’ve been calling this ‘pancake ice’ for lack of a better term and it is happening on a river about 14 km outside of Manitouwadge here. We’ve had some incredibly mixed weather conditions so far this season with some -30’s C in November and +2C now. We had over a foot of snow at one point but now have just a few inches left. The ups & downs in temperature have led to this ice condition, I believe. There is heavy current going straight up to the right with a calmer eddy on the left. The pieces of ice have been broken off and sent up the right side on the current, rubbing against the sides & smoothing them out until they are round. So cool to see!
Ice Pancakes
Ice Pancakes
Well, I guess that’s it for this year. Thank you so much for reading & viewing. I wish you a very Merry Christmas and all the best in 2019! Happy Holidays!
Thanks for these pictures and comments. I love watching your cam —-I always have it on and check it now and then while on the computer.
Cool ice pancakes! I saw them on the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton this winter but had never seen them before. They flowed down the river for a while, then when it got colder they stuck together on the sides. Then it got warmer and a lot of the river ice melted.
Happy Holidays 🙂
Thanks for all of your bird sightings. Keep up the good work. Have a very Merry Christmas and all the very best for 2019. Hugs n’ Stuff, Lynne
Neat about the pancake ice! Nature does some cool stuff, eh?
I wonder if you numbers will be low with the Grosbeaks and other Finches due to such a poor crop this year? So many are being reported in southern Ontario right now.
Love the birds and the ice pancakes are strange – an assembly line of pancakes rolling down the river. Thanks for sharing!
Nice read and lovely pictures as per usual .