Winter backyard birds can be intense. Food sources can be limited so winter bird feeders can be very busy.
The most active and interesting days are often not the bright beautiful sunny days but stormy days. This is when birds are eager to eat as much as they can to keep energy levels high. Yesterday’s winter storm brought us just such a day with really interesting feathered visitors and activity, so I have pictures and stories to share with you.
When Common Grackles get on suet feeders, they can be a pain. This spring a small but very tenacious group of grackles arrived in the yard. They first dominated the Squirrel Buster Plus feeders, full of sunflower hearts, driving away smaller birds. And they got on the suet feeders.
Grackles need to eat too, but with grackles, the first day you’ll have one. The next day there will be two. Succeeding days will bring three then five then seven . . . So a change was in order.
Pair of Killdeers Looking for Love at Patuxent Research Refuge
Yesterday was the first day of spring. Even when temperatures are still cold and winter-like, birds seem to know spring is here. If you pay attention, you can find signs of spring bird activity in your own backyard or at local birding spots. I’ve seen quite a few signs of spring in the past few weeks.
