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Post by downylover on Nov 12, 2015 11:00:38 GMT -5
I've had about a half a dozen white throateds here each day for about a week now. More should be along soon as I generally have a couple of dozen daily throughout the winter. I've also had quite a few house sparrows which seem to show up for a couple of weeks this time of year every year. They're all over the area but I don't usually have very many in the yard except for a couple of week here and there. I also have too many hawks. Once the leaves start falling they appear all over. I go hours without birds because of them.
I haven't seen the grackles where they cover the entire neighborhood this year yet. It happens every year so its probably coming. I've had big groups but not like I've had in years past.
I'm usually down to 2-4 blue jays by this time of the year after the babies move on. Not this year. I have about a dozen out there swooping in for peanuts.
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Post by BarbK on Nov 12, 2015 11:17:45 GMT -5
I haven't seen Grackles in ages which is very unusual. I have been inundated with House Sparrows, though. That's a rarity. I think they've discovered the feeders because we lost a lot of trees with Sandy. Can't wait for White-throateds to come in.
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Post by hazelrunmama on Nov 12, 2015 13:33:14 GMT -5
Our white-throated sparrows are gone already--still have a fair number of juncos and a few red fox sparrows, but everyone else is pretty much winter resident. We had a very non-exotic migration--I didn't even see any swamp or white-crowned sparrows! O.O Feeder traffic has also been low, but some of that might be that I'm not ground feeding like I used to because of the CWD quarantine from that infernal deer farm... The siskins put in an appearance now and then, but they don't seem to be coming on a regular schedule or in large numbers. It might just be the local birds that nested here this summer and not a larger irruption from up north--that would be good since I really don't want to host hundreds again this winter, the little slobs! LOL Piggies, too! On the other hand, I've been hearing reports of redpolls moving south in large numbers again, so keep your eyes peeled! If they show up again here, they'll have irrupted in 4 of the past 5 years, which is pretty unusual. They're better-behaved dining customers than siskins are, so they're always welcome here!
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maryf
Hatchling
Posts: 19
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Post by maryf on Nov 14, 2015 22:11:09 GMT -5
Hi, all! Here in South Jersey things are very slow.... I've only seen 2 white throats so far in the yard, and no juncos yet. Usually I have all kinds of starlings and grackles.... none lately. I know they are around, seen fields covered with them... the feeders in my yard have been sparse!
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Post by luv2bird on Nov 15, 2015 11:01:30 GMT -5
Hi, all! Here in South Jersey things are very slow.... I've only seen 2 white throats so far in the yard, and no juncos yet. Usually I have all kinds of starlings and grackles.... none lately. I know they are around, seen fields covered with them... the feeders in my yard have been sparse!
Do not have any Grackles or Starlings either.
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Post by hazelrunmama on Nov 15, 2015 22:39:12 GMT -5
We actually saw more grackles here this summer than we ever have before--but still no more than 4 or 5. I think it was a family group. There's a breeding population down by the lake and occasionally we get a stray, but this was the first group that came consistently to the feeders. I sure hope they don't spread the word and bring the rest of the lake population next year! LOL
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Post by downylover on Nov 15, 2015 23:48:28 GMT -5
Not to worry, all your grackles are alive and well on Long Island. They and their pigeon friend show up in waves every day. I'm hoping they'll all have passed through by Thanksgiving (I'm usually done with them by then).
Not really migration - I'm pretty sure I have a Flicker living somewhere near. I had a pair who left shortly after hurricane Sandy took their tree. I had seen a young one a couple of times over the summer and have been hearing them for the past couple of weeks. I've seen 1 in the yard for the past 3 days straight. I'm so happy. I love having them even though they don't come to the feeders very much. Its so nice to have a resident Flicker back!
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Post by hazelrunmama on Nov 16, 2015 14:12:57 GMT -5
Will your flickers winter-over, downylover? They're migratory here--and pretty much all gone now. I love seeing them in the yard, too, but I can't recall ever having one come to the feeder. I keep hoping, though.
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maryf
Hatchling
Posts: 19
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Post by maryf on Nov 18, 2015 11:25:12 GMT -5
We have purple finches locally... none in my yard yet... but there are good numbers of them on the edges of the marsh. Usually that bodes good for siskens and redpolls.... and hoping for crossbills this year (not in the yard, of course.
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Post by luv2bird on Nov 24, 2015 10:45:59 GMT -5
We have purple finches locally... none in my yard yet... but there are good numbers of them on the edges of the marsh. Usually that bodes good for siskens and redpolls.... and hoping for crossbills this year (not in the yard, of course. Hope you are right Maryf, would love to host Redpolls again.
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Post by downylover on Nov 25, 2015 23:30:19 GMT -5
I'd love some redpolls and purple finches too.
Hazel - Flickers are here year round. I rarely see them come down to the feeders. If they do its usually after a snowstorm.
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Post by hazelrunmama on Nov 26, 2015 17:44:58 GMT -5
That would be awesome, to see flickers all year--they're such handsome woodpeckers!
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