the modest birder (14)winter/spring 2010/11

Because of my dismal health last fall and early winter and the slow recovery, my (day per page) diary shows minimal entries, even blank pages. Recurring remarks reveal relatively small numbers on the feeders, even in February and March when the numbers usually increase as food becomes scarce or early returning migrants stop by for a few days. And this time I spent more time in my chair than in other years when I might be at my computer or birding in Delaware and New jersey.

This winter there were record snows that came in seven deliveries, the first just after Christmas and 15" on 1/27 for a total of 29", most of which covered the ground at some depth into the middle of March, though the sunny slope across the creek lost its cover by February 20. But throughout we had low temperatures with many nights in the low teens and days that did not get out of the 20s, our record being -1/21 on January 24. Maybe these conditions discouraged the normal winter guests from hanging around. Surprisingly the weather also didn't bring any northerly residents like last years invasion of Pine Siskins, though the Cape May Observatory blog indicated some excitement at their feeders of which there was none on either day that Colette or Sandy, my birding buddy, took me down there for an outing in February.

Nevertheless there was one "first" this winter. After our road was moved over and they took down some hole-ridden oaks, Bluebirds had become scarce in spring and summer and we never had any in the eleven years that we have lived here. But my daughter noticed two at Christmas and they were joined from time to time by others and in Mid-January there were seven. We did not see them after January 25 when all seven were arranged on the sides of the small "covered bridge" feeder even though the mealy worm suet was still being replenished. It was interesting to notice the males slowly gaining their bright blue color or to see all of them hawking for insects low above the creek from the mud bank or some low twigs of the leafless brush. Most of the time three or more would be on the suet, two of them feeding and the other hovering so close that their flapping dislodge their feeding companions. ready to replace them. Addendum: there were some 15 bluebirds cavorting around the creek for 2 days on Dec. 22 and 23 2011, but none came up to the feeders. One male appeared briefly one the suet on Jan. 14,2012. Another repeat was the pinkish male cardinal that hang around all last winter and returned on Jan. 8 2012.

Actually, almost immediately after that very cold January 24 most of the sparrows, finches, woodpeckers, nuthatches and creepers also left. Only a male Sapsucker and a Brown Creeper stayed around, leaving a lot of the suet to a Mockingbird that for us was always a rare winter guest but now appeared regularly from early January through March.

Another remarkable observation concerns the tube feeder that I had filled with nijer seed only. It replaced the "covered bridge" whose chain became detached in early February when a squirrel that I shot jumped down in a violent spasm; it landed dead on the ground from where the raccoon, that normally visited the suet each evening dragged it away. By this time there were only two or three Goldfinches, two House Finches and up to seven Juncos. They all preferred the old tube with mixed seeds and obviously were not bothered by the patches of black utility tape with which I covered the holes made by my beebies, for even though I kill a squirrel once in a while, I'm actually a pretty poor shot. After a month. when finches and other seed eaters were becoming more numerous, the 4-perch nijer tube was still 2/3 full while the 6-perch mixed tube had to be refilled every three days. It was clear that the nijer was only an alternative when the six perches on the mixed feeder were occupied. There was nijer in the mix also. Nearly all birds were most interested in the sunflower and safflower seeds and I saw them root those out with the result that most of the tiny millet seeds ended up on the ground where they were eaten by Juncos and sparrows or by the mice whose tunnels were uncovered in brief thaws. But when the last snow had gone the ground was shiny black with nijer and it took about two weeks for that to disappear. Of course when the covered bridge went down, all seed eaters and even the Downies and Redbellies foraged on the ground. The dropped seeds, unlike the occasional sunflower ones, never sprouted so they must all have been eaten eventually unless they were hybridized into infertility.

Once in a while I make a "day list". The one for April 8, when snowdrops and crocuses were blooming but the grass was not yet greening,  I counted 44 birds of 15 species among which only 1 Brown Creeper (there had been 3 in January); no Sapsuckers (4 in January); 8 Juncos (20); 3 White-throated Sparrows (0) and 3 Mourning Doves (up to 15 and some winters as many as 27). The Juncos were gone by April 12 and I assumed so were the White Throats but a pair arrived on the 18th and stayed for 2 weeks, the male, in splendid breeding plumage, singing frequently from the brush across the road. They made me wonder whether, perhaps... but no.

In 2012 I participated in the Backyard Bird count again, Febr. 18-20.  Over the 3 days I saw 21 species, some like the occasional Great Blue heron that comes up the creek about once a month,  or 2 fly-over mallards, only once. Each day the same 17 species were there, the smallest total number of all birds was 74, which included 17 starlings. The first 3 months of 2012 were very dry with barely more than an inch of precip per month, incl. one day of 4" of snow. There were some very cold days in Jan. and Febr. but the monthly averages were above normal. We had more White Throats than any previous winter with up to 14 some early mornings but fewer Goldfinches. By the 3d week of March the Brown Creepers had gone and by then the Cooper's also had made her last appearance. During the entire winter, Flickers appeared only on 3 days and spread widely apart. The same pale male Cardinal returned and is still (April 4) around and accompanies a female. A male Towhee arrived on March 25 and a Chipping Sparrow 3 days later; they are still single.