Any bird feeders?

We feed ’em. Nothing too fancy. We have a couple hanging cylinder feeders, but they all seem to like the food I throw on the driveway the best.

glenn57 wrote:

I’ve heard of a robin siting over by Cambridge!!!!!

Just wait and you’ll probably hear that Batman was seen too.

Younger days? You’re older than I am.

Tom Sawvell wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>glenn57 wrote:</div>
I’ve heard of a robin siting over by Cambridge!!!!!

Just wait and you’ll probably hear that Batman was seen too.

Younger days? You’re older than I am.

I did see the picture…… will you believe me now!!!!!!

and i’m a spy 62!!!!!!!!

I have had a purple finch on my feeder for a few nights now… never seen one before. I am in NW Iowa. Are these common around here? I spend time in Minnesota and South Dakota and never seen one there either.

Lots of cardinals, blue jays, chickadees and woodpeckers at the feeders. Nothing too special to write home about.

Have had three pairs of wood ducks for the last week at our local park pond that we walk our daughter around. Always like seeing those.

I sent for a hummingbird feeder, should be arriving tomorrow or Friday.

jbg1219 wrote:

I have had a purple finch on my feeder for a few nights now… never seen one before. I am in NW Iowa. Are these common around here? I spend time in Minnesota and South Dakota and never seen one there either.

By looks of the map, fairly common in your area. I have 2 pair of purple finch that have just shown up in the last 2 weeks. They are all starting to get some nice color. Especially the Gold Finches!

Attachments:

1. 

   PurpleFinch.png
   

We’ve always had purple finches here and they are now but seems like there used to be more. They sing well.

I heard an oriole a couple times BEFORE the snow returned Easter. Haven’t heard any since the dumping. I did have a warbler here yesterday that had yellow wing patches…pretty much just a glimpse but enough to maybe identify with the book…which I haven’t done yet.

I could never tell a purple finch from a house finch.

Nothing too exciting here yet. I’m awaiting the return of the house wrens. We need to get rid of the juncoes!

I know we’re a few weeks out, but I always love the return of the hummingbirds. I love those little buggers.

mplspug wrote:

I could never tell a purple finch from a house finch.

Size is similar, but color is quite a bit different. Really can only tell the males apart. Females you gotta look real close to the markings.

House Finch on Left Purple Finch on Right

Attachments:

1. 

   HouseFinchVSPurpleFinch.jpg
   

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

Nothing too exciting here yet. I’m awaiting the return of the house wrens. We need to get rid of the juncoes!

I still have a bunch of Juncos too! Usually they head back north by now. But, I have a feeling they might be nesting in one of our bushes. Kids think they are nesting in our brush pile too!?

holy cow, i went back 30 pages and still had to use the search to find a feed the bird thread!! and wowzer i ran across a lot of locked threads!!!

anyhow just done spending the first 12 days of deer hunting up at the cabin in itasca county i about went threw a 40 lb bag of sunflower seeds, feeding the birds, NOT the deer!!!!

about thursday we had about 25 of the evening grosebeaks come into the feeders!!! we’ve also had 2 black squirrels for a few years, one day there were all of a sudden 4!!!!!

kinda a bummer as i havent seen any of the flying squirrels as we had 6 at one time!!!!!!

Funny you should bring this topic up today. Winter is upon us here. How do I know? This morning a flock of a few dozen robins flew over. Yep, the first robins of winter.

I had a lot of great conversations about the birds here. I miss Tom.

reverend wrote:

I had a lot of great conversations about the birds here. I miss Tom.

Tom is still here, he’s probably busy cooking up his homemade bird suet from the venison tallow!!!!!

This time of the year it gets a little costly, But both my wife and enjoy it so I Keep the feeders full. A few weeks ago I could hardly keep the Finch feeder filled. Now its the Black sunflower and Safflower seed mix that is getting hit hard. Its also time to cook up a large batch of Suet. The Pileated woodpeckers have been visiting often. I think they are such a cool looking bird. They are such a Prehistoric looking bird. I also have a feeder set up for Deer, oh that’s right I mean for squirrels Our 3 Fawns that have been frequent visitors all summer have started to bring their friends to the Buffet. Hope corn cost is low this winter. The 3 Fawns started showing up when they were tiny. I’m not sure what happened to the Doe or Doe’s. They were solo from the start and never saw a doe with them.

reverend wrote:

I had a lot of great conversations about the birds here. I miss Tom.

X2..

Didn’t get that good a look at it, but probably an immature eagle or young redtail hawk was swooping around our yard today. I was outside with the cat being his bodyguard (it’s a long story…) so I kept an eye on the raptor. I don’t know if he was after a sparrow, or if he mistook the old robin’s nest in the lilac bush for something to catch, but BAM he swooped in and crashed into the bush and knocked the nest out of it. I just laughed and shook my head. A couple of minutes later he came swooping toward the cat and me, so I picked up the cat and he decided better than to try to haul off the both of us.

Sure haven’t seen much for birds at the feeders for a while. One here and there is about it. Even up at the cabin not bear the birds as I seen during deer hunting.

Anyone else notice this???

By the way where is Tom Sawville. He seems to have disappeared

I believe he was given a vacation. Or maybe a self imposed vacation, I’m not sure.

Dutchboy wrote:

I believe he was given a vacation. Or maybe a self imposed vacation, I’m not sure.

dang.

Tom was good stuff. Hope to see him on here again one day.

As far as birds go, I did see a magpie or two on each of my two trips up to red lake this December. I didn’t know they were in that area. I feel like the furthest east I have ever seen them is in far western MN and the eastern dakotas. Saw plenty in CO, MT, and WY, though. Thought it was kinda cool.

LabDaddy1 wrote:

Tom was good stuff. Hope to see him on here again one day.

As far as birds go, I did see a magpie or two on each of my two trips up to red lake this December. I didn’t know they were in that area. I feel like the furthest east I have ever seen them is in far western MN and the eastern dakotas. Saw plenty in CO, MT, and WY, though. Thought it was kinda cool.

We saw a magpie east of Grand Rapids last week….crazy

By far the farthest east and south I’ve ever seen one

One of the coolest and smartest birds on the planet

I had to Google them. I may have seen them in the bowstring area, now I gotta pay more attention.

Brid feeding is slow. Still Have Robins in the apple trees, some grosbeaks. Smaller birds have been less due to low snow cover. Had 1 Cardinal. A bit slow in northerner MN. It was game on a while ago but slowed. Have had 4 grouse in the apple trees each morning. Fun to watch.

B-man wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>LabDaddy1 wrote:</div>
Tom was good stuff. Hope to see him on here again one day.

As far as birds go, I did see a magpie or two on each of my two trips up to red lake this December. I didn’t know they were in that area. I feel like the furthest east I have ever seen them is in far western MN and the eastern dakotas. Saw plenty in CO, MT, and WY, though. Thought it was kinda cool.

We saw a magpie east of Grand Rapids last week….crazy

By far the farthest east and south I’ve ever seen one

One of the coolest and smartest birds on the planet

Come to think of it, I did see one or two of them east of Grand Rapids also, on the way up. Crazy!