bird feeding

Had a robin sighting at my place last night, thought maybe more than one but couldn’t be sure.

I still have some hummingbird feed out but haven’t seen any I don’t think since the cool down here in the central/south metro. I’ll keep them up maybe another week or so for passers-by though.

Saw one of maybe two total grosbeaks of the summer on the sunflower feeder Monday evening. Juvie male rose-breasted. It’s odd because normally we have quite a few every summer.

Otherwise nothing too different or interesting going on in bird world lately for me.

John Rasmussen wrote:

Had a robin sighting at my place last night, thought maybe more than one but couldn’t be sure.

Now that u mention it I haven’t seen a robin in quite a while!

Usually see lots of flocks moving through in October, though, at the cabin east of hinckley while grouse hunting.

They have been sparce this year it seems.

Started seen tonight geese headed south and birds flocking up

i havent seen a hummingbird in 2 1/2 days so took the feeders down and cleaned them up for the year!!

I put out the cardinal mix and peanuts the other day. I haven’t seen, a single bird!, in over a week. Nada

Gregg Gunter wrote:

I put out the cardinal mix and peanuts the other day. I haven’t seen, a single bird!, in over a week. Nada

Yea there sure aren’t many birds around.

We still had hummers around yesterday. I leave the feeders up till the 1st of October. Never know when there might be one a little off course.

James Almquist wrote:

We still had hummers around yesterday. I leave the feeders up till the 1st of October. Never know when there might be one a little off course.

Took mine down Sunday, had not seen one in about a week.

I leave mine up until the end of the month. I still have them trying to get at there feeders, but with this heat the hornets have made a big comeback.

The wife spotted 2 Hummers at our feeders yesterday. We still have one up and it is filled just for those late migrating hummers. I suspect these will be the last but if we don’t have a couple of days of a hard freeze over night you never know. I also read that someone in Duluth also had a Hummer last weekend. We live in Carlton which is just west of Duluth to give you an idea of just how far north we are and they still are hitting the feeders.

I just noticed we still have a feeder out and was thinking it was time to come in. Might leave it out for another week.

Anybody see the pink flamingos near Port Washington?

Lots of robins in the neighborhood today. And small birds like finches. All very active. I spose they are moving ahead of the cold front?

I got my bird feeders all filled up with Fresh food 4-5 days ago and so far very little activity. A few Chickadee’s is about all so far. Bird food sure is up in $, Just like about everything else. The Finch food was really up. Finch’s are probably my favorite bird at the feeders. So far since getting the feeders filled I have not seen a 1 Finch

Came up in my memories on FB that we had a hummer on Oct 3 in 2019. By far the latest I have seen one in Carlton county.

It took a few days for the birds to finally find and start hitting my feeders, but starting to get a fair amount of activity. They mainly seem to be feeding the most on the black sunflower seed

Doing the final go through of moms house I decided to take this home. It’s a feeder you stick peanut butter in. Question I have, is this a year round thing or just summer thing?!

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Use that log feeder during the winter Glenn. Cheap chunky peanut butter or you can mix crisco and the cheap chunky 50/50 for stuffing. Woodpecker magnet.

I render all my deer fat and add peanut butter to it while its still hot….helps in mixing it all together. I use this to make cakes for suet baskets and I stuff a couple birch logs, each with 3, 2″ holes that go all the way thru the logs. I have downy, red-breasted, pileated and hairy woodpeckers all day every day when the logs are out on the hooks.

Jimmy Jones wrote:

Use that log feeder during the winter Glenn. Cheap chunky peanut butter or you can mix crisco and the cheap chunky 50/50 for stuffing. Woodpecker magnet.

I render all my deer fat and add peanut butter to it while its still hot….helps in mixing it all together. I use this to make cakes for suet baskets and I stuff a couple birch logs, each with 3, 2″ holes that go all the way thru the logs. I have downy, red-breasted, pileated and hairy woodpeckers all day every day when the logs are out on the hooks.

thanks Jimmy……i also took some cheap our family peanut butter she had. i’ll burn that up first!!!! its the creamy stuff so…

birds at the cabin wont know better anyway!!!

Glenn I will mix creamy pb and black sunflower seeds for that feeder.

Gregg Gunter wrote:

Glenn I will mix creamy pb and black sunflower seeds for that feeder.

i already hung it up with just PB……so next time. i’ll do that when i hang the one at the cabin next week!!!!! maybe i’ll stuff some in today!!!!

i reckon it’ll take a few days before they find it!

I’ve never seen a bird like this before, can anybody identify it. There’s no pictures of this in either of my Bird books it’s shaped and looks like a blackbird. It has yellow eyes and white trim on the bottom of its feathers as you can see. Also has white across the top of both eyes and a white spot towards the back of its head it’s a very dark bird with a head that’s that radiant blackish blue color like some of the blackbirds have. I did find some birds that were black with white trim in the bunting section of my book but they’re not very close. Pictures are poor I know, but it’s the best I could get. Outside of this nothing to report got the jucos goes back they’re fun.

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3rd guy, look up magpie. Looks like one??

Not enough white and Magpies have dark eyes and not yellow. My guess would be a variant of a Blackbird.

Based on the eyes and shiny head, I’d say it’s a grackle with leucism. It can cause any part of the feathers to be white. Happens with mammals, too.

http://www.creativebirding.com/backyard-birding/2015/2/1/leucism-of-a-common-grackle

I agree with a blackbird type but no photos like this.

Here’s one with a similar pattern.

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Lots of blue jays in Ravine Park today. A sharp-shinned hawk flew by and they screeched and scattered! Seeing goldfinches, nuthatch and red-bellied woodpecker at my feeder.