Complete List of 2013-14 Feeder Birds

2013-14
This year's feeder birds:

1. Carolina chickadee
2. tufted titmouse
3. Carolina wren
4. pine warbler
5. song sparrow
6. chipping sparrow
7. northern junco
8. downy woodpecker
9. red-bellied woodpecker
10. cardinal
11. mourning dove
12. red-winged blackbird
13. common grackle
14. hermit thrush (new bird for both Mike and me)
15. American goldfinch
16. house finch
17. ruby-crowned kinglet
18. rufous-sided towhee
19. bluejay
20. brown-headed nuthatch
21. yellow-rumped warbler

New Birds

We've seen two new birds at the feeder in the past week:  brown-headed nuthatch and yellow-rumped warbler.  Neither are new to our life lists, but we've never seen either at our feeders before either.  Soon I will make a complete list of birds seen this winter.

We've missed the red-breasted nuthatches and the pine siskins this winter.  No invasions this year.

Goldfinches are getting their summer plumage and are splotchy brown and brilliant yellow.

Frantic Feeders in a Snowstorm

Snowstorm for the past three days.  Feeders have been hugely busy:

1. Carolina chickadee
2. tufted titmouse
3. Carolina wren
4. pine warbler
5. song sparrow
6. chipping sparrow
7. northern junco
8. downy woodpecker
9. red-bellied woodpecker
10. cardinal
11. mourning dove
12. red-winged blackbird
13. common grackle
14. hermit thrush (new bird for both Mike and me)
15. American goldfinch
16. house finch
17. ruby-crowned kinglet
18. rufous-sided towhee
19. bluejay

Not As Many Winter Birds

The feeders have been very busy but we do not have the beautiful irruption birds that we had last year.  No pine siskins, no red-breasted nuthatches.  But plenty of titmice, chickadees, juncos, doves, cardinals, and HOUSE FINCHES.  I wish there were some way to feed the others but not the house finches.  They go through seed so quickly, and they're not that fun to watch.

We also see the red-bellied woodpecker, downy woodpecker, pine warbler, and ruby-crowned kinglet from time to time.

Dobbins Farm Ponds

I am so tardy posting on here.

We've made seven trips to the Dobbins Farm Ponds and seen a short-eared owl twice.  Once Mom was with us and we got beautiful views that time.

I'm also 95% certain that I saw sandhill cranes flying overhead but can't mark them down for that.

We added the horned lark and savannah sparrow to our list.

On one of the earlier trips I added the common loon (Lake Hartwell) and the owl to my life list.

We have really enjoyed birding the Dobbins Farm Ponds this winter!!

Covered Up with Goldfinches

Brilliant summer goldfinches everywhere we look at our feeders.

Summer Goldfinches

The summer goldfinches still coming to our feeder are brilliant now.  I still have to stop and watch every time I see one at one of the feeders - and they are there most of the day.

The winter birds are pretty well gone, although with cool weather lasting longer than usual (this is the last ten days of April, and the temps. are not supposed to get above 70 most of next week), some are still hanging around a little.  I saw a siskin today.  But the redheaded nuthatch has been gone for quite awhile, and I haven't seen juncos for a few days either.

Traffic is way down at the feeders.  For a couple of months we were refilling the sunflower seeds every day.  Now, it's only a couple of times a week.  I put the last of the suet and the last of the thistle seed this afternoon.  When it's gone - we'll be done until fall.  I will miss the activity just outside our picture window.