my grosbeaks are getting killed:(

[traveler]

If you remember I had a group if about 18 pine grosebeaks and about 100 redpolls last winter...the feeders were pretty nuts:) Well they're back for the most part...about 30 redpolls and a dozen pines in the last few days. BUT... something that didn't happen all last winter; the grosbeaks are hanging around on the road out in front of the house and they're dumb as grouse!! I've picked up 2 dead females in 2 days, and i nearly hit one myself today.

I guess i don't see as theres anything I can do about it, just sad and strange that I didn't see any of that behavior last year. Thoughts?

[Hoey]

Maybe they are picking up grit off the road for their gezerads?

[Jim Almquist]

They are kinda slow. I agree that they are looking for grit/sand so I would put a small pile out by the feeders so they don't have to look on the street.

[traveler]

I guess I figured they were picking gravel...but putting some by the feeder never occoured to me. I'm on it:)

[traveler]

It worked! I put out a tote lid with sand and both the grosbeaks and redpolls began pecking at it right away. haven't seen any more hanging out on the road either:)

[Jim Almquist]

That's great news!!!

I think I need to move my feeders farther away from the house so my Pines will stick around a little more.

[traveler]

Boy my feeders are in a pine tree right next to the house, and the table feeder is on the deck about 10 ft from our sliding glass door. Both the pines and the redpolls are pretty tolerent.

In fact, yesterday I crunched my way up onto the deck to check on the grit, and there was a lone female grosbeak in the tree right there. I stopped, it flew right toward me and landed on the table feeder and started singing at me:)