All the bird watchers hibernating?

[MN Shutterbug]

It's been more than a week since anyone has posted anything. Once we got into a little snow, the birds have been showing up in droves. The 1/2" snowfall we got the other day brought in quite a few but the light snow we've been seeing all morning has really attracted them to the feeders. This morning I've had blue jays, cardinals (2 females for only the third time since I've been here for almost 5 years), dozens of sparrows and finches, juncos and chickadees. I've definitely gone thru a lot more bird seed this winter than I've ever gone thru previously. I even had a female cardinal show herself almost unobstructed for a change.

[eyeguy 54]

crazy quiet on my feeders yet.

[Dotch]

Picking up here too with the snow Mike. We have an additional male cardinal and the regulars (downy, hairy, red-bellied, blue jay, nuthatch, junco and sparrow gang) are more active. With the changes in feeder type and mixes this winter, haven't seen near the overall seed consumption though. The possible exception might be ear corn. Blue jays and red-bellies like it but there are at least 3 squirrels.

[eyeguy 54]

getting snow so maybe a change. goldies and house finches have been around once in a while but maybe more soon.

[MN Shutterbug]

Picking up here too with the snow

The possible exception might be ear corn. Blue jays and red-bellies like it but there are at least 3 squirrels.

I may have to buy a snow machine for the summer when the birds get scarce.

I'd put out ear corn but I have usually no more than 2 squirrels per day in my yard and I'd like to keep it that way. Word travels fast in a small community and I'd hate for all their kin to show up for the buffet.

[Dotch]

Snow appears to be about over for today here. Not enough to shovel but should make more birds appear. A win : win.

I keep a supply of ear corn on hand primarily for the pheasants but after a few years it's time to rotate the stock & replenish. It's free stuff we get when we sample fields. Shame for it to go to waste. Seeing all the gray's in town here, purchasing ear corn one would go broke trying to keep up with them. At the ranch they're big plump fox squirrels, the kind as kids we used to dream of putting in the game bag. Hey, I still could until the end of the month!

[MN Shutterbug]

Leave those poor bushy tails alone.

One winter I put ear corn out for squirrels, at my last residence, I went thru about 350 ears of corn. I'd get the foxes and the grays and one time I counted 14 squirrels in my yard in a circle underneath a feeder, picking up sunflower seeds that had blown out after a strong wind. One day I witnessed a gray squirrel chasing a fox squirrel up the tree with a another fox squirrel right behind the gray squirrel. The next morning I found a dead gray squirrel under the tree. Must have been a gang war. That winter I picked the corn out of my brother-in-law's field and gave them $10, when the price was $5 per bushel. I did a few calculations and figured around 150 - 175 ears per bushel.

[Dotch]

14 squirrels? What yer tellin' me thar Mike makes mah mouth water...heh, heh, heh. The squirrels and I have a deal: Leave the wiring on my trailers and the bird feeders alone and no one gets hurt. They are a source of entertainment after all. The fox squirrels must protect their turf though as you say. We've seen very few grays in 30 years of gawking out the window. Here one day and gone the next. That sounds like a fair deal when it comes to getting ear corn. Looks like the going rate for a dozen ears varies anywhere from $3 something on up in the stores. Cardinals were having breakfast about the time I was this a.m.. One male was sitting under the ear corn feeder eating the pieces of kernels the squirrel was discarding.