Birds Everywhere!!!!

[Hoey]

 

[fishingstar]

that's funny

[Hawg]

Hoping to hear some reports from you southern Minnesota guys seeing new arrivals soon. This is probably the best time to give the feeders a good cleaning. Plain old dawn and water is my go to, any better suggestions?

[delcecchi]

7 hours ago, Hawg said:

Hoping to hear some reports from you southern Minnesota guys seeing new arrivals soon. This is probably the best time to give the feeders a good cleaning. Plain old dawn and water is my go to, any better suggestions?

 

Might throw a little bleach in the bucket too.   Probably a recommended method on the web someplace if you wanna look for it.  

[Wanderer]

Swans have been around in small numbers for a couple weeks but today I’m seeing lots more and the Canada geese came in decent numbers today.  Got about 40 swans and a dozen honkers roosting by the house tonight.

 

A friend from Andover said he saw some goldeneyes last week.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see some here tomorrow at this rate.  Gonna hang a wood duck box tomorrow and spring clean the other old one.

 

These birds are pretty close to their regular calendar time but this just has the feeling of an early spring.  Crossing my fingers!!!

[Rick]

Lots of Hawks, a few owls and swans.

[JBMasterAngler]

Lake I was fishing today had some open water at creek mouth, was at least 2 dozen swans hanging out there.

[chaffmj]

People are seeing a lot of Purple finches in the Ely area this week. Seems a little early up here for that.

[Wanderer]

Common Mergansers and mallards added this morning.  The divers are what trips my trigger for bird watching though, the real signal of spring.

 

Ah! Right after I submit, the goldeneyes drop in!  

Edited March 8, 2020 by Wanderer

[Wanderer]

Saw a drake hooded merganser this afternoon.

 

A lone hen goldeneye had up to 8 drakes displaying for her simultaneously as she napped on the ice edge.  Watching them tossing their heads back and then stretching it high and forward made us chuckle.  A bunch of groupies.

[smurfy]

heard a robin this afternoon..never did see the bugger though. had lotz of geese fly over also!!!!!!!

[rumeye]

Saw a Robin yesterday nice to see and hear them again.

[Hawg]

A chipmunk appeared yesterday! I’m excited, first new live thing for weeks. The birds I had are even gone

[smurfy]

been seeing a few robins and morning doves. going to pick up some meal worm today to try and keep the robins around. I would think these morning doves will find the seeds under my sunflower feeders pretty soon.

[Duffman]

Was up in the Bdub a few days ago, your usual Ravens and Whiskey Jacks, some grouse tracks on the portage.

But what was unusual were the Crossbill's, they had a field day with our pee area. The salt maybe?

They were constantly around in a flock of ten or so, even witnessed some mating. 

 

The males were all dolled up.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 17, 2020 by Duffman

[fishingstar]

Had a robin at the bird bath this morning. I have never had a robin on my deck.

It has been a odd year feeding birds. The only birds that consistently come to my feeders are woodpeckers.

[JBMasterAngler]

Does anyone resort to shooting unprotected birds to keep them away? For the first time since I’ve been feeding birds, a starling showed up at my feeders. Now there are 2. It will only be a matter of time until there’s flocks of them. I can keep the squirrels at bay with guards, but it would seem shooting starlings with a pellet gun would be the only option in eliminating them.

[Hawg]

Choot Em!

 

[Mike89]

this morning watching the north end of the lake I saw 2 swans flying to open water!!!  

[JBMasterAngler]

I’m seeing swans everywhere! Are these resident trumpeter swans, or tundra swans heading up north? Can you tell the difference between the two at glance/distance?

[delcecchi]

19 hours ago, JBMasterAngler said:

Does anyone resort to shooting unprotected birds to keep them away? For the first time since I’ve been feeding birds, a starling showed up at my feeders. Now there are 2. It will only be a matter of time until there’s flocks of them. I can keep the squirrels at bay with guards, but it would seem shooting starlings with a pellet gun would be the only option in eliminating them.

Mist net, let the good ones go.   Euthanize the starlings.

https://www.nixalite.com/product/mist-net

 

Starling traps...  https://www.nixalite.com/products/bird-traps

Edited March 22, 2020 by delcecchi

[Mike89]

1 hour ago, JBMasterAngler said:

I’m seeing swans everywhere! Are these resident trumpeter swans, or tundra swans heading up north? Can you tell the difference between the two at glance/distance?

no these were to far away.  but I'm guessing trumpeter...

[Hawg]

Trumpeters are larger and have all black bills and tundras have yellow area under their eyes towards the bill. If you see any yellow on the face it’s a tundra. 

[Duffman]

Swans from last weeks dog walk.

No other migrants yet, local mallards and geese on the swamp.

 

 

Edited March 22, 2020 by Duffman

[smurfy]

23 hours ago, Hawg said:

Choot Em!

 

yep...…..back when I was a kid, the town I lived in had guys going around shooting them.