Snow Birds!

One of the best things about a snowy day is that so many more birds come to feed. Most mornings, during 'breakfast hour', there are about 30-35 birds at any one time in our back yard. (I know this because I participate in Project FeederWatch.) But this morning when I got up to re-hang the hummingbird feeder for the pair of Anna's in our neighbourhood, I counted close to 100 birds (including juncos, chickadees, towhees, song sparrows, fox sparrows, varied thrush, northern flickers, house finches, and two Anna's hummers) just in our backyard, and the front yard was busy too. That's what happens, of course, if you provide food and fresh water in the cold of winter when natural sources of food and water are so much scarcer. I couldn't resist putting on my boots and getting out there to take a few pictures of today's "snow birds" to share with you.

Varied Thrush in maple tree



The perfectly-named Song Sparrow

    

Female Spotted Towhee fluffed up to keep warm



Dark-eyed Junco chewing on a sunflower seed



The smorgasbord is open

I spent much of the day watching the hilarious shenanigans of the birds as they vied for food - although there was, of course, an endless supply. Just when I thought I had determined who was at the top of the inter-species hierarchy, some brave little juncos attacked the Northern Flicker, completely ruining my current theory. But the Fox Sparrow pretty much always managed to get the juncos to scatter.

Fox Sparrow

House Finch at hanging feeder

 
After several winters of spending too much time refilling pie plates full of water (to prevent them from becoming ice) when temperatures fell well below zero, this year I treated myself to a birdbath heater with a thermostat. Although most birds can get their water needs met by chipping away at ice and drinking snow, this is much more efficient - for them and for me. Because I moved one of our birdbaths onto the back deck in order to plug in the heater, I get a real bird's eye view of all the birds who come for a drink as I sit warm and toasty at our dining room table. I recommend the indulgence.



Song Sparrow at heated birdbath

 

Varied Thrush at suet feeder

The stunning Varied Thrush don't usually dine at the suet feeders in our yard,

but today, in the snow, they are.



Female Anna's Hummingbird at feeder

This isn't a great shot  but I wanted to include a photo of an Anna's in order to remind everyone to:

• feed the Anna's hummingbirds 
• either create some clever system for preventing the nectar from freezing overnight or ...
• bring it into the house after dark and get it back out there as soon as its light out in the morning 

Most (although not all) birds will survive the winter without us humans intervening but I'm not so sure about the Anna's hummers. Let's not take a chance!

What "snow birds" are you seeing in your back yard? Anything unusual?

Top Ten 2010

Are you ready? Project FeederWatch begins Saturday. If you haven't already signed up, there's still time to do so on-line through the Bird Studies Canada website.

Why participate? Because it's an enjoyable way to contribute to our growing understanding of the lives of birds, especially as climate change continues to affect populations in both devastating and sometimes surprising ways. The data submitted by feeder-watchers tells the scientists at BSC and Cornell about irruptive migrations, range shifts, invasive species, and population trends. Citizen Science data from the 2010-2011 Project FeederWatch program identified, for example, the "Top Ten Birds" in the Pacific Northwest last year. Care to hazard a guess?

If you guessed, in this order: Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Flicker, Black-capped Chickadee, House Finch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin, Downy Woodpecker, Song Sparrow, Pine Siskin, and Steller's Jay - you were right!

Dark-eyed Junco: Numero Uno

Northern Flicker: Number 2

House Finch: Number 4

How does this list compare with your backyard bird population? One difference will certainly be that Black-capped Chickadees, which reside mainly on Vancouver Island and the coast, will be replaced by the Chestnut-backed Chickadees that live here on Gabriola. In our back yard these fearless chattering little bundles of energy are second in number only to Dark-eyed Juncos.

Chestnut-backed Chickadee - common on the Gulf Islands: Number 15!

Speaking of Feeders!
As winter seems to be truly settling in to stay (and many Gabriolans are following the birds that have already migrated to Mexico and other climes south of the border) those of us who are staying put (like the Dark-eyed Juncos and Chestnut-backed Chickadees and even a few Anna's Hummingbirds) need to be vigilant about keeping our feeders CLEAN. Moldy seed and contaminated bird poop can cause disease and death. So clean out the feeders regularly. A solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water will do the job. Just be sure to RINSE well.

Keep your feeders clean!

Happy birding!

I am not a shopper (unless you count GIRO) - and few things have the capacity to make a trip to a Nanaimo mall memorable. A feisty red-headed house finch singing his heart out while perched on the ledge of a department store window, though, did it yesterday.

Nothing like a finch to brighten up a store window

I heard him as we were walking from the car to the mall entrance. That amazing song always gets my attention – how could it not? If you aren’t familiar with it you can go to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds site (www.birds.cornell.edu), choose ‘house finch’, then ‘sound’, and be prepared to be delighted. You can even ‘watch’ the song in sonograph form.

Since male birds sing to attract a mate or protect a territory, I wondered why this eminently eligible finch had chosen as his home a vast concrete parking lot with only a few bushes and a couple of trees nearby. He was certainly no wallflower!

But maybe that was the point; maybe he already had everything he needed, since female finches look for mates with the reddest heads and breasts and the most complex songs they can find. Apparently, these equate with the capacity to be a successful breeding partner. So maybe this guy was counting on his innate good looks and singing voice - the Elvis of the bird world? And home is, after all, wherever the heart is.