Junco and Cardinal in snow 1-4-2015
Winter Birding in my yard is often viewed through through windows.
The waters of Maquoit Bay have long ago frozen over for good.
House Finches still fill my treetops.
Occasionally I still see a female Purple Finch or two.
White-throated sparrows were everywhere in Autumn,
but gradually their numbers dwindled. I now only see one occasionally.
Juvenile Cedar Waxwings were as thick as autumn leaves on October 24, 2014, but their numbers have dwindled as well. The most I have seen recently is five birds, but I know they will return. I had two adult birds in the yard today.
Last November I had this juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk in the yard.
By December 1st we had some of our first snow and our last Red-winged Blackbirds!
The White-breasted nuthatches are here year round!
And the crows like to hang out in the Sentinel Tree by the driveway!
It took me awhile to get use to feeding meal worms to the birds. I hate the look and smell of them, but the chickadees and titmice love them, so I hold my breath and fill the feeders with a canning jar funnel so I don’t have to touch them! Occasionally I see the nuthatches eating them as well. In this cold winter with such deep snow, the birds really need the protein!
Black-capped Chickadee at one of my feeders 12-21-14
Mourning Doves in the treetops 12-21-14
Female Hairy Woodpecker on apple tree by driveway 12-21-14
I moved the meal worm feeder and the finch feeder to this location by the driveway for the winter. I remembered that last year it was hard to get to the feeders on the side of the house and I knew I would not be able to shovel a path to that location this year. This proved to be a wise decision, for little did I know then how deep the snow would get this winter.
In summer I hung a hummingbird feeder here, but with the approach of winter, I exchanged the nectar feeder for a finch feeder. This feeder is located right out my back door across the driveway in an easy access location.
I was thrilled when the Common Redpolls showed up in January!
But so did the woodland hunter, who stalked the forest like a ghost.
The birds fed on berries in the thickets, like this Happy Hermit Thrush 1-18-15
But the Cardinal was wiser and more wary.
By January 21 we had just a bit of snow and a few Common Redpolls.
The grass was still visible and it was still easy to get around the yard.
January 25 it was still easy to get in and out of the driveway!
But then the snows came.
And the bitter cold.
The snow started to pile up! 1-28-15
It got deeper and deeper 1-31-15
Soon I had to move the finch feeder from the hook to the bush by the edge of the driveway. I could not climb over the snow bank, and the bird bath disappeared into the ever deepening snow! The snow took its toll on everyone, and hunger made the birds even more desperate and more bold.
So it was not surprising that during a snow storm I looked out the window to see a young Cooper’s Hawk dining beneath my feeder. I know this is the way of the wild but I was a bit sad that it ate my Happy Hermit Thrush! The Hermit Thrush’s hunger made it careless. The Cooper Hawk’s hunger helped it to hunt. Hunger drove them both to this end result. It is the way of Nature.
We had even more snow on this past Sunday, but it didn’t last long.
It was my birthday, so Gus took me out for breakfast and birding along the coast of Maine. We stopped at the Wild Birds Unlimited of Portland, where I spent the gift card a friend gave me for my birthday. Gus chipped in a few bucks as well and I was able to buy everything I wanted! I was so thrilled. After birding Biddeford Pool for the very first time (a future post), we drove home in sunshine and warm temps.
It was almost dusk when Gus mounted this new feeder platform on the pole for me. I had wanted one of these for a very long time but since moving this feeder to this location I had noticed the birds did not use it as much. I use to have the other bird feeders over here as well but I moved them to the side of the driveway for the winter as the yew tree I hang them from gets too weighed down with snow in winter. Once thing I have learned from all this bird feeding is that the birds like to feed near each other. I guess it is because of that old adage, there is safety in numbers.
With the addition of the feeder platform, the birds are visiting this feeder once again! They just love it! I have had whole flocks of finches on it already, as well as Mourning Doves, Blue Jays, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and woodpeckers! However, I am guessing it will be mobbed by blackbirds when spring migration begins! And really, that is not too far away now! Just a few more weeks, right?
Are You READY FOR SOME BIRDING!
Red-tailed Hawk above the trees in my yard 10-13-14
| Current 2015 Stats | Life | Year | Month |
| Species Seen | 479 | 60 | 55 |
| Checklists Submitted | 7531 | 154 | 70 |
| Mere Point Cottage yard birds | 111 | 40 | 28 |
