Snow Day Birds

A little bit of snow and cold weather always means an increase in bird activity at the feeders.  Even though our latest snow totaled less than half an inch and the low temperatures stayed in the high teens, the birds mobbed the feeders. 

Of course the Blue Jays were here.  They’re still hard to count, but it was evident that there numbers were up.

This is the first Fox Sparrow I’ve seen this year.  It stayed on the fringes of the Blue Jay mob.

Eastern Towhee numbers are never high in the winter, but we always have a few. 

The male Red-bellied Woodpecker takes sunflower seeds from the feeder and stuffs them into this hole in the dead tree.  After he builds up a small cache, he settles down to eat the seeds.

There are always plenty of Song Sparrows.  During the breeding season, our yard is typically part of two or three different Song Sparrow territories.

Mourning Doves may visit the feeder anytime during the day, but they are most concentrated in the first couple of hours after sunrise.  During the day, the flock either sits in or forages beneath the trees in the field west of the yard. 

House Finches are becoming increasingly common.  I see them every winter, but they disappear in the summer.  I don’t know where the nearest breeding location is.

The snow is quickly melting and the temperatures are supposed to be back in the 40’s soon.  About two buckets full of sunflower seed and cracked corn disappeared on this snow day.  Once the snow is gone, things will probably go back to the more normal half bucket per day.