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closer to us.&#160; But with the sudd --001a11461c6ee89f2d054a8ad1bf Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Super cold in Glendale, Cape Breton today; it was -24C at 8 AM. Today was the first day since November that Goldfinch came to the feeder -- about 5 of them. (The rest of the winter the feeder saw the daily chickadees, blue jays, and red-breasted nuthatches.) On Sun, Mar 12, 2017 at 12:38 PM, rita.paul@ns.sympatico.ca < rita.paul@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote: > Here at our little feeder Donna Purple Finches are the second > most common bird I see - after Gold Finches. > Red breasted Nuthatches come every once in a while > the White Breasted and Brown Creepers stay in the trees. > At home on PEI the old folks used to say the best time to travel > by horse and sleigh on the ice was St Patricks day. This coming > Friday so the cold blast is no susprise to me! > Enjoy the end of winter > Paul > > On March 12, 2017 at 9:49 AM Donna Crossland <dcrossland@eastlink.ca> > wrote: > > It really was a popular day yesterday at the feeders (and similar today). > None of us, feathered or otherwise, are accustomed to the sudden drop in > temps and high winds that were experienced since it=E2=80=99s been a pret= ty smooth > coast for most of the winter. I dove into the woods to get out of the > biting winds yesterday afternoon. It=E2=80=99s amazing what a difference= forests > makes on a cold windy day. Glad I don=E2=80=99t live on the prairies. > > > > The sap sucker was back at the suet feeder. He=E2=80=99s very predictabl= e when > the temp drops. For a while, my feeder area was very colorful with a mal= e > and female cardinal on the ground beneath, and the gorgeous red flashes o= f > the male sapsucker feeding from the last bit of suet low to the ground. = I > made up a fresh batch of suet with black oil sunflower seeds mixed in > (delicious) and hung it out to ensure everyone had a rich caloric intake = to > get through the cold afternoon and night ahead. I made a second batch th= is > AM, and the chickadees immediately began to vocalize the news of the new > suet being hung in a sheltered spot. > > > > Similar to Marg=E2=80=99s observations, there are no purple finches aroun= d, but I > have gold finches a plenty. Considering what purple finches consume, I > suspect the population will be extra low for a while, aside from its usua= l > irregularities as a winter feeder visitor and its reported declines > elsewhere from House finch invasions. I was observing air photo imagery > under DNR=E2=80=99s Harvest Plans Map Viewer a few days ago. It is clear= that we > are flattening nearly all the remaining mature conifer forest in NS that > would have supplied much of the natural sources of seed. With 55 year > harvest rotations set up on Crown land, it=E2=80=99s not certain what nat= ural food > supply will remain for the next while. Trees need time to mature before > producing any significant quantity of seed. It=E2=80=99s a dire situatio= n we are > creating for wildlife. Meanwhile, the =E2=80=9Cfield and roadside junco = and > goldfinch crews=E2=80=9D seem perfectly fine. > > > > I=E2=80=99ve heard valid and science-based criticisms against maintaining= bird > feeders through the years, and how this can do more harm than good for > birds. We know the feeders can spread diseases if we don=E2=80=99t sanit= ize them, > and they can set birds up for easy predation. It=E2=80=99s perhaps mostl= y a > selfish pleasure watching birds at feeders, I suppose, bringing nature > closer to us. But with the sudden removal of food sources normally > obtained from forest resources, I wonder if perhaps it=E2=80=99s more acc= eptable > for the next little while. > > > > Other thoughts, opposing or otherwise, are welcome. > > > > Donna > > > > > > On 11 March 2017 at 13:31, Marg Millard <mmillard@eastlink.ca> wrote: > > Today has been interesting for us in that we have been visited by both a > Fox sparrow and a Woodcock! We only see them once in awhile and the last > time was during that big fallout a couple springs ago when we had many > feeding here as we had grass. > > The regulars are here in varying numbers. They include Mourning Doves, no= t > in the thirties the past week or so but close to 20 by times, Blue Jays, = a > few Starlings, numbers are climbing, must be a dozen or so now. There are > Red-winged blackbirds, male and female/junveniles. One was calling from t= he > swamp, another from our ash tree, the other day. > We have Juncos, Sparrows; song and white throats, Chickadees, a larger > than normal group of American Goldfinches, Nuthatches, what appears to be= a > pair and a spare in the white breasteds, and a red breasted. > We have a family of big crows that are usually about the area and several > who seem to be setting a nest in a tree down the road in a big pine tree. > Maybe teaching youngsters? I don't know. > The strange small Grackle hasn't been seen since last week's wind. Steve > saw a Barred owl in our Ash tree when he returned from bowling Wednesday > evening. > We still have a solitary Robin. This may sound strange to some but could > this be a Robin who was born here, stayed several winters with us, finall= y > had a mate, and offspring. It went away for awhile but always would come > back early and let us know it wanted the apples set out. The behavior is = so > similar it is hard to think it isn't the same bird. Even taps on the stud= io > window for fresh apples. > There are a number of Woodpeckers, both Downy and Hairy. I heard a flicke= r > in the distance but haven't seen one. > > What is noticeably missing from the mix are the purple finches, both > Chipping and American tree sparrows and Grackles in general. No Sapsucker > and no Red head Woodpeckers. > My snow drops are up (very late) and wanting to bloom but they are pretty > peaked. I had a Vole (initially I thought it was a mouse but was correcte= d > when I posted a photo to Facebook). Last week after all the snow it dug i= ts > way up through the snow (viewed like an ant farm) against the studio > window, to snooze in the sun atop the snow drift. Makes me very glad to s= ee > the snow drops at all. > > I know something is hunting the neighbourhood, but which I am not sure. I > see the frozen stance of the birds, all except the chickadees who will > tackle a Sharpie and confuse it. Fascinating to see. > it is chilly and breezy here but sunny at times so that is nice. > Marg > > > > > > White Point