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--=_0258875eb59d4e721af577a5e4569d45 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Well done, Randy. I might have to try this next winter. When does it start? Bill On 03 Apr 2019 09:43, Randy Lauff wrote: > All, > > I just finished entering data for the final week of Project FeederWatch (https://feederwatch.org/ [1]), an easy, comfortable (i.e. from inside your house) citizen science project to do. This is my 17th year of participation at the same site. > > In the 17 years, I have recorded 50 species (exactly!) at my feeder system (at least during the project survey times...there may be a few more either out of season or in season, but not on survey days). My feeder system is different than most, since it includes a carrion feeding station (I'm a zoologist, and have ready access to carrion because of my line of work, and I also get carcasses from trappers). This station is in my orchard, perhaps 50 m from my home and the conventional feeding stations. I normally feed niger, black oil sunflower, cracked corn and suet, though their were three modifications this season. > > 1. Essentially no niger this year. I had a few goldfinch in November and the first survey of December, then NOT A SINGLE FINCH until one redpoll showed up two weeks ago but didn't stay. I took the niger feeder down mid-December. > > 2. Some small mammal species, perhaps more than one, was exceedingly plentiful this year (I have a very good owl nesting season, which was one indicator). This, in combination with the low snow cover, made hunting very easy for bobcats (bear with me...this does relate to bird feeding!). Trappers had good luck with bobcats, so I got more than 20 carcasses to process for upcoming student projects. The bobcats were the fattest I've ever seen, so I harvested large chunks of fat from them, rendered it, and along with conventional suet, served it up to the birds. The birds ate it, but strongly preferred the conventional suet. As a side note, I did not take in my two suet feeders the other night...the raccoons only took down the one with the conventional suet. > > 3. I had some dry cat food that was not to the taste of my cats. So out it went with cracked corn on the ground. The jays and crows loved it. > > SPECIES RICHNESS: Each weekend, save for the last two, I counted between 6 and 9 species; the last two were in the low teens. In contrast, last year's weekly tally was frequently over 10 species. > > NUMBER OF BIRDS PER SURVEY PERIOD:Despite the lower number of species this year, the average number of birds per survey was constant at 48-49, again, compared with last year. > > SPECIES OF NOTE: The birds I had at my conventional feeders can be described as routine. However, I had at least six Downy Woodpeckers, which is a record for me. The carrion station only added Bald Eagle and Raven...no hawks, gulls or owls on the carrion this year, as has happened in the past. Other than finches, notable absences were Mourning Doves (except for the last two weeks) and Tree Sparrows (which I don't get every year, but mostly [11 of 17 seasons] I do). > > FUN FACT: In the 17 seasons, I've counted 23,653 birds! > > Randy > > _________________________________ > RF Lauff > Way in the boonies of > Antigonish County, NS. Links: ------ [1] https://feederwatch.org/ --=_0258875eb59d4e721af577a5e4569d45 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"> <html><body> <p>Well done, Randy. I might have to try this next winter. When= does it start?</p> <p>Bill</p> <p>On 03 Apr 2019 09:43, Randy Lauff wrote:</p> <blockquote type=3D"cite" style=3D"padding-left:5px; border-left:#1010ff 2p= x solid; margin-left:5px; width:100%"><!-- html ignored --><!-- head ignore= d --><!-- meta ignored --> <div dir=3D"ltr"> <div dir=3D"ltr">All, <div> </div> <div>I just finished entering data for the final week of Project FeederWatc= h (https://feederwatch.org/), an e= asy, comfortable (i.e. from inside your house) citizen science project to d= o. This is my 17th year of participation at the same site.</div> <div> </div> <div>In the 17 years, I have recorded 50 species (exactly!) at my feeder sy= stem (at least during the project survey times...there may be a few more ei= ther out of season or in season, but not on survey days). My feeder system = is different than most, since it includes a carrion feeding station (I'm a = zoologist, and have ready access to carrion because of my line of work, and= I also get carcasses from trappers). This station is in my orchard, perhap= s 50 m from my home and the conventional feeding stations. I normally feed = niger, black oil sunflower, cracked corn and suet, though their were three = modifications this season.</div> <div> </div> <div>1. Essentially no niger this year. I had a few goldfinch in November a= nd the first survey of December, then <strong>not a single finch</strong> u= ntil one redpoll showed up two weeks ago but didn't stay. I took the niger = feeder down mid-December.</div> <div> </div> <div>2. Some small mammal species, perhaps more than one, was exceedingly p= lentiful this year (I have a very good owl nesting season, which was one in= dicator). This, in combination with the low snow cover, made hunting very e= asy for bobcats (bear with me...this does relate to bird feeding!). Trapper= s had good luck with bobcats, so I got more than 20 carcasses to process fo= r upcoming student projects. The bobcats were the fattest I've ever seen, s= o I harvested large chunks of fat from them, rendered it, and along with co= nventional suet, served it up to the birds. The birds ate it, but strongly = preferred the conventional suet. As a side note, I did not take in my two s= uet feeders the other night...the raccoons only took down the one with the = conventional suet.</div> <div> </div> <div>3. I had some dry cat food that was not to the taste of my cats. So ou= t it went with cracked corn on the ground. The jays and crows loved it.</di= v> <div> </div> <div><strong>Species richness</strong>: Each weekend, save for the last two= , I counted between 6 and 9 species; the last two were in the low teens. In= contrast, last year's weekly tally was frequently over 10 species.</div> <div> </div> <div><strong>Number of birds per survey period</strong>:Despite the lower n= umber of species this year, the average number of birds per survey was cons= tant at 48-49, again, compared with last year.</div> <div> </div> <div>