Where Are the Birds?

fortune · ‎03-14-2010

Just put up a bird feeder with really good bird seed (no fillers). We haven't seen many birds this fall and so far, none have come to the feeder. It's been several days. Has anyone else noticed the absence of our feathered friends lately? We live in the D.C. metro area.

Krimpette · ‎03-09-2010

I'm in the metro-DC area and have noticed the same thing! I've been feeding the birds for years, all year 'round. I have "tons" of birds that come to feed.....until this fall. Where are they? I do get some in the afternoon, but not nearly as many as I'm used to. No gold finches at all and I've yet to see a cardinal this year. I'm assuming they'll return when it gets really cold, but I certainly wonder what happened this fall????

ValuSkr · ‎03-15-2014

Sometimes hawks lurk near birdfeeders, and wary songbirds stay away. Aside from that, it takes some time for the locals to discover your feeder.

Perkup · ‎03-09-2010

True it takes time for birds to find your feeders. But we're in S.E. Louisiana and although we have fed birds for many years, they seem to have disappeared. Until mid October we had no less than a couple of dozen birds of different kinds here all the time - dawn to dusk. Now we seldom see more than a dozen all day. I have six or eight crows that come every morning about seven for scraps, and they are still here. But except for a couple of cardinals, one mockingbird and a few little nuthatches we are simply without birds. We have five or six doves who come in the late hours of the day for seed that has fallen from the feeders, so we are just throwing some on the ground, since the feeders are almost never visited. Even the suet remains uneaten.

It's like they all know something that we don't, and they've decided to leave, at least for the time being. Almost scary.

Reba055 · ‎06-23-2014

Several months ago I saw hummingbirds around my house for about two weeks. As soon as I bought a hummingbird feeder and put it out, I never saw another one 😳

Go figure.

Krimpette · ‎03-09-2010

This is so strange, since we're not all in the same geographic area. For as long as i can remember, I have feeders going every day (so it's not that they haven't known where my feeders are alll this time) with thistle seed, millett, safflower seed and sunflower chips. Usually, the sunflower chips go quickly. Now, as with all of the other "flavors", things are barely touched from day to day. I've resorted to throwing out a mixture onto my deck, and even that doesn't entice as many as before. It's very, very strange, isn't it?

StylishLady · ‎03-11-2010

DH keeps two bird feeders outside his den window. He keeps them filled with basic bird seed from Publix market. We have regular visitors that include blue jays, a mate pair of cardinals, doves and unfortunately squirrels. This time of year we also get to see painted buntings. They winter around here. The males are quite colorful.

jlkz · ‎12-02-2013

This is the first year that I noticed quite a few different types of birds at the mountain house---and we do not have feeders because they are prohibited because of bears raiding the feeders and getting too used to humans.

We have seen a lot of blue jays, tufted titmouse, nuthatches, and some gold finches. In the spring: rufous-sided touhy birds, robins and ( unknown ) mud nest builders on my front stone porch wall. The latter have made one heck of a mess!

At home though, you all are on the Money now that I think about it---very few cardinals!

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.
Sir Winston Churchill

RinaRina · ‎03-13-2010

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https://action.sumofus.org/a/monsanto_once/4/2/

https://www.organicconsumers.org/essays/gmos-are-killing-bees-butterflies-birds-and

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=119985

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-05-25/birds-bees-suicide-pesticide

"The less you respond to negative people, the more peaceful your life will become."

fthunt · ‎12-24-2010

This happens every year after the mirgration and the birds that do winter will show up immediately as soon as the snow and cold weather arrives. I usually have 5 or 6 sets of cardinals all winter - they boogie right back to my feeders when sincere bad weather settles in. (it's been very warm - 70 degrees in the Northeast in November!) I do see bluejays at the seed cake off/on and a variety of birds were eating the red berries from my Washington Hawthorne to days ago. A flock of every kind of bird - even robins. No fear - this happens every year!