Today has been infinitely more pleasurable than exactly 3 weeks ago (open heart surgery). In addition to Molly taking me birding by car this morning … a fantastic experience given the beauty of the newly flocked pines, this afternoon I took a two mile hike / walk.
Lester River (during my walk)
Sounds of the River (email subscribers follow this video link)
Early this morning at my house … Female Cardinal
While birding … I saw my first male Pine Grosbeak in two years. The sun was obliquely in my face making photography difficult. It sounds like this winter may be a HUGE winter finch invasion. Evening Grosbeaks are being seen in numerous locations where they have not been seen in 20 years.
My daughter took me birding shortly after sunrise this morning. I was hoping to find winter finches between Duluth and Two Harbors, but this long, beautiful stretch of warm calm weather has not encouraged many “Canadians” to push south. We have reached 70F with south winds the past two days … unheard of for November 8th (last year in mid November temperatures plunged well below zero and a huge blizzard snowed us for over three days). I checked almost every fruit tree around, but scored zero on the winter finch count. I know they are up the shore in some numbers, but 100 miles up the shore.
Be careful what you wish for … the wind swings around tomorrow. Rain and them temperatures will peak in the mid 30’s. Maybe my finches will arrive if we put snow on the ground. My own bird feeders only have locals at this point. Other migrants have pushed south.
As I’ve noted before, I love to bird cemeteries. In the Two Harbors plot I found seven Wilson Snipe and one cooperative Pileated Woodpecker. Thus, it was still a fun time.
My long awaited bird feeder review is here! These feeders I heartily endorse, and will give my reasons. If you live in the Boreal Forest, using similar feeders will maximize your enjoyment. The links I provide are to Amazon. I receive zero compensation if you use these links. I just want to help you learn better what I am using and the estimated prices. Please feel free to comment on this post. What works for you? … why? … squirrel protection??
Bird Feeder Locations: Except for my platform feeder, all my other feeders are located within a few feet of cover. This makes the birds feel safer from predator attacks. My feeders hang from a wire with cable locks / anchors to secure desired locations.
Squirrels and Feeders: Squirrels (and chipmunks) are the bain of everyone who wants to feed birds. Just this morning my platform feeder was visited my a “nine pointer”. While all my defense mechanisms work its smaller cousins, I have no way of preventing this guy from enjoying his snacks at my expense.
Seriously, examine these additional images of my platform feeder. The key element is the “Slinky” and “Baffle”. The combination keeps the gray squirrels out of the feeder. Any pole mounted feeder may use the same defense mechanism. (Slinky YouTube video link for email subscribers). I had to add the baffle because my squirrels learned to climb up inside the Slinky. The combination has defeated them.
Hanging Feeders: I like the Brome feeders for their simplicity. The weight of a squirrel causes the metal grate to slide down and cover the feeding openings. It works perfectly. (Amazon link)
Suet Feeder #1: During the summer months, I use this Stokes 4 pack suet feeder. I only fill the top two compartments, and the bottom two work as a tail prop for large woodpeckers. I had discovered that any suet feeder made out of wood or composite material would be chewed through by my local gray squirrels in a few weeks. They have yet to defeat the metal! (Amazon link)
Suet Feeder #2: In the winter months once Yogi and Boo Boo are asleep, I offer real beef suet from my local butcher. This metal basket feeder works perfectly. Woodpeckers and soungbirds may get a perch, and squirrels are not able to get a bite! (Amazon link)
No images … not up yet. I don’t want to get beared!
Thistle Feeder: Winter finches love nyer seed. Squirrels are not able to deal with the small grate. Most any thistle feeder will work, but given the expense of Nyjer seed, one that minimizes spillage is nice. (Amazon link)
Additional Photos … all taken over the past few days of birds using either my feeders, or foraging under my feeders for spillage on the ground.
