Lack of birds at feeder !!!???

Put the feeder up around mid Oct. Had birds coming within days. Refilling every 3 days.
Around mid Nov I filled it and hung a couple cobs of corn from the small tree the feeder is hanging in. I have a pair of cardinals that visit occasionally but nothing else and the feeder is still 3/4 full from about 45 days ago. Same birdseed I started the fall out with.
I actually had a squirrel hitting the feeder and he's nowhere to be seen either !!!
What is up ???

 

Tainted seed from China?
That is weird. Birds around here would be all over a feeder, but so might be a bear, so we don't do that.

 

Might have a owl or two hanging around..........................

 

Good thought rotti. Perhaps a hawk?
Other predators?

 

Totally strange indeed. Maybe the abnormal weather is a factor somehow. That would not surprise me. We just started feeding about 3 weeks ago. The normal suspects are around. Chickadees, blue jays, the odd evening grossbeak, a red squirrel who has mastered the art of climbing 6 feet up 3 inch pvc - but that will end when I spray some Armour All on it. Once the friction is gone he'll be upside down on the ground. It's hillarious - he will sit and stare at it after a few tries and then that's it for the rest of the winter. There are a couple of others who feed around the lake and sometimes little flocks frequent one place over another. Maybe you have a neighbor who feeds caviar and shrimp and the old seed loses it's appeal? LOL

 

The above advice on fresh seed in clean feeders is good. 3/4 full after 45 days could easily mean that it has become damp and spoiled. Look carefully at your seed to make sure there are no bugs in it.

Beyond that the biggest reason for lack of birds is probably the weather. Warmer temps and lack of snow have probably given them good foraging elsewhere. Feeder action has been slower here also.

 

What I find strange is the squirrel stopped showing the same time the birds did . Them idiots are persistent to the point of insanity.
Morning doves roost in the pines close to the feeder and even they are no show.
The cardinals coming occasionally tell me the seed is ok.
I may change things up today and see what happens

 

Take s careful look at the seed. Both what is in the feeder and what you have in the bag. I learned a while ago to buy small bags of thistle at a higher price because I could never use the big bag before bugs got to it. Another thing to look at is the quality/nutritional value of the seed. The bird food store here keeps saying that their food is better than discount/grocery store bags, even at their premium price because it has what the birds need to eat and not cheap 'filler'. Don't know what you have but that might be something to look at also.

 

old seed, warm weather and in our case a hawk made home in the top of a close tree, easy meals for it. find fur and feathers around the feeders weekly.

 

Cleaned the feeder and a few birds started showing. About half empty in 10 days.
Started paying attention close to home and rarely see any small birds.
Crows geese hawks and seagulls galore but rarely small birds.
I'm thinking the weather is more at play than anything.

 

Still not many birds. Mainly Juncos and common sparrows and the cardinals have been a complete no show,,,,,, until today.
I scrounged a decent but beat up feeder out of a dumpster a few years ago. I put some screws in it and brought it back to life. Birds loved it. Last spring when I took it down I leaned it up against the shop and we had a windstorm that night and it got beat to pieces, glass broke and top ripped off.
The other nite I had a brainstorm as the hanging feeder just wasn't bringing the birds in.
Had some plexiglass and a laundry soap bucket laying around so the gears got to turning.
Home brewed this up , put seed in it and put it out first thing this morning. Got a chitload of doves some cardinals, and jays already today.

 

Are we sure they weren't eaten?

North Korean View of the U.S. | Firewood Hoarders Club

 

Just the usual suspects around. Jays, Pine Grosbeaks, Evening Grosbeaks, Purple Finches, Woodpecker, Nuthatch and a couple red squirrels on the ground underneath. Pretty busy all day as they take turns once the Jays are full. Jays are bold and pushy bit leave when the woodpecker shows up. He must stab them pretty good. Sometimes there are about 50 -100 birds in the yard at a given time.

 

There seems to be fewer birds on our feeder this year but interestingly enough the same ones apparently do come back year to year. This bird was on our feeders for a few weeks last February and I saw several times again today. (picture from last year.) I didn't wrap a band around its ankle but I'd bet more than a years worth of wood that its the same bird as there aren't too many white juncos flying around. It's leucistic as opposed to being an albino, the distinction beng that it still has some color pigment. Pretty cool knowing that you are seeing the same birds year to year.

 

That's neat! I'll bet you are right. Sometimes we have a lot of one type and then never see them again. About 20 years ago we used to get cedar wax wings. Then we seldom or never see them again. Same to a lesser extent with evening grosbeaks. Some show up but not many or often. Used to get like 50 or so at a time. Now we get a lot of pine grosbeaks and years ago none were around. I think there are more people feeding now as 8 families are here year round now. They probably put out tastier stuff as we just do black oiled sunflower seeds. If I ever build another feeder I'll try putting peanuts out as the big bags are only about $55. We always have our little chickadee friends and probably some other little guys. At one time we kept a journal and I seem to recall getting past 50 species. that included Osprey, both types of Eagles, Herons, Loons and various ducks as we're a lakefront property. We have heard the odd cardinal in the spring but seen a few scarlet tanagers and indigo buntings and bluebirds out on the farm field edge rows. with warming I hope the cardinals make their summer homes here. In the warm weather we bring an old leather couch down from the garage workshop and set it on the veranda. Great place to sit with coffee at sunrise, give thanks for our blessing and watch God's amazing creatures go about their business around they yard. We are blessed beyond measure. Happy birding!

 

They have been all over the feeders today with it storming out. Juncos (but haven't seen the white one for a few days), goldfinches, house finches, downy wood peckers and cardinals.

 

It was active for a couple days after I put up the "hillbilly" feeder. Now its mainly common sparrows "winged rats" if ya ask me. A few juncos . Had 6 morning doves at one time but they've disappeared now . Very few birds.
Disappointed,,,, as I always liked sitting at the kitchen table watching.
Ive not seen a woodpecker yet and im usually polluted with them.