Where are the birds?

[Rebek56]

This blog entry by Jim McCormac at Ohio Birds and Biodiversity addresses the question of why some people are seeing fewer birds at their feeders. (It's good news--who knew that tulip trees in Ohio are having a mast year?)

Bird food: It doesn't just come in bags - Ohio Birds and Biodiversity

[turttle]

It's a great article, Rebek, with great photos. Thanks for posting it. I didn't know that cardinals snacked on tulip trees or that bluebirds ate red cedar cones.

I haven't noticed any dearth of birds at my feeders this year, except that I have no pine siskins or red breasted nuthatches that were abundant last year. They wax and wane though, coming this far south about 1/3 years.

I am not going to go out and plant poison ivy, no matter what it says! I am hoping Virginia creeper does much the same. I know it gets berries on it. I have planted a bunch of cuttings in the past few yars and it is doing well. I think I need some staghorn sumac, though. I should look up if it grows this far south, since I don't think I have ever seen it around here. We have winged sumac, but its fruit cluster isn't nearly so cool looking!

[recurve]

That is a good article! I'm surprised they got 28 yellow rumped warblers on the christmas bird count. I'm also missing the pine siskins and red breasted nuthatches at my feeder this year I was so happy the were here last year they were both a first for my backyard.

[dapjwy]

I had no idea that tulip tree provided seeds for birds! Yay!

I planted it with hummingbirds in mind.

[linrose]

I have seen the cardinals working out the tulip tree seeds that have fallen and wedged into the cracks of the deck. I'll have to watch for them in the treetops now.

We don't have any red-breasted nuthatches here either this year for the first time.

[EllenW]

i've been hoping to see a red breasted nuthatch as well.

[recurve]

I have a red cedar next to my driveway that is just loaded down with cones this year. There has been a Northern mockingbird hanging out in it for weeks eating the cones. I just spent the last hour watching him defend his bounty from several marauding blue jays up to three at a time. Me thinks I need to plant more species that hold berries through the winter.

[recurve]

There are still a lot of cones left on my cedar despite the mockingbird camping out on it. I just hope the starlings don't find it.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by recurve

I have a red cedar next to my driveway that is just loaded down with cones this year. There has been a Northern mockingbird hanging out in it for weeks eating the cones. I just spent the last hour watching him defend his bounty from several marauding blue jays up to three at a time.

How cool!

I wouldn't mind planting some red cedar--especially for bluebirds--but I think I read that they shouldn't be planted near apple trees because they cause rust. I'm still hoping to grow Fuji apples as they are our all-time favorite.

Originally Posted by recurve

Me thinks I need to plant more species that hold berries through the winter.

You and me both! I've been wanting to do that for years and, I should at least have winterberry berries by now, but I think only one of the five I put in survived...they were bare root seedlings that I put in the first or second year...back when I didn't protect things from deer and rabbits and didn't coddle them (or mollycoddle them ).

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by linrose

I have seen the cardinals working out the tulip tree seeds that have fallen and wedged into the cracks of the deck. I'll have to watch for them in the treetops now.

I've never had an opportunity to observe tulip trees each season of the year. Once mine is mature enough to bloom and go to seed that will change. I'm happy to know that it provides seed...I know it didn't rank too high on Tallamy's list, but now I know (as I suspected) that it has to provide for some species.