Today I Saw (Birds Including Raptors & Hummers) ~ 2014

[EllenW]

I end up throwing out so much nyjer seed. It is expensive. Those darn goldfinches will eat it for a while and then stop. I make sure it is always fresh. I always swear I won't by any more nyjer seed but I love the goldfinches.

[will-o-wisp]

There is one hummingbird that appears sporadically during the day at the largest Lonicera sempervirens at the top of an arbor.

Catbirds prefer sitting in the non native Harry Lauders Walking Stick that is pruned to the size of a small tree.
They seem to be guarding the best producing blueberry bush that grows at it's feet but did share a handful of berries with me.

[Rebek56]

EllenW, I don't bother with nyjer; our goldfinches come to plain old black oil sunflower, which has cut down on our birdseed expense. They actually seem to prefer their seed "au natural"; in season, they ignore the feeders and eat directly from plants. Their favorites seem to be rudbeckia hirta, ratibida, whatever silphium we have, and echinacea, including the white cultivars. Between the finches and the hummingbirds,we get quite a show from late July on.

A thought about your horrible neighbors: would they object to a goldfinch garden on the property line if you have enough sun for a patch of appropriate forbs?

[EllenW]

I stopped putting out black oil sunflower seed because it attracted house sparrows. I'm hoping the goldfinches aren't coming to the feeders because they are finding so many seeds on my property. Recently I saw them picking at what was left of the perennial sunflower seeds from last season.

That is a great idea to plant sunflowers on my property line Rebek. I did that in my townhouse backyard and the neighbors and their kids loved seeing the goldfinches it attracted. Maybe my current neighbors would learn to appreciate nature that way.

[Birding Bunch]

Originally Posted by EllenW

I end up throwing out so much nyjer seed. It is expensive. Those darn goldfinches will eat it for a while and then stop. I make sure it is always fresh. I always swear I won't by any more nyjer seed but I love the goldfinches.

One winter we just could not keep enough nyjer on hand. We actually had to pay for the overpriced five pound bags just to get us through the weekend until my husband could get to the office. We had on average 60 Common Redpolls winter 2012/2013. It was nuts, but we had stragglers stay until 1 April, so it was worth it (Except for all those rare entries I did for Ebird. What a pain). The following winter, we didn't have the irruption, but I learned the spring arriving Mourning Doves eat any seed, so at least our stock didn't go to waste.

I hope you can find a nice perennial sunflower and that your neighbours will appreciate them.

[linrose]

Birds are everywhere now, all around the house, the fields, the gardens. I think the water I put out in a large ceramic plant saucer is drawing them in close to the house as I am not filling the sunflower feeders on the deck. Strangely the ant moat above the hummingbird feeder is the most popular drinking place and the saucer is the most popular bathing place but they drink from it too. It's been so dry here I'm sure they are looking for any kind of water wherever they find it. Now I'm vigilant about changing out the water every day.

The hummingbirds have been very active visiting the feeder and the coral honeysuckle and salvia, even some of the petunias in pots on the deck. I'm really tickled that the coral honeysuckle 'Magnifica' that we planted on the side of the garden shed has been producing flowers since early spring. I read that this one was supposed to be a dud! Not so plus it is making fruit now too and I never water or fertilize it and it lives in pretty meager conditions. There's a family of hummingbirds and they all come to feed at the same time. They are so fun to watch.

So I need an ID from you birders out there, there is a small gray bird with a slender body and beak that has the same markings as a mockingbird. What is it??? It's even smaller and sleeker than a Carolina wren. They've been too fast to photograph but I'll try. I've seen so many of them on the pergola.

[recurve]

Sounds like a blue-grey gnatcatcher.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Identification, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

[linrose]

Yessssss!!!! Thank you recurve. I've never IDd this one before. I'll be looking out for it now

[recurve]

Good luck linrose! They are notoriously hard to photograph I think they even hop from branch to branch in their sleep!

[EllenW]

Lots of warblers stopping by my property. Black and Whites, Black throated green, yellow rumps. Ducks were flying over my property at dusk last night. I haven't seen any bats here at dusk for a couple days.