Great Backyard Bird Count & Recent Bird Sightings

Coming Soon. The Great Backyard Bird Count.

Once again the Great Backyard Bird Count is just a few weeks away, February 18th thru 21st. The GBBC is a worldwide online citizen-science project, the first of its kind, to collect data on wild birds and display results in near real time. It was launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society.

Our observations and data help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations.

Visit www.birdcount.org/about/ for more info on the count!

It’s fun and easy to participate and all you need is a birdfeeder or two. Information and instructions are available through the link provided. The 3 steps to participating are as follows:

Step 1 – Decide where you will watch birds. Easy enough. Your backyard works just fine.

Step 2 – Watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days, February 18-21, 2022.

Step 3 – Count all the birds you see or hear within your planned time/location and use the best tool for sharing your bird sightings:

If you are a beginning bird admirer and new to the count, try using the Merlin Bird ID app.

If you have participated in the count before, try eBird Mobile app or enter your bird list on the eBird website www.ebird.org (desktop/laptop).

If you are participating as a group, see instructions for Group Counting.

We hope you will participate and present your data for a very worthy study.

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Recent Bird Sightings of Interest

Locally, a number of customers have seen Pine Warbler at suet feeders during the recent snow falls. They are one of the few warblers to be seen here in winter. Others sometimes seen at feeders include Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped warblers.

Pine Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Elsewhere in the state, bird sightings of particular interest include a Painted Bunting being seen consistently in Knoxville. Painted bunting, like Indigo bunting, usually migrate back to Central and South America in the fall and return in the spring.

Great Horned owls on Nest

You may not know that Great horned owls begin nesting as early as mid-January and February in southern parts of the U.S. Clutch size of GH owls is between 1 and 4 eggs and it takes 30-37 days to incubate. The fledgling period takes roughly 42 days. Pine trees are often a favorite choice of nesting location as are cavities in live trees, dead snags, deserted buildings, cliff ledges, and man-made platforms. I once witnessed a GH owl nest on a cliff-ledge along the Harpeth River.

The video below is taken from a live stream of a GH owl in Savannah Georgia. Click here to link to the live stream.

Snow Brings Out Many Different Birds

I know many of you are not fond of the cold and snow, but you have to love the extra bird activity at your feeders. We have heard from many customers seeing Bluebirds for the first time at feeders. Is it because there are more Bluebirds here now, or has the inclement weather forced them to seek out “alternative” food sources more often? Perhaps it’s both reasons. We know that harsh winter conditions north of us can and does “push” many types of birds, including Bluebirds, toward us in the southern region. Many of you have discovered Bluebirds will eat seed if it is out of the shell. Sunflower hearts and chips, shelled peanuts, and suet become important to their survival when snow and ice eliminate insects totally from their diet for a period of time. Even those of you accustomed to feeding Bluebirds live mealworms have discovered they will eat dried worms, too, when conditions dictate.

Other birds being seen for the first time for many of you include Yellow-rumped and Orange-crowned warbler, Ruby and Golden-crowned Kinglet, Red-winged Blackbird, and one of my favorites that largely goes unnoticed, the Fox Sparrow.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Orange-crowned Warbler

Red-winged Blackbirds

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Fox Sparrow

I never see this bird in my yard unless there is a significant snowfall. They seem to appear only when snow accumulates. They, like most Sparrows, are ground feeders, searching and scratching the leaf litter on the forest floor for seeds, berries, and insects. One of my simple but effective feeding strategies with accumulated snow is to place a few pieces of plywood on the ground and sprinkle several kinds of seeds liberally on the dry surface. It only takes moments for Junco’s, White-throated and White-crowned Sparrows, Cardinals, and Towhees to find the offering.

Click here to read more on the Fox Sparrow!

The Fox Sparrow have been described as the best in their family at “scratching”. They are larger than most sparrows and have large feet and unusually long toes and claws that enable them to dig deeper and more aggressively into the leaves and soil for food. The scratching action is very similar to the Towhee’s.

Fox Sparrows are about 7” in length. Most have a reddish colored rump and tail, and reddish wings with subtle white wing bars. The breast is heavily streaked with rusty, triangular shaped markings. Gray is apparent about the neck and shoulders and combined with the rusty red gives this bird a “foxy” appearance. So the next time you see several sparrow-like birds on the ground get your binoculars and take a closer look. It’s a real treat to see this bird.

How Birds Survive Winter Conditions

Although winter hasn't really visited yet we've had enough cold to prompt some questions and concerns from customers regarding how birds survive winter conditions. First, winter conditions here in the upper south are nothing compared to what birds encounter in the northeast. Even chickadees and kinglets, two of the smallest songbirds, survive the cold of Maine where temperatures often remain below zero for extended periods of time. How do they do this? It is a combination of physiology and strategy.

Chickadees are prodigious gatherers of food, hiding, or caching tidbits of food in hundreds of locations with the ability to remember them all for use later. But how can such a small creature stay warm enough to survive even one night at -20 below zero? Chickadees (like most year-round northern birds) endure the winter in their uninsulated legs and feet. Yet their toes remain flexible and functional at all temperatures. Our exposed toes would freeze and literally drop off. Why do they not freeze? Here's where physiology comes in. It's actually a special adaptation that many birds possess. The temperature in their feet is regulated and will cool down to about 30 degrees while maintaining a body core temperature of around 105 degrees.

A chickadees feet are provided with continuous blood flow. The warm arterial blood headed toward their feet from the body runs next to veins of cooled blood returning from the feet to the body. As heat is transferred between the outgoing and incoming veins, the blood returning into the body recovers much of the heat that would be lost flowing out. So, chickadees feet don't freeze and that's because their foot temperature is regulated near the freezing point even as their body temp stays high. Many species of gulls and ducks that spend a lot of time standing on ice do the same thing.

When you see a bird that looks really fat on a cold day it's not because it overindulged at the feeder but has "puffed out" the feathers increasing the insulating properties. Keeping feathers clean is serious business for birds and this is why you will often see more bathing activity at a birdbath in winter than in summer. Clean feathers mean better weather protection, keeping body temps warm, and creating a barrier to rain.

At night, chickadees reduce heat loss by seeking shelter in tree holes or other crevices. By reducing their body temperature—the smaller the difference in temperature between the bird and its environment, the lower the rate of heat loss. Still, the bird may have to shiver all night and burn up most of its fat reserves, which then must be replenished the next day in order to survive the next night.

Much of the information shared in this blog is from nature author, Bernd Heinrich. If you are looking for some fascinating nature information, I would recommend a few of his books, "A year in the Maine Woods", "Mind of the Raven", and "The Homing Instinct".

Early winter birding notes & Wood Thrush gifts ideas

Feeders beginning to get busy again

There’s no doubt bird feeding stations have been slow compared to past Novembers and early Decembers but a reason for this is likely the abundance of natural food sources available this fall, and mild temperatures. We’ve only had a couple of brief cold snaps. As of yet, we’ve had no reported sightings of Purple Finch or Pine Siskin but Goldfinches have begun visiting feeders again in their drab winter plumage. Other winter migrants like White-throated Sparrow, Junco, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker are being seen, and if you live where there is a presence of pine and cedar trees you may be seeing Red-breasted Nuthatch.   

Red-breasted Nuthatch

White-throated Sparrow

Pine Siskin

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Holiday Shopping

Keep The Wood Thrush Shop in mind for holiday shopping. We are well stocked and have experienced only a few problems getting merchandise. Our everyday inventory of Bluebird houses, hummingbird feeders, squirrel proof, suet, finch, and seed feeders is in good supply and always make great gifts.  And here are a few other things you may or may not know we have:          

Windchimes, Birdbaths and fountains, whimsical metal statuary-including skunks, armadillo’s and giraffes, playing cards and puzzles, books and binoculars, bird pins and zipper pulls, Amazon Lights anti-Mosquito Incense, T-shirts, gift certificates, thermometers and rain gauges, socks, and coffee mugs.

The Wood Thrush Shop will be open Friday Dec. 24th until 3 pm. and we continue to offer curbside service.

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Northern Saw-whet Owl Banded at Warner Park

For only the 3rd time a Saw-whet owl was captured, banded, and released by staff at Warner Park. The Saw-whet Owl is the least familiar and least known of owls in TN. The likely reason for its elusiveness is because of its diminutive stature and very minimal vocalizations. Like most owls they are mostly nocturnal and stay concealed in heavy vegetation during daylight hours. So, all factors considered these owls are very hard to find. They tend to favor areas with evergreen.

Northern saw-whet Owl

The Saw-whet is only about 8” in length, no larger than a Cardinal and has a catlike face, oversized head, and bright yellow eyes. The Northern Saw-whet is a formidable hunter, however, favoring mice as its prey. Where mice and other small mammals are concerned this fierce, silent owl is anything but cute. One of the most common owls in forests across northern North America (and across the U.S. in winter), saw-whets are highly nocturnal and seldom seen. Their high-pitched too-too-too call is the best indicator that one is nearby. Visit Cornell Labs allaboutbirds.org to learn more.

Wood Thrush Notes

Fall Birdhouse and Feeder Maintenance

It’s a great time to be outside now that the weather is cooling.  Mosquitos and no-see-ums are retreating.  There are several things you can do now to prepare your birdhouses for next spring and get your feeders up to snuff to attract birds this fall and winter.

Birdhouse Maintenance

• Clean out old nests from nestboxes.  It is our opinion this is a must.  Leaving the old nest in the box will not deter a Bluebird or Chickadee from using the box next spring, they would build a new nest on top of the old, however, the old nest debris can create an environment attractive to ants and other insects that can and will actually consume newly hatched babies, and the adults are powerless to stop it. 

• Move birdhouses that have been unproductive for a few years to a new location. Try to determine why this box has not been appealing to a bird, or why there have been multiple failed attempts. Perhaps the nestbox is uncomfortably close to birdfeeders. While some of you have had success with a birdhouse close to feeders we think this location will not typically yield good results year after year. Birds do not normally choose a nest location close to a lot of bird traffic. How far away should you place a nestbox? It’s impossible to be exact but I would suggest about 100’, or out of sight of the feeders if closer. Maybe the nestbox is too exposed to prevailing weather allowing lots of moisture to enter the box. Now is a great time to make some adjustments.

• If you have experienced predation by raccoons or snakes now would be a good time to add a baffle to a pole mount birdhouse. If you have a birdhouse on a tree trunk and had predation issues it is a good time to pole mount and baffle the nestbox. Do not wait too long to make these changes. Time has a way of getting away and you really don’t want to make these changes when a bird has already built a nest and laid eggs next spring.

Feeder Maintenance

Clean up feeders and get ready for feeder activity to pick up significantly in November.  Warm soapy water and a feeder brush usually do an adequate job but for tougher jobs, a mild bleach solution may be necessary. 

It is recommended feeders be cleaned regularly.  Depending on conditions some feeders may need attention monthly.  The seed ports on tube feeders require regular attention but are quite simple to address.  Clorox wipes are a great way to disinfect the ports and perches.  It only takes a minute per feeder.  If any of your tube feeders have significant cracks or holes we may be able to provide you with a new replacement tube.  The tubes on brands like Droll Yankees and Aspects are covered under warranty and we make an effort to keep them in stock.  Bring your feeder in and we’ll see if we can repair it. 

Winters here are typically wet which presents challenges in bird feeding. Wet weather tends to cause seed to clump clogging seed flow and making a mess. Before you know it you have seed that is molding. A weather dome or hanging squirrel baffle provides excellent protection from rain and snow, particularly on feeders containing shelled sunflower, shelled blends and peanuts, and finch feeders.

Winter Birds to Be Looking For

Look for the arrivals of winter residents like Junco, White-throated and White-crowned sparrows, Purple finch, Pine siskin, Red-breasted nuthatch, and Yellow-bellied sapsucker.  And don’t forget to offer suet.  During cold, wet conditions birds such as Bluebirds, Kinglets, Brown Creeper, and Yellow-rumped warbler may visit a suet feeder often. 

Dark-eyed Junco.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Birds may find a water source even more appealing during winter months. Keep your birdbath free of ice with a submersible de-icer. They require an outlet and are thermostatically controlled. As always we have a couple of choices of heated baths in stock, too.