How has everyone’s bird watching been this winter? I haven’t been able to get out in the woods nearly as much as I’d like, but I’ve been drawing a lot of downy and redbellied woodpeckers in with red pepper suet here in Saint Paul. I’m curious if folks are seeing any Hairy’s around the metro area this winter?

I am about an hour south of the metro in a rural area:

I feed peanuts, shelled sunflower, black oil sunflower and suet.

Daily I have Downy’s, Harry’s, and red-bellied woodpeckers; nuthatches, chickadees, gold and purple finches. I hear the pileated almost daily with occasional sightings. Otherwise nothing out of the ordinary for this time of year.

I have not seen a northern flicker in about a year. Watching and waiting…

The wood peckers seem to favor the peanuts over the suet.

The cardinal on the other hand has been rare over the last year. Very few visits to my feeders.

My favorite to watch is the Belted Kingfisher that resides and feeds along the creek running through my property. A bird I haven’t seen until moving here a few years ago. A very vocal species!

JW

Interesting, on the black oil striped sunflower seeds I was still getting a steady flow of cardinals, chickadees, and juncos all winter. No nuthatches though. I get the purple finches in the summer, but none this winter. I saw several pileated in the old growth oaks along the river here this summer, and one on the telephone pole in the alley behind my house, but nothing in the winter.

This is my first year consistently feeding and paying real attention so I don’t really know much about migration etc But the warm weather this week has turned them OFF. Almost nobody visiting now. Assume they are finding food more naturally?

One more question — how would you compare the beak size of a hairy to a redbellied? Every so often I get a downy that seems on the large size, but the beak doesn’t look long enough to be a hairy to me.

After moving last June to a small farm town I was expecting similar birds to my previous home.

That has not been the case. Very few birds. I'm guessing the reason is thay have a lot more natural food to eat. I will say that I have more hummingbirds than my old house.

I feed black oil sunflower, thistle, and suet cakes.

One more question — how would you compare the beak size of a hairy to a redbellied? Every so often I get a downy that seems on the large size, but the beak doesn’t look long enough to be a hairy to me."

The Downy’s bill is dainty and about one-third the length of the bird’s head. The Hairy’s bill is a railroad spike in comparison, and almost as long as its head.

Canoedad89: "


One more question — how would you compare the beak size of a hairy to a redbellied? Every so often I get a downy that seems on the large size, but the beak doesn’t look long enough to be a hairy to me."

The Downy’s bill is dainty and about one-third the length of the bird’s head. The Hairy’s bill is a railroad spike in comparison, and almost as long as its head.


"

Yep this is what my Peterson’s guide says. My question is how a hairy beak compares to a redbellied. :)

thegildedgopher: "

Canoedad89: "



One more question — how would you compare the beak size of a hairy to a redbellied? Every so often I get a downy that seems on the large size, but the beak doesn’t look long enough to be a hairy to me."

The Downy’s bill is dainty and about one-third the length of the bird’s head. The Hairy’s bill is a railroad spike in comparison, and almost as long as its head.



"

Yep this is what my Peterson’s guide says. My question is how a hairy beak compares to a redbellied. :)"

Oh. I thought you typed "redbellied" by mistake, since the red-bellied can't be confused with the hairy. Never mind.

JWilder: "Daily I have Downy’s, Harry’s, and red-bellied woodpeckers; nuthatches, chickadees, gold and purple finches. I hear the pileated almost daily with occasional sightings.
"

I live in Crystal. In addition to the above we have a few juncos and 2 or 3 cardinals every day. Some days are slower then others, then one day they all show up at once and empty the feeders. Had a pileated wood pecker today for about 20 minutes or so. Was in my pine tree first, then moved to me ash tree. I heard him before I saw him.