Have you Spotted Them On Your Bird Feeder?

[Luckyforward]

The Rose- breasted Grosbeak is making its swing through Tennessee on migration.  Some springs I see them, some not, but there have been an abundance on my feeder this year.  Any sightings out there?

[Whisper]

We've seen a ton of them this year on Elder Mountain (Chattanooga).  There's one on the bird feeder even as I write this.  Beautiful birds, but you don't see them except for a few weeks as they are passing through.

Cheers,

Whisper

[peejman]

My wife has seen a few. She gets very excited when they appear. 

[Luckyforward]

Two grosbeaks on my feeder and two hummingbirds fighting for their food as I type!

[bersaguy]

They are a beautiful bird and I had a few earlier in April but none recently. The Hummers have discovered my feeders and the last few days I have seen 7 on feeders at the same time. Then a lot of fussing and fighting all at once....LOL 

[bersaguy]

3 hours ago, bersaguy said:

They are a beautiful bird and I had a few earlier in April but none recently. The Hummers have discovered my feeders and the last few days I have seen 7 on feeders at the same time. Then a lot of fussing and fighting all at once....LOL 

Some of my friends and family say that I spend entirely to much money on wild bird foods. I went through 100 lbs of seed feed for my seed eating winter birds that I put 5 feeders up for each year and my deck has a breakfast nook with a table and I put seed on the table for the Doves because they can't or won't use the feeders. I have counted 16 Doves at one time on the nook. The Cardinals and Blue Jays use the nook also when the Doves are gone. So between the seed I buy and the Sugar I buy for the Hummers last year I spent about $250.00-300.00 but it is well worth it with the enjoy I get watching them.

[Luckyforward]

1 hour ago, bersaguy said:

Some of my friends and family say that I spend entirely to much money on wild bird foods. I went through 100 lbs of seed feed for my seed eating winter birds that I put 5 feeders up for each year and my deck has a breakfast nook with a table and I put seed on the table for the Doves because they can't or won't use the feeders. I have counted 16 Doves at one time on the nook. The Cardinals and Blue Jays use the nook also when the Doves are gone. So between the seed I buy and the Sugar I buy for the Hummers last year I spent about $250.00-300.00 but it is well worth it with the enjoy I get watching them.

I have had the same comments.  This past winter I spent a TON on wild bird food, but the joy it brought me has no price on it.  I work from home doing teletherapy three days a week and am in the office two.  My office is at the back of the house with two large windows that face the back yard and my feeders.  To watch the doves cluster, the Blue Jays come and go, and Cardinals and Wrens pass by brings a lot of joy while I am talking with folks.

The Bluebirds have returned to my Bluebird box and they are fascinating to watch coming and going.

[MacGyver]

Thanks for giving me a name for these.  I've seen a ton of them on my daily walks with my dog over the last couple of weeks.  

They're pretty.

[Ropin4gold]

I have those and they weren't in my bird book.

 

Thanks! 

[Erik88]

I haven't seen that one but we recently had a woodpecker out back. I was shocked by how big it was. I think it was a Pileated Woodpecker. 

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pileated_woodpecker

 

 

[MacGyver]

Well, as long as we’re posting neighborhood birds - this guy was driving my bird dog nuts the other day.

 

[pop pop]

We have a grossbeak pair feeding at our feeder this week. they will be here for a few days and i know they are on the way north. I am about thorough feeding as the cow birds and black birds are storming the feeders and running a lot of other birds off. I have some that are eating almost a half cake of suiet daily. Got enough feed to last till next week then it will be over till fall. 

Have 2 male hummingbirds for now.  

[ArmyBrat61]

5 hours ago, bersaguy said:

Some of my friends and family say that I spend entirely to much money on wild bird foods. I went through 100 lbs of seed feed for my seed eating winter birds that I put 5 feeders up for each year and my deck has a breakfast nook with a table and I put seed on the table for the Doves because they can't or won't use the feeders. I have counted 16 Doves at one time on the nook. The Cardinals and Blue Jays use the nook also when the Doves are gone. So between the seed I buy and the Sugar I buy for the Hummers last year I spent about $250.00-300.00 but it is well worth it with the enjoy I get watching them.

Much cheaper than cable and the colors are so lifelike! It's the only way to have my morning coffee anymore. 

[ArmyBrat61]

The Great horned Owls have returned to the back acreage for nesting, hear them hooping it up in the early hours. Red tail hawks are on patrol over the fields again. Life is good. 

 

[bersaguy]

Ok so now I have a question? Last evening I was sitting on the deck watching for Hummers and on a feeder closest to me a Hummer appeared and began drinking. I noticed it was much smaller than most Hummers. About 1/2 the size but what was most odd was the bird was solid Black in color. It didn't have any other colors on it anyplace and was not bothered that I was only about 5 feet away.  When it finished drinking it left. This morning I was out on the deck with coffee and it returned to the same feeder and drank from the same hole and again was not concerned with me sitting in the chair 5 feet away. It drank it's fill and left. My question is, Has anyone else seen a solid Black Hummingbird? I know the Ruby Red Throats are black but they have the red throats. This small one does not have the red. It is just Black.

[bersaguy]

14 hours ago, pop pop said:

We have a grossbeak pair feeding at our feeder this week. they will be here for a few days and i know they are on the way north. I am about thorough feeding as the cow birds and black birds are storming the feeders and running a lot of other birds off. I have some that are eating almost a half cake of suiet daily. Got enough feed to last till next week then it will be over till fall. 

Have 2 male hummingbirds for now.  

I am also getting ready to end my seed feeding for the summer. I have some cowbirds but no blackbirds. I did have 1 Blackbird last year that was a regular most of the winter and it was odd that it was a Red Winged Blackbird which is normally found around bodies of water and the nearest body of water to my deck is Centerhill Lake and that is about 45 miles away. He did not come back this year.

[pop pop]

Not seen any black H_B's but have had Downey Woodpeckers drinking from my 2 H-B feeders already this year. 

[bersaguy]

12 minutes ago, pop pop said:

Not seen any black H_B's but have had Downey Woodpeckers drinking from my 2 H-B feeders already this year. 

I use to have a few of the Downey woodpeckers come to my feeders back when I lived in Gallatin but not had any here that I have seen.

[Luckyforward]

6 hours ago, bersaguy said:

Ok so now I have a question? Last evening I was sitting on the deck watching for Hummers and on a feeder closest to me a Hummer appeared and began drinking. I noticed it was much smaller than most Hummers. About 1/2 the size but what was most odd was the bird was solid Black in color. It didn't have any other colors on it anyplace and was not bothered that I was only about 5 feet away.  When it finished drinking it left. This morning I was out on the deck with coffee and it returned to the same feeder and drank from the same hole and again was not concerned with me sitting in the chair 5 feet away. It drank it's fill and left. My question is, Has anyone else seen a solid Black Hummingbird? I know the Ruby Red Throats are black but they have the red throats. This small one does not have the red. It is just Black.

Last year I had a solid black hummer with one tiny red dot on its throat, and he was tiny,

[peejman]

We've got bald eagles that come fish in the pond just down the road. Went it rains enough to fill up the retention ponds, they'll check those out too. 

[Garufa]

We have a family of red-shouldered hawks that’s been living next for about 4 years now.  Fascinating to watch, especially when they swoop down and take a squirrel or chipmunk.  

[bersaguy]

Back years ago when I fished a lot, in the Spring I would run up river to the Bluffs above the river and watch to Eagles that nested in them. I would pull the boat under the trees on the bank and watch the Eagles fish for the food for their young that were in the nests. I would spend about 1/2 an hour watching them. It was so cool to watch them.