Time Out From Feeders

[Booswalia]

Does anyone else with feeders find that the birds stop coming to their feeders for a period during the spring/summer?
It seems every year at this time the numbers start to dwindle. Right now all I am seeing is one Finch, a couple of Juncos and Mourning Doves and the odd Blue Jay.

Would it be that they get focused on nesting and don't use the feeders as much or do you think it's the availability of more seeds out there. Or would it be the Hawk that's been in the area?

I'm baffled.

[Pete]

I guess it depends on the species. Here in the UK, active feeder birds will change to hunting for caterpillars/worms/etc to feed the young since the young need easily extractable protein. When the young have fledged properly, the feeders go back to full time use (and more!)

[Booswalia]

Perhaps that is what's going on. I would normally have to fill the feeders about every second or third day but I haven't filled them in over a week now.

[snowyowl13]

I think that they disperse to find nest sites. My feeders still need to be filled everyday but now its A. goldfinches and Purple finches doing most of the eating. We also have Mourning Doves, C. Grackles as well as a few other species. Not what it was a month ago but still busy.

[Stormin_24]

I noticed the same from Chickadees.. They dissapeared for a month and are starting to return now... Feeders are regularly populated with Goldfinches, House Sparrows and usually lots of ground feeding Mourning Doves.. The usual Grackles and Sparrows are always here..

[patlannon]

On the nigar side we still have Goldfinch and Housefinch.
On the songbird side we are seeing a lot of Starlings and common Grackle.
The rest of th esongbirds seem to have taken off to nest.

[scrumpy]

Always happens at this time. They seem to have the sense that 'artificial' food is not good for chicks.

But they'll be back, and with luck, bring their babies too!

[snyderman]

Another observation. During the winter months, we had probably 10-12 cardinals equal numbers males femles. Now, we have one mating pair. When a second male cardinal shows up, he's immediately run off by the resident male--or female!

Fewer 'jays. We have 2 mating pair of RBGB, lots of house finches, usual complement of Tits, Black-capped Chickadees, sparrows and goldfinch.

other than that, it's pretty quiet around here!

dave

[RandyMN]

I have been asking the same question and my wife said they must be spending the time at the nest. This has only been for about a week or two now.

Glad it's being experienced elsewhere so at least I know it's nothing particular to my back yard.

[Booswalia]

It's good to know that others are experiencing the same thing, otherwise I would have been thinking it's just my feeders. I guess the birds have work to do at the time of year instead of hanging around the local feeder. :)

[snowyowl13]

A. Goldfinches are late nesters. They wait until there are lots of natural seeds available. I think that's why we see flocks of them at the feeders early in the summer, they haven't dispersed to nest yet.