Some report seeing fewer birds at feeders this year

By KATHY MELLOTT
The Tribune-Democrat

December 16, 2008 11:03 pm

— Longtime bird watcher Gregg Doll lives on a ridge overlooking Hastings where he is seeing plenty of gold finches, doves, juncos and the occasional woodpecker.
But the usual wide variety of species is not showing up at feeders on his 14 wooded acres.
“I don’t have a lot of different varieties like I’ve had in the past,” Doll said.
Dave Gobert of Patton said there are fewer birds at the feeders because the summer produced a bumper crop of fruits and berries.
“There are more natural foods, so the birds are not as concentrated,” he said.
The changing temperatures and winter precipitation patterns also affect bird movements, Gobert said.
“There’s a lot of different things going on,” Gobert said.
Deb Bodenschatz of Summerhill said that last week brought an invasion of hundreds of pine siskins – sparrow-sized birds with gold coloring in their wings.
“They came in starving,” she said Tuesday. “I think it was the ice storm up north. A lot of people had them.”
Overall, Bodenschatz is seeing fewer birds on her property, but she is seeing a wider number of species.
She said the numbers do not cause concern.
Bird populations are in constant flux with weather playing a large role in bird activity, Bodenschatz said.
Robert Mulvihill, project coordinator with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Powdermill Avian Research Center near Ligonier, said some areas have seen a milder start to winter than normal.
That may mean birds are finding food elsewhere and haven’t started turning up at feeders.
“Most likely it has to do with the mild weather to this point in the year,” Mulvihill wrote in an e-mail. “As winter weather really begins to set in, both cold temps and snow-covered ground, I’m pretty sure all of the regulars will begin showing up.”
Those who study bird travels and feeding habits say heavy snowfalls force birds to stay deep in the woods rather than moving into suburban areas.
“I can almost always tell what the weather is going to do by how many birds are at my feeders,” Doll said.
Other factors
Meanwhile, if the number of birds have been scarce, birders need to clean out the feeders.
Seed left there for weeks may become moldy, Mulvihill said.
Fewer birds also could be a signal of predators, said Joann Voigt of Penn State’s Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center in Huntingdon County.
“There may be a predator around, hawks waiting in the trees,” Voigt said. “(Smaller birds) scatter quickly.”
The best solution is to bring in another big bird of sorts. Voigt suggested to scare a hawk put a large fake great horned owl in a tree close to the feeder.
Time to count
Just how many birds are around is the focus of the 109th annual Christmas Bird Count sponsored by the Audubon Society. The count started Sunday and continues through Jan. 5, and it’s not too late to get involved.
“Bird enthusiasts armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists will head out on an annual mission, often before dawn, to make a difference and to experience the beauty of creation,” said Dan Brauning, state Game Commission Wildlife Diversity Section supervisor.
The count is the longest running wildlife census to assess the heath and numbers of the bird population, and it provides researchers with information to study long-term health and status of birds.