Manitoba Carman Nov-Dec 2010 (1 Viewer)

[Craig S]

Birds seemed to disappear here around the first week of December. Have had a Downy Woodpecker making regular visits but that is about it.
Last week of December a few Chickadees and House Sparrows returned but they do not visit every day. There have been no Blue Jays, Juncos or Pine Siskins. A very poor winter for birding so far.
A Merlin flew into our living room window near the end of November. It hit the window breast first with its wings outspread. I went outside to look for it and found it in a tree behind our house, it flew off and seemed OK.
The only other things of note was a Shrike landing in our tree near the end of November. It only stayed for several seconds before flying off. I also spotted a Northern Mockingbird on a trail outside of town about the same time.
Just before Christmas I may have seen a Pileated Woodpecker on the same trail but can't be certain as it was at quite a distance. I can only say it was a very large woodpecker.
It has been an extremely cheap winter for bird seed and suet so far.

 

[Sahria]

Right before winter hit suet cakes went on sale for half of what they normally cost. I was going through 2-3 a week so I stocked up and threw them in the freezer thinking I would go through them no problem. I've put out two since the beginning of December. The only birds I'm consistently seeing now are the House Finches, House Sparrows, Mourning Doves, and the lone Downy. It has been a very quiet winter.

 

[Craig S]

I started making my own suet balls. They went over well during the summer I was going through one ball in less than a day. They are very easy to make. Takes me just over 1/2 an hour to make about 17 suet balls. I freeze them.
We live a couple of blocks into town and have gotten a lot less birds this winter than ever before, but a friend of ours lives about a mile away, just out of town, is still getting a lot of different birds.
We are still using the same bird seed as in the summer, but we did change the brand of black oil seed.
Sure am looking forward to spring, hope it is early again this year.