Audubon Christmas Bird Count

Laurasea

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2018
12,593
10,709
USA
Parrots
Full house
https://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count

https://www.audubon.org/conservation/join-christmas-bird-count6-8

I hope you will take part, the data is used by many.

Also , maybe top up the bird feeders. I'm in Florida and we are part if the migrating birds. The Gold Finches just showed up yesterday!@@ 20 or so my largest flock in the past 8 years. They like thistle.

I have millet for the other little sparrows sbd finches , black oil sunflower fir most all else, and dried mealwom and no melt peanut crumble for the insect eaters.

Why help wild birds? Because we have removed so much of their natural food sources of native grasses, shrubs, and trees, instead planting Asian species, or monoculture, that don't provide food. And we use insecticide that kill off their insect good, many homes have a contract and have thus applied whether or nit there us any insect problems . In spring 90% of bird feed their young insects, and it takes thousands to raise a single clutch.

I talk about this every year as the song birds are dissappearing.. over 50% reduction in numbers some species as high as 90% reduction .... watch The Messenger on Netflix, [ame="https://youtu.be/LjQtRr4CKcc"]OFFICIAL TRAILER THE MESSENGER DOCUMENTARY - YouTube[/ame]

https://web.stanford.edu/group/stan...of declines,nest predation in habitat patches.

A bird bath placed close to cover, like a bush or tree, nit just out in the open . Really helps, and will draw in some beautiful birds.
https://www.nwf.org/garden-for-wildlife/create


Put up a nest box, the blue bird nest boxs sold at Walmart will host about 5 different species. Or their are plans for nest box's fir different species i will link a source. Many birds use nest box in the winter to escape bad weather.
https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/

Now is the perfect time to add a native tree or shrub, while they are dormant. Many viburnium flower beautiful, fruit lots of berries, and can have great fall color. Crab apple tress flower buds and leaf buds eaten by many birds, and they host over 400 species of moth ir butterfly, and birds feed those to their young, try a native plum, or hawthorn, service berry stays small blooms spectacular and provides berries, hollies ect.
https://www.audubon.org/native-plants
 
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Thank you! A timely push in the right direction!

Was just on the Walmart site, which bird house do you recommend?
 
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Blue bird cheap hosts blue birds, chickadee. Wrens, titmouse..
And
FLICKER or woodpecker nest box,
Flickers have dropped by 90%, also greater creasted fly catches and other birds use.
https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/northern-flicker

This shows DIY predators baffling, and pole.
I use electric conduit pole ( about 5 bucks ) at home improvement stores, im not an engineer, but I was easily able to make these, or just attach to pole. A pole makes it easy to move, doesn't damage anything, so even renters with a yard can put up. Neighborhood, city's doesn't matter the birds are their and need homes, cavity nester do nit build nests in trees.
https://woolwinehousebluebirdtrail....rd-nextbox-on-a-pole-why-two-predator-guards/

Only a few years ago did I decide to do backyard conservation . I was amazed at tge rapid explosion of diverse birds i attracted! Tge first blue bird nest box i put up had five pairs fighting for it!@ so I kept adding more, when I reached 4 , I had 3 pairs of blue burds abd one pair of chickadee. When I added a bird bath, shallow is best next to a shrub, wow! Blue birds love to bathe, as do many beautiful burds I had never seen!! When I had my bird bath out in the middle of an open yard, it was rarely visited.
So many beautiful birds flocked to my yard the neighborhood noticed @ my neighbors put up nest boxs, and now you see Blue birds everywhere.
https://nestwatch.org/
 
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Wild bird watching,counting,feeding and housing was what got me in to parrots. My Gramma with a budgie then me at 14 with my own. I started maybe at 10y.o feeding the wild birds. Back then,winters were more intense and severe then today. A lot of the birds that came to the feeders weren't common in CT back then ( I'm talking over 50 years ago :54:) Cardinals were uncommon..red polls,purple and golden finches..even Mourning Doves. Nuthatches and titmice and chickadee's were aboundant. I had window feeders,suet feeders,those little "satalite" feeders for only chickadee's and titmice ( clinging type birdies..no blue jays allowed!) The day after a major blizzard I counted 40 Cardinals,countless Junco's and finches at one time in the yard. It was soooo cool to sit on my bed,with a window feeder feet away from me watching these beautiful creatures. Nothing like seeing a few male cardinals in freshly fallen snow chowing down at a ground feeder.


Jim
 
Had been a standing member of the Audubon for years.
Clearly, the Audubon does great work, but one needs to know the position one's local Audubon has regarding Companion Parrots.
Sadly, my local group has an anti-Companion Parrot position and was hostile regarding individuals with Companion Parrots /birds.
So, before you join, double check the position your local group has.
With great hope, your's are open minded.
We continue to join in on the counts, but do not share knowledge regarding HRH.
 

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