Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Sunrise 7:09 am, sunset 8:52
pm, length of day 13 hours 43 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 29
seconds longer.
Clear and cold this past week
with temperatures dropping well below freezing at night, and rising slowly to
the high 30s in the day. Lots of snow and ice remains, but the edges are
melting back (or sublimating) and brown grass peeks through in places. A slow
melt would help reduce flooding; we just have to be patient. Snow is in the
forecast for the next few days, just to touch up those edges.
I didn't want to do it, but
after being out of sunflower seeds for two days, I couldn't stand it. The
COMMON REDPOLLS and PINE SISKINS are still here and hungry; there is no
replacement natural food with winter standing firm. First I bought a 5# bag of
chicken scratch, which is mostly cracked corn, for an experiment. The scratch
food is about the same price, around a $1 per pound. It's a bit smaller so much of it
fell through the hardware screen birdfeeder, but at least uneaten seed won't
germinate. The birds briefly considered
this new, yellow food spilled over the ground and scattered on the snow bank, and then
ate it up.
I really, really didn't want
to, but the next day I bought yet another 40# bag of black oil sunflower seeds
and refilled the feeder. If the cold weather continues, it will all be gone
before the bears find it. If not, I will store it in a cool, dry place to use
next winter. Meanwhile, I'm thrilled to hear the noisy chatter and watch these
entertaining little finches again.
I spotted a BRAMBLING this
morning with the Redpolls. The AMERICAN TREE, WHITE-CROWNED, FOX, SONG, and
LINCOLN SPARROWS and a bounty of JUNCOS and VARIED THRUSHES are still here.
My yard still looks and
sounds like Winter, but that's OK with me!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
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