Birds? Where have all the songbirds gone?

I am good with out indoor/ outdoor cats because they kill as many moles/ voles/ mice/ lizards/ snakes as they do birds. But they are getting out of hand- they catch humming birds and bring them in the house and turn them loose! I can't catch them till they get tired, lol. So far they don't get rabbits or squirrels.
 
Avian influenza….
They have stopped all field visits in a lot of the state for chicken/turkey/ect farms. Not sure when I’ll see ours again.

No it’s probably not the whole reason abut it is playing into it
 
rdinatal said:
I haven't seen the hawk the last two months. The birds are back.

So are the squirrels. 👈
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Hawks and eagles migrate further south in winter starting in October. In fact, watching the migration in WNC is an annual event. Linville gorge is a good place--Also, at Ceasars head in South Carolina. (of course, there are some resident birds that over winter here)
A few weeks ago, after all the leaves fell off a dogwood in my backyard - I watched a plethora of songbirds strip all the red berries from the tree. It was quite a sight to see. All the varieties of songbirds even some woodpeckers feeding as if at a buffet table! It took them less than 40 min to completely clean the tree of all the berries.
 
Most are undergoing annual preventive maintenance by the NSA and FBI

Birds Aren't Real | Birds Aren't Real

They used to be. Until the U.S. Government replaced them with drone replicas designed to spy on the American public. Founded in 1976.
birdsarentreal.com birdsarentreal.com

Yes I'm kidding
 
Cardinals love this kind of crap weather.
 
mj1angier said:
I am good with out indoor/ outdoor cats because they kill as many moles/ voles/ mice/ lizards/ snakes as they do birds. But they are getting out of hand- they catch humming birds and bring them in the house and turn them loose! I can't catch them till they get tired, lol. So far they don't get rabbits or squirrels.
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Conibear 220 traps work wonders…
 
juncos, chickadees, titmice, white breasted nuthatch, trash sparrows, dove and cardinal pair all enjoying the refreshed feeder this morning. too bright for a photo but I'm happy for the sun in this case
 
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A combination of avian flu and these organizations that fix and release feral cats instead of euthanizing them.
 
Not sure about songbird but apparently the woodpeckers have found the side of my house. 3 holes all the way through and one on the way😒. All in the last week. Ughh
 
NKD said:
Had a pair of fat blue jays come to my feeder a couple days ago.
Big guys. Never seen them here before.
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Did they knock things off the patio table, and say "Nice squoil poppilation ya gots heah. Be a shame if something... [terra cotta pot smashes on flagstones] happened to it."
 
Windini said:
Did they knock things off the patio table, and say "Nice squoil poppilation ya gots heah. Be a shame if something... [terra cotta pot smashes on flagstones] happened to it."
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😂
 
Today's been a good day for some new (this season) sightings:

Downy woodpecker (m)
Robin (m)
Goldfinches (winter drab, m)
 
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I live in the mountains and even though I have a ferocious little cat (that just about wiped out the humming birds - had to cut all of the flowers next to the house) we have a multitude of birds at the feeder - cat is more interested in big game now (squirrel) but hasn't caught one yet.
 
I just now came across this thread. I guess I’m late to the party. We’ve lived in our current house for 17-1/2 years and have always had indoor/outdoor cats.

We have turkeys (not often), barred owls, great horned owls, just about every hawk that is indigenous to NC, coyotes, foxes, deer, coons, woodchucks, skunks, Opossums, rabbits, even the very rare bear sighting, etc….right up here in N. High Point.

Your absent songbirds must have flown over to my place. We’ve got just about every songbird imaginable. A few days ago, I counted 27 cardinals (more than likely many more were out there), both male and female, out at our feeders.

We hear songbirds of various kinds all of the time. The most notable of course are the loud obnoxious common house wren but we have many others. We hear at least one new species we haven’t heard before every year.

Btw, with the exception of one cat we had from 2004 - 2015, our Maine Coon George, none of our cats leave our premises.

George, on the other hand, would leave our entire neighborhood just to fight the feral cats living in the wood’s surrounding our neighborhood. He would venture off more than a mile or so at times.
 
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Havent seen one in a couple weeks. Except this one wren that wakes me up each morning.

Heat? Smoke?
 
The Finches come and go in cycles. Cardinals are always around at dawn and dusk.
The bird songs are not as frequent.
The Carolina Wrens are a PITA, always building nests, yelling.

I've not seen dead birds around so they're going someplace...
 
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We seem to have a significant increase in the cowbird population over the last few years. They are nest parasites and are really hard on towhees. And a lot of our warblers have declined too. I read last week that in some areas Chuck-will's Widow numbers have declined too. Come to think of it I haven't heard one all year?

We have very few feral cat problems. Our dogs pretty well eliminate everyone they see.

 
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Downeast said:
We seem to have a significant increase in the cowbird population over the last few years. They are nest parasites and are really hard on towhees. And a lot of our warblers have declined too. I read last week that in some areas Chuck-will's Widow numbers have declined too. Come to think of it I haven't heard one all year?

We have very few feral cat problems. Our dogs pretty well eliminate everyone they see.

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Female cowbirds should be shot on site.
 
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Pair of local hawks are back hunting my yard. Was inundated with birds at feeder. Also, squirrels, rabbits, deer fawns, etc. But now it's only the brave left.
Saw this hawk here swoop out of my cherry tree to nab a squirrel, but squirrel easily juked him and went under deck.
Hawk climbed through pickets then jumped up on rail. Squirrel and three of his homies proceeded to mock hawk by playing and running around 5' below him in the grass. Hawk just sat there. Was strange. Keep expecting these four squirrels to become 1 or 2, but they seem to be pretty fearless.

My cats (indoor) want a piece of this hawk so bad. The big one would make short work of it.
The hummingbirds seem unaffected. The Swarm must feed. Hawk gets near sugar water and HB's take it personally. I've seen those little turds chasing the hawks. They are like the Yorkies of the bird world and the hawks can't seem to think fast enough to get one. They fly off screeching, all pissed off.

BIRD WARZ at Casa NKD. As much as I don't want the hawks eating my backyard zoo, I think if I let my cat Yoshi out he'd clear the yard in a couple days of all life, including the hawks!

IMG_9745.jpgIMG_9756.jpg

IMG_9727.jpg
 
Downeast said:
We seem to have a significant increase in the cowbird population over the last few years. They are nest parasites and are really hard on towhees. And a lot of our warblers have declined too. I read last week that in some areas Chuck-will's Widow numbers have declined too. Come to think of it I haven't heard one all year?

We have very few feral cat problems. Our dogs pretty well eliminate everyone they see.

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It’s really weird…

Every cowbird I see, their head or chest instantly explodes and they drop dead. It’s a strange phenomenon!

Same goes for English Sparrows and European Starlings
 
GeorgeBush said:
Havent seen one in a couple weeks. Except this one wren that wakes me up each morning.

Heat? Smoke?
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All is good in Thomasville!

I have a steady stream of Cardinals, House Finches, Gold Finches, White Breasted Nuthatches, Carolina Wrens, Blue Jays, Mourning Doves, Downy Woodpeckers, and Red Bellied Woodpeckers coming to my feeders.

I put out black oil sunflower seeds in two big trough feeders, a tube of economy millet mix, a suet cake, and a bird bath. I think water is the key right now!
 
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