tthis year, thhe usual batches of cardinals that live in the brushy woods and live large on our feeders, are not here. When we usually have 20 or more in our small yard, this year weve only seen a pair.
on the Monday after Christmas we went over to the Conowingo Dam and saw about 40 bald eagles, the good news was that most of them were immatures.
Weve got a huge herd of blackbacks living on the fields along with the growing population of snow geese.
While we have plenty (thousands) of Canada Geese, the snow geese only started wintering around here since the early 90s. This winter, they are the only "white" we have on the ground
That's odd. Where the hell are the cardinals?
Thanks to mechanical agriculture which leaves a lot of corn for enterprising birds, Canada geese are not migrating the way they used to.
In many areas this is becoming a major problem. The tender grass on soccer fields means that the soccer fields are covered with goose droppings. The geese who wintered on the gleaned corn are celebrating springtime by plucking the sprouting corn stalks.
As for the missing cardinals--perhaps birds who came south to your feeders are taking their chances wintering further north? Or their northern nesting areas could have been "developed". Cardinals do well in established suburbs, but the naked new developments are not hospitable for songbirds--no cover.
Here's a link to a couple of local stories on this year's Christmas Bird Count
http://www.northcoastjournal.com/123004/cover1230.html
Oddly, I had a cardinal in my back yard in the city. I don't think I have ever seen one here before. Also, there must be a hawk in the neighborhood again, I found a pigeon (I think) carcass in my back yard as well.
I hear the bald eagle is back at the lakes, but I haven't seen him yet muself.
littek if it's a hawk that got your pigeon it would be a Peregrine Falcon, a pretty neet bird! What about a cat though? I've never seen a falcon kill but when a Sharp Shin Hawk catches a small bird he plucks it and leaves a pile of feathers.
Little known fact: there are plenty of peregrine falcons in Boston, though you don't see them that often. I saw one roosting inside the Ruggles St. MBTA station once a couple of years ago, way up in the rafters. When I was living in a high rise on Mission Hill (19th floor), one used to come and sit on my porch railing from time to time.
I have a peregrine falcon who makes occasional stops at my bird feeders. Not only is he partial to goldfinch, she'll eat an occasional sunflower seed.
i KNEW WE HAD p fALCONS IN THE AREA (THANKS TO bOBSMYTH) Oops, cat hit the allcaps key. I didn't know they were in the city. I'll watch for them more carefully. I do know we have a periodic visit from a red tail or shouldered hawk (never can tell them apart). I watched him shred a squirrel a couple years ago. I assume that the thing that got this little bird was a hawk as there were no prints in the snow, no blood in the snow around it. And, the bones (what was left of them) were picked super-clean.
Hi Littlek. There's a pair of peregrines that have a nesting site on top of the Custom House building. There's another peregrine reported in Boston but haven't heard of a mate. I've been seeing a Coopers hawk up in Nahant. That's a medium sized accipiter (woods hawk with long narrow tail designed for maneuvarability through trees). Larger and smaller accipiters are the goshawk and the sharp shinned hawk.
Ooooh, thanks, I'll have to try and get out to see that pair.
I've always wanted to go inside that building, turns out they have tours!
Your best opportunity would probably be Boston Common. There have been sundry reports of them scooping one up for lunch there.
Hmmmm, so lunchtime is a likely time to see them?
Pigeons gather en masse anytime people cast food about which is common on the commom. Makes them wonderful targets. Yummy!
ooooohhhh, I can stack the odds in my favor by feeding the pigeons....? nooo, I couldn't do that. Maybe I'll find someone else who's feeding pigeons and sit by them.
Pigeons are actually very interesting birds. Their true name is rock dove. Many people have stated to me that they've never seen a baby pigeon when in fact they have. They just don't know it as the baby is full size when it fledges and leaves the nest. The only indication that they're new to the world is behavior. You'll see them crying for food as they are inexperienced at procuring it for themselves. They'll follow adults around hoping that their food will be shared as it was in the nest. Good luck baby pigeon. Bend the beak and get it yourself. The bobbing head is a result of having eyes set so far apart on their heads that they can see 360 degrees. But with that ability which allows them see predators sneaking up on them they don't have binocular vision. Hence the bobbing supplies with a near and far location with the object being in between. That way they know where to strike with the beak to cature the doomed seed.
"eyes in front, born to hunt'
eyes on the side, run and hide".
--no idea who said this
Anotthher pont tthatt I was told (cant swear to itts veracity)-a pergrine's eyessight is so sharp that it could read a newspaper from 1000 m away.
Hi, Bob! I've certainly seen a pigeon hatchling. On that same balcony that the peregrine used to perch from time to time, a rock dove once decided to hatch an egg. True story. We tolerated her and her newborn by not even opening the sliding door to the balcony, 19 stories above street level, until the li'l critter and momma both flew away. About five years back.
Addendum: during that time, the falcon was not seen in the area. Strange coincidence.
Hawk Mountaain has published its fall "birds of prey" count on its web site. Alsso, propeerty owners in the home area of the kestrel should help by building nest boxes. Ive got one on my barn and its been occupied this last year even though wee have a larger hawk whose taken up residence in a reetired silo.
HAWK MOUNTAIN PAGE
