Counting Birds/Exploring Chalet Feeders

Welcome back.  As Project FeederWatch continues,  I hope you have set up a feeder and are participating in this worthwhile project. 

My first two consecutive counting days were November 14th and 15th, and following are the species I observed along with the maximum number of individuals for each (12 Species).

• European Starling (1)
• Blue Jay (3)
• Black-Capped Chickadee (3)
• House Sparrow (12)
• Tufted Titmouse (1)
• House Finch (4)
• White Breasted Nuthatch (1)
• American Goldfinch (2)
• Hairy Woodpecker (1)
• Northern Cardinal (2)
• Downy Woodpecker (2)
• Mourning Dove (1)

This was a good showing of birds for the first week of the season,  There was no snow cover on the days I counted.  A few days later we had about an inch of snow and cold windy conditions, and there was definitely an increase in bird activity.  However, even though you can choose any 2 consecutive days of the week to record your counts, you can't count more often than once per week.

My 2nd count was done on November 21st and 22nd.  The counts were as follows (13 Species):

• European Starling (1)
• Blue Jay (7)
• Black-Capped Chickadee (4)
• House Sparrow (8)
• House Finch (2)
• White Breasted Nuthatch (1)
• American Goldfinch (2)
• Hairy Woodpecker (1)
• Northern Cardinal (2)
• Downy Woodpecker (1)
• Mourning Dove (7)
• American Tree Sparrow (1)
• Dark-Eyed Junco (4)

If you compare the lists, they are almost identical with the exception of the Tufted Titmouse from the first count was replaced by the American Tree Sparrow the second week and also a few Dark-Eyed Juncos made an appearance.  Once we get consistent colder temperatures and snow cover, I expect the number of species to increase.

In my last few posts regarding bird watching, I have been providing information on different bird feeder types.  So far I covered platform and tube feeders.  This week I will talk about chalet type feeders. These feeders typically have a hopper covered by a roof, and two seed troughs to dispense the seed.  I have provided a link if you are interested in purchasing a feeder.

Chalet Feeder

Suet Feeder

I am also showing a different type of suet feeder that I purchased a few years ago.  It is mounted on a garden pole that pushes into the ground.  This feeder was originally designed for a product called "Suet Balls".   I haven't been able to find them lately, so I just break up a normal suet cake into 4 pieces to fill it.

As you can see, I also have suet baskets (deigned to hold a suet cake) on my chalet feeder and the platform one as well.

The chalet feeder, which can be used by both large and small birds, offers several advantages.  First, the hopper holds a fair amount of seed so you won't have to refill as often.  The seed is also protected from the elements especially compared to the platform style feeder.  They can be made from wood, plastic,  and even metal.  They can be hung, pole mounted, or even window sill mounted.

Thanks for reading.  In my next post I will explore eBird, which is also run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  Using eBird, you can submit bird counts anytime, anywhere.

I will leave you with a few photos from this week.

Black-Capped Chickadee

American Goldfinch