Tweeters,

When the cold weather causes the marshes and small ponds to freeze over, it
forces the waterfowl that normally inhabit those areas into deeper or gently
flowing open water. This really concentrates the waterfowl in certain
locations. It makes it much easier to see / photograph Wood Ducks and other
that normally like to stay hidden in the dense stuff along the edges.

Rick

Rick Taylor
Everett, WA
-----Original Message-----
From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Deborah
West
Sent: Saturday, February 08, 2014 8:01 PM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Tweeters] Pros and Cons of Cold Weather and Birds

The cold weather has many appealing aspects to it as well as a few
downsides.

Pro:

1. Many more birds at the feeds including a yellow-rumped warbler, two
Townsend's warblers, a Bewick's wren, a ruby-crowned kinglet, twenty plus
Bushtits, several Anna's hummingbirds, many juncos, numerous Black-capped
and Chestnut-backed chickadees, red-breasted nuthatches,spotted towhees,
song sparrows, fox sparrows, and golden-crowned sparrows, robins, red-winged
blackbirds, and Northern flicker.

2. No Eastern Gray squirrels!

3. Easy viewing of the birds at Capitol Lake while it is drained.

Con:

1. Starlings descended along with the red-winged blackbirds and monopolized
the suet feeders. The juncos, however, loved the rain of suet.

2. Capitol Lake was drained to tried to kill the New Zealand Mud Snails.
Waterfowl seem to leave and not come back when this happens. (On the other
hand, those which hang around are easy to spot since they concentrate around
the remaining water.)

3. I have gone through much more suet than usual.


It has now warmed up to 30 degrees and a squirrel has returned, which is
unfortunate. It has started to snow--so far a little more than 1 1/2 inches.
Maybe this will encourage the varied thrushes to visit again.


Deborah West
Olympia
olyclarinetatgmaildotcom_______________________________________________
Tweeters mailing list
Tweeters at u.washington.edu
http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters