Why are birds not visiting my yard right now?

It's absolutely normal. It's nothing you've done, or are not doing. In a week or two it'll be totally different.



Chickadee on sumac

Starting around the end of September and continuing right now, plants are setting seed in dozens and dozens of forms.  You see native grasses producing "plumes", acorns and pecans litter landscapes everywhere, and all our native flowers have "gone to seed". This cornucopia of fresh seed is more enticing to wild birds than anything you could buy in a store. It's as fresh as it can get! So this is where the birds are, not at feeders.

When we get a hard freeze in north Texas (and/or ice storm or snowfall) they'll flock to your feeders enthusiastically. It's important to be ready now, since wild birds will need seed instantly, and won't wait around a day or two - they'll just go to somebody else's feeder.

The leaves on the ground also attract birds, insectivores mainly. The dead leaves harbor millions of tiny bugs. Birds pick through them endlessly for food.

In ensuing years you might want to keep birds in your area by planting what I call "birdscape" plants in your yard.  These plants produce seed reliably and in abundance, and provide totally fresh food for birds throughout the fall. The plants are native to this part of Texas, so the very best time to plant them is now (of course you won't see any top-growth until spring, but the roots will be growing like crazy). I'd be glad to send you a list of these plants if you send me your e-mail address.


[Actually, the above is in response to a question I got recently from a friend.  I thought many of you might have the same worry}

A simple change in thinking attracts Chickadees to your yard

Chickadee eggs in stump

North Texas' kind of Chickadees (Carolina Chickadee) like to nest in old trees. Right now is not nesting season, but it's a time when lots of trees are taken down. You can remove trees in such a way as to make them inviting for nesting Chickadees in the future (as well as several other native species).

Chickadees really like the exposed inner core of fallen trees. This core is soft and decomposes faster than the rest of the tree. So it makes a slight depression. In nature, this may be result of a windstorm, forest fire or equivalent. In your yard, if you plan on felling a tree, consider leaving a tall stump (4 to 10 feet) to attract Chickadees.




 IT SAYS ITS OWN NAME    The American common name "Chickadee" is "onomotopoetic". It's what the early settlers heard the bird saying, so that's what they called it. It says "chick-a-dee-dee"

There may be one or more "dee"s at the end of a Chickadee's call. Some research says that the number of "dee"s indicates to other birds the proximity of danger, and its nearness.












gggggdrefe

 

Who among us mistakenly killed a bird recently?

      The same sort of thing goes for rubber bands, bread wrapper "twisties", gift ribbons, packing peanuts and the like. Use your head - we share this world.
 

Boreal birds could visit us again

Red-breasted Nuthatch

A few years ago, north Texas was treated to an influx of Red-breasted Nuthatches. It happens every few years. These were from the vast evergreen forests of Canada and the northern U.S. known as the Boreal Forest, a huge forest that's home to over 300 species of birds, including Nuthatches. You can usually identify them climbing headfirst down tree trunks, probing the bark for bugs.

 

Nobody knows precisely why some species fly to more southern areas for the winter; and why Nuthatches sometimes winter here, versus (for instance) Arkansas.  But be prepared for more visits from several “boreal” species this coming fall.

 

 

Can you breathe and sing at the same time?

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Birds can.  Birds sing through a branched organ called a “syrinx”. Each branch can be controlled independently. So birds can produce two different sounds at the same time. Birds also have a specialized breathing system. They can inhale and exhale (perhaps through the syrinx) since they can manipulate air sacs and lungs independently.

 

 

calling them "buzzards" might be because you watched a lot of old movies



Black Vulture & Turkey Vulture  (not "buzzards")

      In North America, the vulture is purely a scavenger (road kill and such), never killing a healthy, live animal. A similar word grew out of European mythology. The word “buzzard” originated (improperly) from “busart” in French, and “buteo” – a Latin term for a hawk; a large bird which happens to soar like many other birds. The early settlers of this continent (being largely uneducated) knew only the improper term “buzzard” and applied it to any large soaring bird, including the Red-tailed Hawk, Condor and Turkey Vulture (which certainly isn’t a “buzzard”) merely because they scavenged meat. The only true buzzard is a type of hawk native to Europe. However, many Hollywood films imprinted this error onto audiences, and the improper use of “buzzard” persists in everyday speech.

If we didn't have Vultures around we'd be up to our ankles in roadkill. To my way of thinking, calling these birds "buzzards" is an insult to these gracefully-flying and necessary birds.

 

Here comes the Eurasian Collared Dove

Eurasian Collared Dove

A bird that’s rapidly becoming at home in north Texas is the Eurasian Collared Dove.  Prior to the mid ‘80s, it wasn’t even in most field guides. But after it was introduced to the Bahamas in the ‘70s, it quickly spread out and is now one of the most frequently-seen birds in the southeast, and is expanding its range westward. It was first reported in the U.S. in 1982 - just north of Miami. Interestingly, there is actually an increase in the native dove populations when this non-native dove takes up residence.  In north Texas, that includes the Mourning Doves.

 
A Mocker’s diet     About half the diet of a Northern Mockingbird (our state bird!)  is fruits and berries. The other half is insects (including insect-flavored suet, sometimes). The Mockingbird won’t ever eat at a seed feeder, although it may hang around the same area. As a practicing Landscape Architect in Texas, I’ve seen that they’re partial to native hollies, beautyberry, agarita, soapberry and Mexican plum.

 

 

Seen any of these "urban birds" lately?

House Finch

There are more birds living in and around north Texas cities than you may think. Especially since there is far less "rural" land now, and more and more built-up land. Of course all of these species won’t be in all yards. And some birds (like Goldfinches & Juncos) are winter-only, while others (like Orioles & Swallows) are summer-only. These are the most numerous year-‘round urban birds; 

□House Finch Sometimes called a red-headed “Hollywood Finch”

□Red-winged Blackbird Travels and feeds in large flocks

□American Crow Extremely intelligent, for a bird

□American Robin Actually lives here year-‘round

□European Starling Not a native bird; imported from Europe 

□House Sparrow Not a true North American sparrow

□Dove Several species, all with memorable songs

□Killdeer Likes to nest on ground, near pavement

□Rock Pigeon Well-adapted to city life

□Carolina Chickadee Small, inquisitive bird

□Tufted Titmouse Takes readily to birdhouses

□Grackle Their range is expanding northward

□Wren Several species of this active, loud bird

□Northern Mockingbird Official state bird of Texas;  eats bugs

□Blue Jay Large, noisy bird that loves nuts

Killdeer

While it's certainly not winter here yet, a few of north Texas' "winter birds" have already arrived. Readers tell me they've seen Juncos, Flickers, Chipping Sparrows, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Orange-crowned Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets.         In my own yard I've seen some of these plus several White-throated Sparrows.