Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations No birds. Severe winter coming?

In another thread, Wood mentions his extremely early snow. It brings up an observation I have. My land is about 50 miles south of the Texas/Oklahoma border. Almost all birds life has decamped, I assume, south for the winter. This just doesn't happen here. We still have temperature in the upper 80's and low 90's. We generally have a fair number of sparrows and other birds year round. I dumped a 5 gallon bucket of bird seed under my front yard feeder instead of filling it. Nothing is messing with it. Went dove hunting yesterday and saw only 4 doves and 3 or 4 crows. We have had our wettest summer on record and only one day over 100 degrees. I thought maybe unseasonably cool weather had sent them south early but I always thought that length of the day influenced their migration patterns. Anyone else seeing similar things?

Still have a ton of birds here in North Alabama, had an extremely dry summer at least in my neck of the woods and one of the coolest on record haven't had a day over 100 yet. Hummingbirds are still attacking the feeders and each other normally when they get ready to head south they will let each others feed at the same time but not yet. The wolly worms range from all brown to all black and every thickness of stripe in between so can't tell from the stripe yet. See a ton of doves flying over the yard and the hay fields beside me course there will be 15 less at about 12:30 tomorrow season starts at noon! Just my observations.

Bob, I wonder if you are seeing a ton of birds because of the earlier Tennessee season pushing them south. We opened up on them September 1st. Most everybody around here hits them hard the first week and by now has about quit. Also, its interesting that you have had a dry summer. I am less than 30 miles from the Alabama line and until the last week or so we have had a VERY wet and cool summer. In fact, my yard has yet to turn brown and is still requiring a weekly mowing. It has also been delaying the completion of our pond. Looks like we are in for a dry stretch now though.

Well not sure because at the house I have had about 5 inches of rain since June 1st. But here in Huntsville at work 45 miles away I have had about 15 or so. Have seen lots of rain track through the NW corner of the state and into lower Tennessee but all we get is clouds. Had one day 2 Saturdays ago that the school track team had a car wash in town about 7 miles from the house and the wife and daughter got soaked by rain and not a drop at my place! My pond is down 3 ft now about 2' from no rain and decided I wanted to go ahead and work the banks with the tractor and dirt scoop so I pumped another foot out.

Opening of dove season was great. We had a cool front puch through and now you can't buy a dove. I hope that some teal are getting pushed down for the opening next weekend.

Most of my other birds other than cow birds are gone.

We have had our coolest summer ever in Wisconsin and many of the birds have been flocking to go south since mid August. I made comments to a lot of people that tend not to notice these things. They are very early this year. The robins have been gone for weeks and even left nests with eggs in them.

I am surprised that anyone else noticed.
Most people around here don't watch that closely.

I'd say things are about normal around my place. Except for all the rain. Wettest summer I can remember. Weeds growing real good! Not had as many birds around the feeder this summer I think due to all the weed seeds!
Robins are gone but that's normal. Seeing alot of Canada's. Starting to see some ducks.

thats funny.. i havent seen many birds at my place either, (winchester tx.)- although i did see a comarant last weekend!.. walked up on him on my bluegill pond (.5ac, 200#stren feeder/bgill only)..i think he was as surprised to see me as i was him... he's lucky i was'nt packin my heat!..ahahah..

chris

Christopher,

You dropped some bad news on the sighting of a cormorant. We don't usually see them until first week in November in East Texas. I hope you were seeing a loner and not the returning migration. Otherwise, it will be a long winter for us pondmisters.

Anyone else seeing the return of the predator cormorant?

Meadowlark, the migration has just started up here. The herons, cormorants, and pelicans are still at the local lakes. Geese are staging in grain fields getting fat. I did see some sandhill cranes flying pretty high yesterday and some bald eagles are just starting to move around. The trees are in fall colors with night time temps around 25f. The grouse are drumming and the moose are everywhere. Won't be long now.

meadowlark, i think he was a loner. and now that you mention heron's, i walked up on a huge white one that same weekend on that same small lake!!..arrrg... .22 is sighted and ready!!

chris

I'm not that good....12 guage for me does the trick

i sighted the 22 on a goose head target at 75 yards. don't want no honking. i don't like geese. anyways , Dave might be on something with the birds. i usally see flocks of robins , here and there ,stop by and eat in the yard. i've only seen one flock so far this year , strange. mother nature owes us a nice warm , dry , long fall.

Funny you should mention Robins Ken. Saturday I woke up to 30 or more in my backyard. I have never seen that many at one time around here. 1 hour later they were all gone. Since then I might see one or two at a time. After such a mild summer I wouldnt be the least surprised to see mother nature "make it up" to us this winter.

The bird activity around here is normal, wish I could say the same about the snakes. We have never in all the years we have been here seen so many cotton mouth snakes, in an average year I might kill three or four around the house but this year its close to twenty.