Date: 1/7/26 8:08 am From: Wild Birds Unlimited <wbulittlerock...> Subject: Re: Still very few birds!
I know I am preaching to the choir here, but for birds to be more active at feeders in the winter, it has to be cold...and wet. While we have had some cold spells, we have not had continuous cold and we are lacking in rain. Rain, in particular, causes seeds, nuts and berries to decay lessening food supplies while cold requires animals in general to consume more calories to stay warm. So long as there are natural food sources available and the temps are high enough that it requires fewer calories to maintain body temperature, we will see fewer birds, particularly at the feeders. Incidentally, warmer temps also mean more insect activity, another natural food source for most birds. Case in point...I live in an apartment, and as I walk into my building, there are a lot of WTS in the brush near the parking lot, but not that many at my feeders on the other side of the building. They are here, they just don't need the food we are providing and are content to forage for seeds, berries and insects in the relative safety of brushy cover. In general, though, my birds are fairly active, emptying my feeders in less than a week. Now, if we get a good snow or have some extended cold weather, it will be every day or two, but my regulars are still eating.
Happy Birding!
John Sommer
Wild Birds Unlimited - Little Rock
1818 N Taylor Street
Little Rock, AR 82207
501.666.4210
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From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Carol Joan Patterson <0000003a0ccbe138-dmarc-request...>
Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 7:49 PM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: Still very few birds!
I haven't been online since December, so I'm just seeing these emails - skimming, playing 'catch-up'. But my quick reads hit a tender spot. We have been seeing much fewer birds this winter. Only a handful of White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos, no others. Cardinals much less than usual. Usually our feeder area is crowded with birds.
We have a new neighbor who has been cutting down pine trees and constructing a sort of race track for off-road vehicles - Roar! Roar! Roar! at all hours. Thought it could be due to that - or the deer or squirrels....
On Tuesday, December 30, 2025 at 03:25:40 PM CST, tamalyn wortham <tamalynwortham58...> wrote:
I have this same issue and no matter the weather I have always had doves and a lot of white throated sparrows. I have zero doves since dove season started and only had four beforehand. This is the first time in 27 years that we have no doves at our feeders. My cardinals are down in number too. It could be because the ground isn’t covered in snow or ice for some but not the doves.
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On Dec 30, 2025, at 11:27 AM, Lynn Foster <lfoster5211...> wrote:
Yes, I'm experiencing fewer winter birds as well. I have the year-round birds you listed and in addition I have cardinals, doves, and house finches in their usual numbers. But I've had no bluejays in my yard since August or September, and that is a first. Nor do I hear them. My neighbor down the road is experiencing the same thing.
My winter birds so far are white-throated sparrows, juncos, goldfinches, and at least one ruby-crowned kinglet. Merlin says I have a yellow-rumped warbler. I usually see brown-headed nuthatches but have not so far. I sometimes see a yellow-bellied sapsucker and hear a hermit thrush but have not yet. If it snows, I will get huge flocks of birds in my yard, along with even more species, at least that has been the case in past years.
I'm hoping it's because of the warmer weather and late fall. But I fear the reason is decreasing bird populations.
Lynn Foster
Pulaski County near Pinnacle Mtn
On Mon, Dec 29, 2025 at 4:21 PM Debra Balicki <debandronb...><mailto:<debandronb...>> wrote:
I am perplexed and concerned about the lack of winter birds at my home. I live in Montgomery County about a mile from the Garland County line in the Ouachita Forest. I have a few white- throated sparrows, one or two juncos, one goldfinch that I see occasionally. I do still have chickadees, titmice, wrens and white breasted nuthatches along with red bellied woodpeckers, but I don’t even see cardinals or doves anymore. Even the house finches are scarcer. In past years I have had flocks of wintering birds here . Is anyone else experiencing this?
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