Date: 3/19/26 6:11 am From: Grove, Deborah Shuey <dsg4...> Subject: Project Feederwatch March 17-18
For 36 years I have been using Project Feederwatch sponsored by Cornell Ornithology Lab to document birds at our feeders. Here at our house on the ridge near Huntingdon where we have been for 13 years, we have had an up and down winter. This PF entry is over 2 days and counts must have 5 days in between.
This is the first year since we moved here that we have had Pileated Woodpeckers visit the suet feeders. They are no stranger to the yard as they have been busy on the trees, excavating several. And one day two were present although we did not see two during this two day period.
Two counts in January had 55 and 65 Purple Finch. This plunged to 8 in February but American Goldfinch soared with about 100 and with this most recent count, I tried to count and 300 was my best estimate. I could hear the loud sound of their chirping inside even with the house closed up. Cars going by at 40 feet away caused them to lift off nearly every time.
The Sapsucker has been present nearly every count. We rarely have Starlings but they started to visit at the end of February. Red-winged Blackbirds are on time too with the beginning of March and now Common Grackles and Brown-headed Cowbirds in mid-March. The Cowbirds hang around all year. However, the number of Common Grackles counted in previous Feederwatches has always been no more than 1! It seems as if a roving band has found us this time. There is a large number that nest about a mile away.
Dark-eyed Juncos were higher in January peaking at 100 and 220. The number has fallen since then.
Cooper’s Hawk has been only a few occasions.
Some days Greg fills the 5 tube feeders and 2 platform feeders twice a day and I won’t even venture a number of how much we have spent on black oil sunflower seed and white millet.
21 species
Mourning Dove 22
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
European Starling 8
Purple Finch 6
American Goldfinch 300 best estimate.
Dark-eyed Junco 55
White-throated Sparrow 1
Red-winged Blackbird 15
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
Common Grackle 50
Northern Cardinal 2
