Project FeederWatch Week 1

Project FeederWatch began for me on Sunday, Nov. 13.  If you don't know what PFW is, it is a project that the Cornell Lab of Ornithology sponsors where they ask people will feeders across the U.S. and Canada to record the highest number at a given time of all the species that come to anything the participants have put up for birds in their yard.  I watch my feeders, birdbath and brush pile for bird species.  Participants pick two consecutive days to watch their feeders as much as they can.  Then the reports are sent to Cornell where they compile them.  They are able to monitor the populations of individual species, watch how different species are spreading across the U.S. and Canada or how they are declining and get an idea of different migration patterns.  It's fun to know the information I get from my little spot is helping the scientists understand birds a little better. 

My first week of PFW was a good one.  Despite the birds not coming to the feeders in the same abundance as they did in the summer, I recorded 15 species.  That is the highest first week species count since I've been participating in 2009/2010.  The species were: Eurasian Collared-Dove (3), White-winged Dove (12), Mourning Dove (2), Red-bellied Woodpecker (2), Blue Jay (2), Carolina Chickadee (2), Carolina Wren (2), Northern Mockingbird (1), Yellow-rumped Warbler (1), Song Sparrow (1), Northern Cardinal (3), Red-winged Blackbird (2), Common Grackle (2), House Sparrow (6) and Brown Thrasher (1).

I was a little worried that my numbers were going to be down this year because my feeders in the woods are inactive.  I cannot keep the raccoons (I'm assuming it's raccoons) out of them.  I bought a BirdCam with a flash so I can put it down there at night to see how they're getting into the feeders to see if I can outsmart them.  So far the score is Raccoons - 5, Paul - 0.  Hopefully I can keep them out of the feeders and have them active as well to keep track of the birds visiting down in the woods.