April 03, 2013
The Last Count for Feeder Watch Cam
The count this week marks the last one for the season. Although no spring migrants have yet arrived, there has been lots of activity as the birds continue to pair up and defend territories. The Pine Grosbeaks have been singing more around the feeder and males have been competing for mates. This week saw an increase in Redpoll numbers, possibly due to the blizzard over the Easter weekend. Ruffed Grouse continue to visit the feeders and have been joined by a few crows. A couple of European Starlings have also made an appearance. A big thanks to the Hache’s for hosting such a fun and dynamic feeder for Project Feeder Watch! More...
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March 27, 2013
Woodpeckers Fight it Out at the Feeder Watch Cam
As the northward moving Pine Grosbeaks and Redpolls decrease in number, this week finds a flurry of woodpecker activity at the Feeder Watch Cam. There are two pairs of Hairy Woodpeckers and at least one pair, possibly two, of Downy Woodpeckers all competing for the Feeder Watch Cam bounty! There have been lots of American Crows and the arrival of various Sparrows, Purple Finches and Dark Eyed Juncos are expected any day now. More...
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March 20, 2013
Crows and Other Couples at Feeder Watch Cam
The Feeder Watch Cam birds are coupling up as spring approaches. A pair of crows has returned every spring for the last 5+ years and nest in the nearby woods. In the last couple of weeks the crows are back and are currently probably busy nest building. There are still lots of Redpolls around, but they should start moving northwards in the coming weeks to their breeding areas. More...
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February 11, 2013
Two Ruffed Grouse Visit the FeederWatch Cam
These two are happy to take their time enjoying everything that the FeederWatch Cam has to offer!
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January 21, 2013
Pine Grosbeaks in the Sun
A group of Pine Grosbeaks visits the feeding station in Manitouwadge, Ontario on a sunny day.
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January 03, 2013
Pine Grosbeaks & Redpolls Galore
A pair of Pine Grosbeaks and a flock of redpolls compete with sun and snow for the camera's attention on January 3, 2013 at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's FeederWatch Cam in Ontario, Canada.
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The Last Count for Feeder Watch Cam
The count this week marks the last one for the season. Although no spring migrants have yet arrived, there has been lots of activity as the birds continue to pair up and defend territories. The Pine Grosbeaks have been singing more around the feeder and males have been competing for mates. This week saw an increase in Redpoll numbers, possibly due to the blizzard over the Easter weekend. Ruffed Grouse continue to visit the feeders and have been joined by a few crows. A couple of European Starlings have also made an appearance. A big thanks to the Hache’s for hosting such a fun and dynamic feeder for Project Feeder Watch! More...
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View all 14 Comments
Woodpeckers Fight it Out at the Feeder Watch Cam
As the northward moving Pine Grosbeaks and Redpolls decrease in number, this week finds a flurry of woodpecker activity at the Feeder Watch Cam. There are two pairs of Hairy Woodpeckers and at least one pair, possibly two, of Downy Woodpeckers all competing for the Feeder Watch Cam bounty! There have been lots of American Crows and the arrival of various Sparrows, Purple Finches and Dark Eyed Juncos are expected any day now. More...
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View all 9 Comments
Crows and Other Couples at Feeder Watch Cam
The Feeder Watch Cam birds are coupling up as spring approaches. A pair of crows has returned every spring for the last 5+ years and nest in the nearby woods. In the last couple of weeks the crows are back and are currently probably busy nest building. There are still lots of Redpolls around, but they should start moving northwards in the coming weeks to their breeding areas. More...
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View all 18 Comments
Commonly Seen Species
Common Redpoll
Common Redpolls are brown and white birds with heavily streaked sides. Look for a small red forehead patch, black feathering around a yellow bill, and two white wingbars. Males have a pale red vest on the chest and upper flanks. More
Hoary Redpoll
A small pale bird of the high Arctic, the Hoary Redpoll is a rare winter visitor to southern Canada and the northern United States. Compared to a Common Redpoll, Hoarys are paler with faint, almost nonexistent streaking on the sides, a smaller-looking bill, and an overall stockier appearance. More
Pine Grosbeak
Male Pine Grosbeaks have a pinkish-red head, breast, back and rump. Their wings are dark blackish brown with white wingbars and tertial edges. Females are yellowish olive on their head and rump with gray underparts and back. More
Hairy Woodpecker
A medium-sized black and white woodpecker with a fairly square head, a long, straight, chisel-like bill, and stiff, long tail feathers to lean against on tree trunks. The bill is nearly the same length as the head, and males have a flash of red on the back of the head. More
Downy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpeckers are small black and white versions of the classic woodpecker body plan. They have a straight, chisel-like bill, blocky head, wide shoulders, and straight-backed posture as they lean away from tree limbs and onto their tail feathers. The bill tends to look smaller for the bird’s size than in other woodpeckers. More
Black-capped Chickadee
A bird almost universally considered “cute” thanks to its oversized round head, tiny body, and curiosity about everything, including humans. The chickadee’s black cap and bib; white cheeks; gray back, wings, and tail; and whitish underside with buffy sides are distinctive. More
Gray Jay
Gray Jays are dark gray above and light gray below, with black on the back of the head forming a partial hood. Juveniles are grayish black overall, and usually show a pale gape at the base of the bill. They are stocky, fairly large songbirds with short, stout bills, round heads, and long tails. More
About the Site
The FeederWatch cam is located in a residential neighborhood in Manitouwadge, Ontario. This northern site is an excellent location to see winter finches like redpolls and grosbeaks as well as two species of Jays and even Ruffed Grouse! The feeders sit in the middle of a large backyard with a large birch tree that the birds love, as well as a mixed stand of conifers and several fruit and berry producing shrubs. There’s a small swamp just beyond the backyard as well as larger stands of woods and a small lake.
The feeder system is the product of the camera hosts’ ingenuity, making use of plastic piping to support the feeders high enough above ground to foil the occasional squirrel, and a rotating set of feeders that provide black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer seed, whole and shelled peanuts, and peanut butter suet in a homemade hanging log to the dozens of species that visit.
About the Hosts
Tammie and Ben Hache have been members of Project FeederWatch for 10 years, meticulously counting their backyard birds to help better understand what birds are doing throughout the winter. The years of FeederWatching have brought amazing views to the Haches; some of the highlights included counts with over 200 Evening Grosbeaks seen at once, high counts of 20+ Hoary Redpolls, an extremely out-of-range White-winged Dove, and the constant buzzing of hummingbirds in the summer. A winter of bird feeding requires a lot of food, too—last year over 750 lb of sunflower seeds were consumed by the hungry birds!
The Haches began livestreaming from their backyard in the Spring of 2011 for Project FeederWatch and have transitioned onto the new Bird Cams platform for the remainder of the 2012-2013 FeederWatch season.
About Project FeederWatch
Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatchers periodically count the birds they see at their feeders from November through early April and send their counts to Project FeederWatch. FeederWatch data help scientists track broadscale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance.
Anyone with an interest in birds can participate in Project FeederWatch! There are people of all skill levels and backgrounds conducting FeederWatch counts, including children, families, individuals, classrooms, retired persons, youth groups, nature centers, and bird clubs.
