Week of February 6, 2022 – February 12, 2022
by Bridget Jones, Environmental Educator
In winter, humans aren’t the only ones getting outside and enjoying the snow: the bird feeders at Baltimore Woods have seen a flurry of activity this season! Since November, staff members at Baltimore Woods have been participating in Project Feederwatch, an international citizen science project to help bird conservation. Each week, we submit bird counts to Project Feederwatch, where they will be used to track bird populations across the continent. Here are a couple highlights of what we’ve been seeing this season!
Some of our most regular visitors include Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, and White-breasted Nuthatches. These energetic birds typically take a seed and fly away to stash it somewhere safe, or wedge it between tree bark to crack it open.
In the past few weeks, a small flock of White-throated Sparrows has arrived at our feeders. These birds are small but very striking, with bold head stripes and bright yellow forehead markings. They can usually be seen on the ground below the feeders, picking through fallen seeds alongside Dark-eyed Juncos.
Downy Woodpeckers and Red-bellied Woodpeckers frequently visit the suet feeders. Up close, you can see the red blush on the underside of the Red-bellied Woodpecker, which is often obscured from a distance. Just a few days ago, a Pileated Woodpecker was spotted at the suet feeder!
These are only some of the amazing birds we’ve seen at our feeders so far this winter. Have you seen any interesting winter birds recently, either out on a walk or at neighborhood feeders?