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Hit 27 different species in my backyard last Saturday in Ohio
I was just out refilling my tube feeder around 4 PM and decided to actually count what showed up before dark. Ended up seeing 27 different kinds of birds in about two hours, including a red-bellied woodpecker I rarely spot here. I've been tossing out black oil sunflower seeds for a few years but never bothered to tally things up before. Has anyone else done a full count and been surprised by how many species visit their yard regularly?
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ben8275mo ago
Count me as the guy who thinks you might be overthinking a backyard birdwatching session. I mean, 27 species in two hours? That sounds like you were either staring out the window like it was your job or you've got some kind of magical bird magnet backyard. I've got feeders too and I'm lucky if I see a cardinal and a few sparrows before the squirrels chase everything off. But hey, if keeping a tally makes you feel like you're conducting serious science, more power to you. Just don't expect the rest of us to start taking notes every time a finch shows up.
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harris.uma5mo ago
Have you tried putting out different types of feeders and food to bring in more variety? I used to think my yard was boring too until I added a thistle sock for finches and a suet block for woodpeckers. That simple change turned things around for me and now I see chickadees, nuthatches, and even the occasional flicker. You might also want to scatter some cracked corn on the ground for sparrows and doves, which usually frees up the hanging feeders for the shyer birds.
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