[birding] everyone is hungry

[Amber Beck]

It seemed like today everyone was hungry.  We regularly have quite a  
variety of birds at our feeder but  they usually spread out their  
visits through out the day.  They all seem to take shifts.  This  
evening was an execption, after a long cold day filled with snow,  
heavy rain, and wind the birds were all at the feeder at the same  
time.  I rarely see such a crowd of mixed birds at one time.  Within a  
30 min period we had the following:

Evening Grosbeaks
Purple finch
House finch
American goldfinch
Lesser Goldfinch
Juncos
Black Capped Chickadees
Chestnut backed Chickadees
Pine Siskins
Red Breasted Nuthatches
Towhees
Song sparrows


Many of these were all there at the same time with the little birds  
trying to hold their own against the larger ones.  We had a lot of  
snow that fell today even if it didn't stick ( it did stick a few  
short miles away)  so that must have had something to do with it.   
I've got to go refill all the feeders in the  morning!

The Calif. ground squirrels are up and about, there seems to be some  
defining of territory between them and the grey squirrels.

We still only have male Rufus Hummers.

There are now too many newts to count.

Despite the cold and wet winter like weather of last few days the  
animals are still trying to proceed as if it's really spring!

Amber Beck
Scio//Lebanon area