In a rare appearance in the Ontario FeederWatch cam, a Northern Shrike arrives at the feeder to interrupt a group of Pine Grosbeaks. These predatory songbirds are also known as "butcher birds" thanks to their proclivity for storing food by impaling their prey, like small mammals, insects, or small songbirds, on spines or barbed wire.
Watch online with highlight clips and information about the birds at http://allaboutbirds.org/feederwatchcam
Thanks to Perky-Pet for helping to make the Ontario FeederWatch Cam possible! Like the feeders you see? Check out their selection at https://www.perkypet.com/store/bird-feeders
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 Haché have been members of Project FeederWatch since 2002, 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—in the winter of 2014, for example, over 750 pounds of sunflower seeds were consumed by the hungry birds!
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.
Learn more and sign up online at http://feederwatch.org
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