A white-throated sparrow sits in winter branches. Their bright, lively call is commonly heard in backyards.
From our Naturalist, Rosetta
You’ve probably seen numerous reports that, due to the pandemic, the year 2020 has become the year of the bird watcher. Many people have taken to bird-watching in their back yards. Some have taken it quite seriously and have purchased field guides, binoculars, and cameras with telephoto lenses. Still others have even become [gulp!] listers, keeping track of when and where they’ve encountered every species for the first time. If you want to join this effort, you don’t have to go far to find them: approximately 490 different bird species can be found in the State of New Jersey. More than 285 species have been found in the parts of Bergen and Hudson counties surrounding the NJ Meadowlands alone!
Bird-watching is a good way to spend your time, especially during a pandemic. Being outdoors is not only a safer place to be, but it’s good for you. Not only are you learning about the birds that live in our region, you can benefit from the outdoor exercise you get while learning things about nature in general. The increased interest in our feathered friends is a benefit to the birds, as well. As they get to know and observe the birds around them, people become better stewards of their natural spaces, creating and enhancing habitats that support more wildlife.
The arrival of winter does not mean that we should go inside and stop watching birds. Many of them are here year-round and you can continue to enjoy them, even in your own back yards. Since the winter of 2004, Flat Rock Brook has participated in Project FeederWatch, a citizen science project run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. FeederWatch is a November through April survey of birds that visit backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. Data have been collected from FeederWatchers throughout North America since the mid-1980s. The data help scientists understand trends in bird distribution and abundance.
For the past few years at Flat Rock, we have upgraded the feeders outside of our exhibit room in the hopes of increasing the diversity of species visiting the feeders and helping more birds make it through the winter. Two years ago, 20 different bird species visited our feeders outside the exhibit room. Last year, we observed 18 species, though we cut the counting season short when we closed the center in Mid-March. In the five weeks of observation this year, we have already observed 16 different species at the feeders.
We currently have 2 tube feeders and a platform feeder with a mix of bird seed that attracts a variety of species, 2 finch feeders with nyjer (thistle) seed, 2 shelled peanut feeders, 3 suet feeders and one log feeder. As you can see from the photo of the site, the feeders hang from metal poles or from a line on which empty soda bottles are strung to discourage squirrels from taking the food away from the birds. (Don’t worry, squirrel lovers: those pesky little rodents get plenty of food that the birds spill on the ground!)
Have you already joined the trend and started watching birds in your back yard and beyond? Would you like to do more? It's not too late to join Project FeederWatch for the 2020-21 season and contribute to science. Not sure what kinds of feeders and seed to buy? Check out this handy guide by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology or Wild Birds Unlimited. And remember, Flat Rock Brook members get 10% off purchases at Wild Birds Unlimited on Rt. 7, Paramus.
Click on the pictures below to learn more about birds and feeders.
