Where have all the redpolls gone, long time passing ...

One of those picky nuthatches.

How things change over the course of a year. Last year at this time I had gone through two and a half 40-pound bags of sunflower seeds feeding a horde of redpolls mostly. Eventually I used 11 bags.

Alaska version of an angry bird.

Pine grosbeak.

So here we are a year later in mid January and I haven't even used half a bag yet. There are decidedly fewer birds around my feeders this year. And there hasn't been one redpoll. Last year there were often a couple hundred in the yard. This year it’s been mostly chickadees and nuthatches, although a few juncoes have shown up and once or twice a week a flock of maybe six pine grosbeaks. A hairy woodpecker has dropped by a time or two also. One reason for the low numbers could be somebody else in the neighborhood is feeding them or for one reason or another the numbers are just down. There's also the possibility natural foods may be more available this year. I've noticed the most birds show up when the temperature drops below zero.

And then, just to prove my theory is all wet, it is about 38 degrees out right now and maybe a dozen chickadees are fussing around the feeders.

At any rate, the costs are down and though I would rather have the birds, I don't mind not shelling out $37 a week to feed them.

 Putting up a couple of pictures just to show who's been around.

The situation last year at this time.