by David and Pam Durrant ·
Friday, February 20, 2026
A red-breasted nuthatch. (Photo courtesy Cephas, Wikipedia Commons)
Winter is a great time to hone your bird identification skills. Sitting in a warm house gives you plenty of time to study the birds at your feeder. Cornell University has a great program called Project FeederWatch to encourage focused observation over time. This is the 39th season of Project FeederWatch (feederwatch.org). There is still time to sign up.
A citizen science project, Project FeederWatch is a November to April survey of birds that visit backyards. Cornell provides a list of birds common to your area. The list contains photographs and descriptions to help in identification. Two days a week you check off the species observed and note the maximum number observed at one time. Cornell also asks you to note any evidence of disease, window strikes, and mortality. Recording mammals observed on your count day is part of the program. One unusual mammal we had weeks ago was a full-grown bull moose. We spotted a large animal across our pond feeding on a Kousa dogwood and confirmed with our binoculars that it was a moose, a first for Micheldever Farm.
So far this winter we have observed 23 species and noted changes in species and their numbers over time. For example, on Nov. 1 we had fewer than five goldfinches at one time. Last week we had close to 30. Another feature of Project FeederWatch is that you can check counts at other local sites to see what may be around.
This year the experts, according to National Audubon, forecast the potential for the “finchest winter” or an irruptive year.
An irruptive year happens when there is a lack of food in typical northern winter ranges, so birds fly farther south to find food.
Birds one could expect to observe in an irruptive year are red polls, pine siskins, red-breasted nuthatches, crossbills, and evening and pine grosbeaks. Years ago evening grosbeaks were common at our feeders in the winter. Though we have not observed any of those irruptive species at our feeders, a friend in Shaker Village has had pine siskins and red-breasted nuthatches consistently at her feeders.
Cooper’s hawk. (Photo by David Durrant)
One species we enjoy searching for in the winter is snowy owls. In January there had been reports of a snowy owl at Parker River Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island. We decided to head up there on a warm winter day to see if we could spot the owl. They can be hard to find because the salt pans and marshes around the river are usually snow covered with chunks of ice looking like roosting owls. Travelling down the refuge road and on walks we only saw gulls. We decided to turn around and head back to the entrance and on to Newburyport for lunch with friends. We drove slowly, hoping to spot at least a northern harrier hunting the marshes. Just a half mile from the entrance to the refuge we spotted a short-eared owl hunting the flats. We got good looks. This owl has a distinctive shape and hunting pattern. It is one of the few owls that hunt in the day. It was magical to see the owl swooping low over the marsh so close to the road. Though we hadn’t managed to find a snowy owl, a trip to Parker River Wildlife Refuge is always rewarding.
Winter winds bring a lot of branches and twigs down. We usually collect these for fire starters but it pays to keep a brush pile close to the house. A brush pile gives birds protection from the wind and snow and provides another opportunity to observe bird behavior close up. One of our favorite winter birds, the Carolina wren, frequents the wood storage box on our terrace.
We feed our birds the wild bird seed mix and sunflower hearts that we get from Erikson Grain in Acton. We also make Zick dough, a mix of peanut butter, lard, cornmeal, flour, and chick starter specifically for the bluebirds. To get the recipe, go to audubon.org/magazine and search for Zick dough. Click on “This Addictive Suet Will Keep Your Birds Returning for More” by nature writer Julie Zickfoose.
This year we have consistently had at least six bluebirds at the feeders and by the bird bath. Along with seed we always have a heated water source which is an attraction for all birds when natural sources are frozen.
Fairly regular visitors this year have been a Cooper’s hawk and a red tail hawk. The Cooper’s usually zooms in like a jet fighter and chases the birds into a nearby bush. The red tail perches in the tall oaks and maples waiting for voles or mice to scamper across the cleared area by the wood pile.
As the days get longer we begin to look forward to the return of the red-winged blackbirds and ice out on our pond. Feb. 26, 2025, and Feb. 28, 2020, are the earliest dates we have recorded red-winged blackbirds at our feeders. Ice out on our pond can be anytime from early March to late March. With over 6 inches of ice on the pond we will have a longer wait for ice out and the arrival of the hooded mergansers and wood ducks. We are firm believers in ice out.
David and Pam Durrant live and work at Micheldever Farm on East Bare Hill Road.