What happened to all the cardinals?

[Dover]

There are several species of birds that stick around throughout the year in central Tx....chickadess, wrens, cardinals, mockingbirds, doves, sparrows, finches, to name a few. My feeder is full as always but the birds seem to have gone or lost interest.

In fact I haven't seen a cardinal for a month now. And they are among the more abundant variety at my house. Anybody else experiencing this? The cardinals' favorite berries are sitting ripe and untouched on the plant that is usually stripped bare. Where have they gone?

[flowomo]

1. plenty of them here in central PA....

but they aren't coming around for the birdfood -- too much stuff to eat in the nearby woods and fields this autumn. But I see lots of cardinals (and most other local birds) at my many birdbaths because it's been dry of late. Do you have birdbaths/waterers out and around?

[Dover]

2. Yes. And there has been PLENTY of rain in Tx. this year too.

In fact Tx. was more like Seattle for a few months of the summer. And I can't believe they aren't eating those berries. But perhaps it is as you say, that they are off in wooded areas enjoying the abundance that the rains provided. Hope so.

[monktonman]

3. They're in Florida playing golf.

The Rockies took em in a sweep.
or are you talking about the bird?

[Dover]

5. lol! And you must be the common male species affectionately referred to as

sport nuthatch, who shows up at the feeder on Sundays, especially when I put out beer and peanuts.

[monktonman]

6. Thats funny...just making a goof.

mmmmm.... beer and peanuts.

[Mojorabbit]

4. I saw one today

but it is the bluejays that seem to have really thinned out here and usually there are a gazillion of them.

[japple]

8. Yes, the bluejay numbers seem to have declined here in

GA, too, and we used to have quite a number visiting our feeders. We always joked about "the bad boys" whenever the bluejays came in. One thing I did notice earlier this year, though, was a pile of blue feathers where a hawk had gotten a bluejay meal. I hear them in the trees sometimes, but they don't come to the feeders like they used to. I read that their main diet consists of acorns and that they make food caches for subsistence during the winter. There have been very few acorns the past couple years and this year it is pitiful. The article also said that jays love peanuts and that the best kind to feed are roasted-in-the-shell (unsalted, of course). I started putting them out, but the squirrels were getting them, so I don't put them on the bird feeders. I wait until I hear the jays calling in the woods and go out and throw some around where they are.

Edit to add: We've got cardinals out the wazoo in North Georgia.

[Trillo]

7. We still have wild birds in Southern California

Plenty of them (but not too many): Scrubjays, mockingbirds, hummingbirds, crows, bushtits, redtailed hawks, mourning doves, sparrows, phainopeplas, black phoebes, brown towhees.

We have other birds around here as well, but I only mentioned ones I've seen in the last few days.

[Javaman]

9. They were recalled to Rome. ;) lol nt