22 replies to this topic

[JimBob]

I am going to move to California. I will take my feeders with me and was wondering what kinds of birds do you guys get to come to feeders? This move will be in June so I don't need to know right now but wanted to know just out of curiosity. 

[JimBob]

Bump.

[dklucius]

having lived in California several different time it would be a hard one to decide. because there is every kind of climate and enviroment and weather conditions that is possible. when i was in San Bernadino and Orange County it was very little change of seasons year aroud. but a 1/2 hour drive away it was high mountains and snow and cold winter and dry summers. but a short distance away i could be on the beach and sunbathe almost any time of year, just about any place i went was different habitat and different birds. if i was you i would name an area or town and ask for input from our members that are in that part of the state northen Ca. is totally different from southern Ca. And the coastal areas are a lot different than the inland irrigated truck garden and citrus and produce farms and then there are the semi desert areas of eastern Ca. And there are lots of mountains and sea level and valleys. San Diego area is the most consistant climate year around with no change from summer to winter except maybe a little more rain in winter.

[cabirds]

Totally agreed.  California is a huge state with just about every conceivable microclime.

I was having a discussion the other day on what birds hit my feeders in the winter, and I made this list:

• Morning Dove (mixed seed)
• White-crowned Sparrow (anything they can grab)Dark-eyed Junco  (Oregon and Slate) (anything they can grab)
• White-tailed Kite (mating pair in a tree about 200ft from me)
• American Crow (sitting on my porch yelling)
• Northern Mockingbird (peanut suet)
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet (peanut suet)
• Scrub-Jay (cracked corn and bug suet)
• House Finch (mixed seed and sunflower)
• Yellow-billed Magpie (berry suet, peanut suet, bug suet, sunflower seed)
• Northern Flicker (sitting in the tree)
• Nuttall's Woodpecker (running around the tree)
• Red-tailed Hawk  (fly-over)
• Yellow-rumped Warbler (peanut suet)
• Anna's Hummingbird (sugar water)
• Black Phoebe (picking off bugs in mid-air off my fence)
• Orange-crowned Warbler (peanut suet)
• Red-shouldered Hawk (sitting in the tree)
• White-breasted Nuthatch (peanut suet)
• American Robin (pecking at the ground)
• Cedar Waxwing (In the berry bushes)
• Hermit Thrush (just after dusk)
• Sharp-shinned Hawk (That'll clear the dove out!)

That's by no means exhaustive here, but it's what I see with what I feed.  And that's in the Central Valley.  Go an hour up or down the state and it changes drastically.

[JimBob]

My question was what kind of birds did you get at your feeder. Anybody have an answer? I am going to move to the San Diego area so I guess I will have no weather.     

[cabirds]

My answer specifically addressed exactly what birds were at each of my feeders.

But San Diego isn't California anyway - it's SOUTHERN California. ;)

[JimBob]

sorry I did not see your post so I guess that I started as you posted and I did not see it. Oops! 

[cabirds]

No worries!  I figured you might have just skimmed it and not noticed.

As I alluded:  You need someone who feeds in the darkest reaches of SoCal to answer your question though.  That's Coastal Desert, instead of Valley farming there.

For sure you'll get sick of two of your listed latest-lifers though.  Golden-crowned Sparrow and Anna's Hummingbird are like mosquitos.  (Except both smaller than the mosquitos you have there. ;-) )

[dklucius]

that is the point i was trying to address. San Diego area is a totally different birding experience than death valley or the sierra nevada mountains or Bakersfield. or the lakes around San Bernardino. i was hoping that birders from the area you are going to would chime in on what birds you would see there.   A little out on context is the first free time you have after getting to San Diego is to plan a weekend of checking out the San Diego Zoo. Not only all the Zoo birds and also the escapees that are all around running loose but there are lots of acres of manmade habitat in and around the zoo and you will see more wild birds than you will see zoo birds.

[JimBob]

Anybody like to say some more about the birds they see at their feeders? I would love to here from others to!

[creeker]

JimBob:

Anybody like to say some more about the birds they see at their feeders? I would love to here from others to!

Ok JimBob, where exactly in San Diego. I should be able to give you a specific list for the area. It differs a bit for coastal, inland, mountain, etc. Oh, and by the way, you will soon learn to appreciate the possibility of an 80 f day in Winter.

[JimBob]

I am not sure exactly but we are aiming for Escondido. My dads job will be in Poway. I think that is were it is but not 100% sure. 

[ginspin16]

i get 2 kinds of birds at my bird feeder.  house sparrows and house finches.  any other birds i see in my yard are not at the feeder. 

 

my bottlebrush bushes attract more birds than the bird seed.  especially hummingbirds.  the neighbor's pyracantha bushes also get some good birds. 

 

but i live in the high desert, a lot different than san diego

[JimBob]

Thanks! I sure hope that I don't get House Sparrows, but if other birds come to your yard than I will be happy.

[cabirds]

Might also be worth noting what you're feeding that brings in what you get.  Someone feeding only mixed-seed isn't likely to attract Nuthatches and Woodpeckers or hummingbirds, for example.

 

[JimBob]

I am planing to have a suet feeder, three feeders that are going to feed mostly sunflower seeds, and a platform that will probably have peanuts on it. (hope the jays will come)

[cabirds]

I was hoping those already feeding in the area would comment what they were feeding.

Around here, peanuts would be gone in an instant with the squirrels.  Every baffle I come up with they defeat.

The Scrub Jays will demolish cracked corn constantly, and will eat any of the common seed just fine.  They'll steal a whole uncracked sunflower seed, fly up to a convenient branch, hold it like a nuthatch, and crack it open.

[Pat B.]

My guess is that you are, like most of us, destined to have House Sparrows and House Finches. 

 

I grew up in So Cal (LA-Orange Co area, a little north of where you are going) & we had Scrub Jays always. If they are like the ones I have here in Utah, you can go broke on peanuts in the shell for them. But, you may also be able to get them to take them from your hand, which is a bonus. Mostly my Scrub Jays don't eat the peanuts, but instead they bury them, sometimes right in front of me, sometimes under a blade of grass or a leaf. 

You should also have a few kinds of hummingbirds if you put out nectar feeders.

[JimBob]

Sounds like what my Blue Jays do here. I don't think that my mom will let me spend too much for the birds. (she already thinks that I spend to much on them). I would love to have a jay land on my hand, even if he does not eat a peanut. I will hopefully be moving to a place with at least two acres, so we can raise chickens. I can live with House Sparrows and House Finches.  

[creeker]

The good news is, there are no tree squirrels in Escondido. You will very likely have a pair of Western Scrub Jays. With patience, you should be able to get them to take peanuts from your hand. If you put up a hummingbird feeder you will get Anna's all year, probably Allen's in Spring/Summer, maybe Costa's in Spring/Summer,maybe Black-chinned in Spring/Summer, slight possibility of Rufous in Fall. You will probably get Hooded Orioles hanging on your hummingbird feeder as well in Spring/Summer. I only tried suet once and nothing ever ate it. Your regular feeder should get House Sparrow, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, California Towhee, Common Raven and American Crow (both will also clean out your dog's bowl of any leftovers,) Song Sparrow, Brewer's Blackbird, Red-winged Blackbird, European Starling, Brown-headed Cowbird, Mourning Dove, and Eurasian Collared-Dove. Seasonally you will get White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, and maybe Black-headed Grosbeak.  Of course, depending on your exact location, you could always get others. If you're near Lake Hodges, Poway Lake, Lake Dixon, or Lake Wohlford, you will probably get Great-tailed Grackle. Since Escondido and Poway are pretty dry (like the rest of the county) you will get lots of birds if you put up a water feature. You're moving to a decent birding area as there has been over 500 species sighted in San Diego County.