Whatbird.com

I didn't know what category to put this under but anyway........

My Mom just came back from a trip to New England (Mass., Vermont), and she isn't a birder but she knows I am; anyway, she mentioned that she didn't see very many birds over there during her trip.  She saw gulls and a few hawks but not much else.  Of course, she may have just not noticed since she's not a birder, but I was just wondering -- do a lot of the birds in your areas go South for the winter?  Are there very many that stay there for the winter?  Just wondering what you all do for birding during the winter when there is snow everywhere - are there very many birds to find during winter season?

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Life List: 139
Latest: Cedar Waxwing!!!!!!!

I can't speak for the NE (living in Indiana), but a lot of birds do leave for the winter, but there's also a fair amount that arrive in the winter as well.  I'm personally waiting for some dark-eyed juncos to arrive -- I don't know what it is about them, but I love them.  There's probably fewer birds in the winter due to the lack of food, but there are definitely quite a few remaining.  My favorite shot that I've taken is a bright red male cardinal sitting on a snow-covered evergreen.  Great blend of colors.

When all our "summer" birds leave, it does get a bit "thin" out there...from about now thru November.  Also, even many of the year-round residents are a bit harder to spot since they are taking advantage of areas where the natural foods are plentiful...primarily ripening seeds.

Then we start looking for our boreal winter visitors, who come down from Canada and the arctic....Redpolls, Siskens, Snowy Owls and others.