Diario de sebeckett

Though our feeder has been filled for months, mixed flocks arrive only intermittently. This could be due to the poor snow year, which may allow for plenty of other foraging alternatives. When birds do show up, it tends to be following snowfalls. Coincidence? Also, there seems to be a lot of activity around dawn, then almost nothing for the remainder of the day, other than downy woodpeckers occasionally visiting. Why are some backyard feeders visited throughout the day, while my feeders are used almost exclusively in the mornings? The feeders themselves are relatively secluded, in a maple tree surrounded on two sides by building walls, but the house is in a more developed area. It could be that there are fewer birds in the South End overall.