Dear Bird Folks, During the spring my husband and I like to take early morning walks. We enjoy hearing the songs of the robins, cardinals, orioles and all of the other birds that make up the dawn chorus. Recently, I realized that one significant bird has been missing....

Dear Bird Folks, After five years of looking, I have finally been able to figure out which bird has been making the constant "dee-da, dee-da, dee-da" call in my yard. It's the Tufted Titmouse. The book claims their call is "peter, peter, peter" but I don't hear it...

Dear Bird Folks, Please find the enclosed DVD. I made this video clip of a Hairy Woodpecker that was clinging to a tree just below a block of suet. The woodpecker kept bobbing and weaving, but never ate anything. What the heck was it doing? - Bonnie, Quincy, MA  ...

Dear Bird Folks, Do oystercatchers ever journey inland? I live in an area that attracts lots of migrating shorebirds, but not once have I seen an oystercatcher. Do you know if oystercatchers use any of the Great Lakes on their migration, so I might get to see one, or...

Dear Bird Folks, Scientists seem to be convinced that birds are nothing more then flying dinosaurs. Unfortunately, everything I read on the subject is too technical for me and I didn't understand much of it. I'm hoping you could explain this bird/dinosaur...

Dear Bird Folks, I've read that if I want to attract hummingbirds I should put my feeders out early. What exactly does "early" mean? It's March now and still pretty cold around here. Is March too early to put out a hummingbird feeder? It sure seems early to me. -...

Dear Bird Folks, Please find the enclosed newspaper article that a friend of mine sent me from the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette. The story is about a woodpecker that completely took over the feeders in someone's yard. It won't let any other birds eat. My question is:...

Dear Bird Folks, As a big-rig truck driver I've smacked a few birds over the miles. I have hit everything from pigeons to starlings. What's confounding, however, are the owls. Everybody knows that owls have incredible eyesight and hearing. So, why do owls insist on...

Dear Bird Folks, On a recent trip to Florida I stopped off at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and saw some great birds. The birds that really caught my eye were the Rufous Spoonbills. I spent quite a while watching those birds digging in the mud with their odd...

Dear Bird Folks, I would like to start keeping a list of all the birds that I see, but I don't know where to start. Are there preprinted lists or books that I can simply fill in, or should I just make my own? Also, I just turned fifty-years old and am wondering if...

Dear Bird Folks, How embarrassing is this? My ten-year-old son was assigned a school project in which he had to identify a particular state bird. The state assigned to him was Alaska. It was bad enough that he had to look it up in our outdated world almanac, but when...

Dear Bird Folks, Last week you mentioned something about "Australia." That got me thinking about their national bird, the kookaburra. I'd like to see one someday. Are kookaburras only found in Australia, or are they also found in countries that may be easier for me to...

Dear Bird Folks, On a recent trip to Florida I saw one of the oddest birds I've ever seen. Every morning this rather large but weird-looking duck would come wandering through our campsite. (Oh, I forgot to tell you that we were camping.) It didn't seem to be afraid of...

  Dear Bird Folks, My husband wants to remove all of the bittersweet that grows in our yard. He claims that it's a nuisance plant. I've been trying to convince him to leave it alone. Its colorful berries not only brighten up our yard, but I think they are an...

Dear Bird Folks, Here is a question that I'll bet you've never been asked before. Mockingbirds are great at mimicking the calls of other birds, but what does their real voice sound like? Do they actually have their own voice or are all of their vocalizations a copy of...

Dear Bird Folks, We are pretty sure that we have an Orange-crowned Warbler coming and eating from our peanut butter tree. The question that I have is, where is the "orange crown" on the Orange-crowned Warbler? It isn't visible at all and it's not even mentioned in any...

Dear Bird Folks, Year-end wrap-up: Over the course of the year we receive lots of questions. We get too many questions to answer in print or to properly keep track of. Unfortunately, some really good questions get lost in the mess on my desk or stolen by my cleaning...

Dear Bird Folks, I'm wondering if you can identify this very beautiful bird that I believe was killed when it hit my window. I've never seen any bird quite like it. (Here, it's wrapped up in this plastic bag.) - Vince, Harwich, MA   This is easy, Vince, You know...

Dear Bird Folks, I have a question about the bird, the albatross. A friend told me that it can never land on water because if it does land it won't be able to take off again. Is that true or did my friend have his facts wrong? - Peter, Harwich, MA   I'm glad you...

Dear Bird Folks, I'm thinking about building a few birdhouses as Christmas gifts. My problem is that I can't seem to find a basic set of plans. I have purchased several books but they all feature houses that are way too fancy for my birds and too difficult for my...

Dear Bird Folks, I really enjoy seeing the crows in my yard, so every day or so I put out some scraps of bread for them. It amazes me that a few minutes after tossing out the bread, the crows are on it even though there is not a single bird in sight before I toss the...

Dear Bird Folks, When I was growing up my mother used to make something she called "bird's nest soup." Later I learned that what she really was serving us was chicken soup. My mom had a fun imagination. Is there actually such a thing as bird's nest soup or is it just...

Way back last week... A lady named Pam, from Norwalk, CT, wrote in asking about Passenger Pigeons, a bird that has been extinct for exactly ninety-three years and sixty-nine days. In light of the possible existence of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, she was wondering if...

Dear Bird Folks, Everyone in my family loves birds. We have several bird feeders, houses and baths to attract them. But when I was growing up we had this crazy aunt who was afraid of birds. When she visited us she wouldn't even go into our sunroom because it...

Dear Bird Folks, I just finished reading one of your past columns about Sandhill Cranes being seen in Massachusetts. In the column you told us that, "Although we do occasionally see a crane around here, seeing two would be almost unheard of." Well, a friend of mine...

Dear Bird Folks, While strolling on Great Island in Wellfleet [MA] last week, we came upon several of these ducks (see attached photo) that were lying on the beach. I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but they were fairly large ducks with greenish bills. We...

Dear Bird Folks, I'm sure most people enjoy the spring, but fall is my favorite time of year. I look forward to apples, pumpkins and the return of ducks to my local ponds. Today, while reviewing the different ducks in my field guide, I noticed that some ducks were...

Dear Bird Folks, The other night I was out in my backyard and heard a Great Horned Owl giving its deep hoots. Soon, a second owl joined it, from roughly the same location. Then, way off in the distance, a third owl started calling. My book says that owls usually call...

Dear Bird Folks, I have been feeding birds for many years, but recently a couple who have three cats has moved in next-door. The cats have quickly moved into my yard. Do you have any humane suggestions on how to deal with the cats? - Kathryn, Springfield, MA  ...

Dear Bird Folks, One of the most active areas in my backyard is the birdbath. Birds of all kinds are always stopping by for a drink. You have reminded us several times that birds don't have lips. With that in mind I have a straightforward question for you. Without...

Dear Bird Folks, I'd like to share a birding experience that I had this past week. I was driving along a side road when I stopped to let a pair of bobwhites cross in front of my car. Following right behind the bobwhites were several tiny mice. At least I thought they...

Dear Bird Folks, Today a white dove appeared in my yard. I'm pretty sure the bird belongs to someone since it is very tolerant of me and doesn't interact with the wild birds. I live next to a church with a huge graveyard and I think the bird was probably released as...

Dear Bird Folks, Perhaps you can enlighten me about cuckoos and their egg laying behavior. They can see into the future like no soothsayer ever could. It seems impossible to lay similar eggs into a nest the eggs of which the bird has never seen. - Hannah, Harwich....

Dear Bird Folks, I've noticed that some of the birds on my feeder love to sit and eat, and eat, and eat. Then there are other birds that will only take one seed and fly away. What causes the difference in feeding behavior? Are some birds greedy or simply hungrier than...

Dear Bird Folks, How often do hawks need to eat? I know that they eat a variety of prey, but some prey is larger than others. Is a single mouse going to keep a hawk satisfied for an entire day or will it need to continue hunting? And what if, instead of a mouse, the...

Dear Bird Folks, I was reading some of your past columns online, when I noticed one from a few weeks ago that I believe had an error in it. The question was from Noah in NY. Noah asked if there are any birds that migrated up to North America after nesting in South...

Dear Bird Folks, Today I discovered a dead Blue Jay on my front lawn. The bird was in pretty good shape, except for being dead. As I stood there considering a possible cause of death, I looked up and noticed the power lines running into my house. Do you think that...

Dear Bird Folks, I know that many birds avoid our cold winters by flying to South America, only to return in order to breed during our summer. What I'd like to know is, are there any birds that breed in the Southern Hemisphere and fly to North America during our...

Dear Bird Folks, I was wondering if anyone reported sighting a Black-bellied Plover at Duck Harbor in Wellfleet. I spotted one flying over the surf. I'm not a bird expert, so I checked out my field guide when I returned home and it seemed to be a perfect match. Are...

Dear Bird Folks, I hope you can solve a mystery for me. Yesterday we had a nest of day-old baby chickadees in one of our birdhouses, and now they are gone. I don't think some predator took them because the nest is undisturbed. Do adult chickadees sometimes move their...

Dear Bird Folks, I live smack in the middle of the city. All around me are concrete and bricks. Last week I visited a friend in New Hampshire who has several bird feeders. I spent every morning watching an assortment of birds fly in and out for their breakfast. What a...

Dear Bird Folks, I have a couple of birdhouses that I haven't gotten around to putting up yet and now a friend tells me that it is too late to put them out. It's only mid-June and the good weather hasn't even hit yet. Is it really too late for me to put out my...

Dear Bird Folks, I have enjoyed reading bird questions and answers on your website. I am wondering if anyone has e-mailed you about House Finches trying to feed from hummingbird feeders. What's up with these crazy birds? Do they not know what species they are? Do they...

Dear Bird Folks, My boyfriend has a large dead tree in his yard that he wanted to cut down this spring. Remembering a column that you wrote saying that dead trees are important for birds, I talked him into letting the tree stand. Well, I'm glad we listened to your...

Dear Bird Folks, A month ago we bought a birdhouse with a side that opens so we can see the nest and hopefully, the baby birds. A week later a pair of bluebirds moved in, built a nest, and perhaps have laid some eggs. I say "perhaps" because my husband won't let me...

  Dear Bird Folks, Recently I read a book called "Sandy," about a Sandhill Crane that thought it was a horse. The crane became imprinted on a horse, followed it everywhere and drove the horse berserk by flying into the corral after it. Perhaps you know some other...

Dear Bird Folks, A few weeks ago I read your column about attracting screech owls to a nest box. After reading it I started thinking about Ospreys. I see Ospreys nesting on man-made platforms, radio towers and utility poles. If I put up a platform (I live on the edge...

Dear Bird Folks, I came out to my car this morning and found clear liquid in the middle of my windshield. It was about an inch wide and three inches long. It didn't look like water to me, plus the sun was out. I don't mean to sound gross, but do birds pee and what...

  Dear Bird Folks, Every April 28th, for the past three years, a hummingbird has returned to the exact spot where I hang my feeder, even though my feeder wasn't out yet. The bird hovered, as if it expected a feeder to be there, and then moved on. Do you think...