Readers may recall that we commenced a small data collection experiment here at Cary BirdCam in 2011 by measuring actual amounts of food items put out for our visitors at the "cafe." I was taken aback by the January totals, but February has been even more of a stunner. In each of the last three weeks I put out at least 15.9 pounds of black oil sunflower seed a week. Goodness! and since the year began we're up to 95.3 pounds of seed. That works out to approximately 609,920 seeds (yes, I figured out seeds per pound.) The Great Backyard Bird Count convinced me that American Goldfinches are the major consumer here. We counted a maximum of 17 birds and for all I know there are more in this gluttonous gang. Interestingly, there's been no uptick in consumption of any of the other foods, which is good as they cost rather more per pound. Will March and warmer weather slow down this freight train? Stay tuned when I post the new totals in a month.
Monday, February 28, 2011
The Experiment Continues
Readers may recall that we commenced a small data collection experiment here at Cary BirdCam in 2011 by measuring actual amounts of food items put out for our visitors at the "cafe." I was taken aback by the January totals, but February has been even more of a stunner. In each of the last three weeks I put out at least 15.9 pounds of black oil sunflower seed a week. Goodness! and since the year began we're up to 95.3 pounds of seed. That works out to approximately 609,920 seeds (yes, I figured out seeds per pound.) The Great Backyard Bird Count convinced me that American Goldfinches are the major consumer here. We counted a maximum of 17 birds and for all I know there are more in this gluttonous gang. Interestingly, there's been no uptick in consumption of any of the other foods, which is good as they cost rather more per pound. Will March and warmer weather slow down this freight train? Stay tuned when I post the new totals in a month.
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