The snow that we did get was enough to panic all the early returning Spring birds. I tell you, this weather has everyone screwed up. Even the Killdeer are back early. And freezing their tail feathers off. It has to suck being a ground nesting bird in Michigan. The only really nice thing about the snow is that since I am the first feeders full in the trailer park this is where they all came to roost. And I am working on getting some good picks of our fine feathered friends. More importantly though, I am getting the best variety in attendance.
I am using the Royal Wing brand sold in a variety of places across the country. Currently Tractor Supply has their bags at 2.00 off and will do so until the end of April. As advertised on the packages, I am getting all the birds that the seed mixes promise. The early birds on the roster are:

chickadee ~parus atricapillus, poecile atricapillus
updated 5/12/16
tufted titmouse ~parus bicolor
Bombycillidae
cedar waxwing ~bombycilla cedrorum
Charadriidae
killdeer ~charadrius vociferus
Sittidae
white-breasted nuthatch ~sitta carolenensis
Columbidae
mourning dove ~zenaida macroura
Turdidae
American Robin ~ turdus migratorius
Corvidae
blue jays ~cyanocitta cristata
and from the largest collection in the family
Fringillidae
slated colored junco ~ junco hymealis
chipping sparrow ~spizella passerina
pine siskin ~carduelis pinus
american goldfinch ~carduelis tristis
northern cardinal ~cardinalis cardinalis
updated 5/12/10
rose-breasted grosbeak ~pheucticus ludovicianua
white-crowned sparrow ~zonotrichia albicollis
A few of our feathered friends have trouble distinguishing themselves from other of their kind. There is a sparrow that looks like a siskin but fatter. And that sparrow looks like another thrush or a wren. So that one I am having trouble identifying. For the others that seem to be one thing but left me more than a reasonable doubt I went by the birdsong that I heard while the Winter Wind was blasting everyone in the face. The website http://www.enature.com/birding/audio.asp is a great resource to help identify the copycats. They may look alike but they don't sound alike.
4/8/2016
Icteridae
red winged blackbird ~agelaius phoeniceus
updated 5/12/16
common grackle ~quiscalus major
4/9/2016
Picidae
downy woodpecker ~picoides pubescens
updated 5/12/16
hairy woodpecker ~picoides villocus
red-headed woodpecker ~melanerpes erythrocephalus
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