The Northern Flicker is one of the most recent arrivals in Maine. Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press

Every year around this time, we get many questions along the lines of “where are the birds?” as people start to see fewer activity at their feeders. Some years, especially in a mast year – when trees overproduce seeds and fruit – we see fewer birds at feeders because the food birds are finding in the natural landscape is generally better and more nutritious than what we put in feeders.

Here’s what’s happening in our neck of the woods, and beyond.

First, let’s start in Maine. It’s not a huge mast year, at least not like what we’ve seen in the last few years. I still have white pine cones that I’ve been picking up in my yard from a couple of years ago, but very few were produced this year. Acorns seemed more sporadic this year, with some oaks producing many slippery round seeds while others came up short.

Apart from seeds, and looking more toward fruit, it seems to be a banner year: Mountain ash and winterberry both produced a ton of fruit (at least, that’s what I’ve seen in my travels). These berries have a high nutritional value, being rich in carbohydrates and sugars, which makes them desirable for many birds and mammals.

Interestingly, these fruit-bearers reportedly also over-produced across the boreal forest, in Canada, so this winter we don’t expect to see some of the beautiful birds that these often attract. Bohemian Waxwings and Pine Grosbeaks will probably have enough food in the north, so they won’t need to come south. Maybe they will show up here in the latter half of winter, as that supply dwindles; they’ll keep us guessing …

Another reason you might see fewer birds in your backyard: many of our summer birds have migrated south for winter.  This is often about food availability as well, so if you are a Northern Flicker that eats ants, or a warbler that eats insects, you need to leave Maine to go to warmer places where those are available. Also, keep in mind that some species go through dramatic changes in their diets between seasons. Red-winged Blackbirds are a good example. Their diets consist of about 80% animal matter (insects) in the summer, and then in the non-breeding season they switch over to plant matter (seeds) which will make up more than 90% of their diet. This adaptation also means that they don’t need to migrate as far, and while most leave Maine, they do tend to stay in the United States all winter.

A red-winged blackbird might not be showing up at your backyard feeder because it is migrating south for the winter. Toby Talbot/Associated Press

This brings me to a fun observation: As I write this, I’m in the Andes in Peru. As Maine heads into winter, it is the beginning of the austral summer in South America, and many of the birds down here are beginning to breed. Aside from dozens of beautiful tanagers and many endemic species we’re seeing around Macchu Picchu, the greatest surprise is the number of boreal migrants arriving here. Many of these birds could have spent the summer in Maine, and have recently finished a 4,000-plus mile journey to get down here.

Canada and Blackburnian warblers, which can serenade you on a forested walk in the Maine woods during June and July, were in their less spectacular non-breeding plumage as we encountered them in the Mandor Valley recently. One of the most spectacular singers in Maine, the Swainson’s Thrush, has been one of the most numerous songbirds we’ve encountered in the forests down here. It has been wonderful to see them surviving in the preserves, but also in coffee plantations and even in the gardens of Peru.

I especially wanted to write about this for readers wondering about those birds. Millions of birds don’t survive their long migrations, as habitat loss and threats during their movements make that journey ever harder. It’s also important to consider the choices you make that can help these birds, from the coffee you buy (consider “bird friendly” shade-grown options) to the way you treat your windows at home or at work (consider applying materials – like stickers or screens – to reduce collisions).

Have you got a nature or wildlife question of your own? It doesn’t have to be about birds! Email questions to ask@maineaudubon.org and visit maineaudubon.org to learn more about birding, native plants, and programs and events focusing on Maine wildlife and habitat. Doug and other naturalists lead free bird walks on Thursday mornings, 7 to 9 am, at Maine Audubon’s Gilsland Farm Audubon Sanctuary in Falmouth. Of note: There is no walk on Thanksgiving; and in December the walk start times changes to 8 a.m.