The birds finally started eating the berries off our big holly tree. I guess they waited until the thaw.
The back yard is still solid snowcrete but the front has clear patches now.

The grass is starting to show at the edges of the lawn by the sidewalk. And our bunny is alive! It was nibbling determinedly when I opened the door. Didn't flee, just kept nibbling.
I will try to get the ice off some more at the edges there tomorrow morning. 🙂

This is weird. I had stopped feeding birds out back this summer when we saw a rat.
But I had the roasted shelled sunflower seeds left.
I have been throwing those out sort of under a tree in the front yard ever since the snow. They come and get it as do squirrels. It's not supposed to be this vold this ling here, let alone with everything covered by snowcrete. Squirrels can't dig.
But there is no poop anywhere I can see on the glittery white snow.

Stop feeding the birds!!!!

Yea, they’ve also gotten it all over my front patio where there isn’t ice. It’s literally everywhere now.

https://www.fws.gov/story/feed-or-not-feed-wild-birds

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG, yes!! Birds pooped ALLLLL over my front yard, covering the snow. It's disgusting.

What the hell is going on?

Are you guys all trolling?

The snow is showing you all the stuff you regularly walk on.

Not really.

First of all - the poop is not on soil, road or lawn. It is on a pristine white sheet of ice/snow in a small area. You can see it easily as there is nothing else but poop laid in ice .

Secondly - all the poop has become concentrated on one place. Normally, birds poop in scattered areas. But this is just concentrated on the feeding area. Also, normally, a flock of birds are not feeding near your house, but now they are gathering here because this is the only place they can get the seeds. Everything else is covered by snow.

Third - the freezing temps are not allowing the poop to disintegrate. The poop of hundreds of birds is just freeze drying and preserved on the ice. UGH!! It is reminding me of the poop of tourists who go to climb the Everest and leave their poop all over that mountain.

As I said, it is both fascinating and horrifying. Yes, I will continue to feed them for the next 10 days at least - until the snow/ice melts. Yes, I will continue to scrub the heated bird bath everyday and keep putting fresh water in it. They are drinking and bathing in the water, but they are also pooping in it. The last thing I would want is for them to spread salmonella to each other.

Anonymous wrote:OMG, yes!! Birds pooped ALLLLL over my front yard, covering the snow. It's disgusting.

What the hell is going on?

Are you guys all trolling?

The snow is showing you all the stuff you regularly walk on.

OMG, yes!! Birds pooped ALLLLL over my front yard, covering the snow. It's disgusting.

What the hell is going on?

Omg, OP, we threw out some bread crumbs for the birds and same exact thing! Totally regretting it now. So gross.

OP. You are so... precious.

First, I've been walking with my dog all over the "ice" all week and it's fine. You can walk right on top of it and not slip.

Second, yes, birds poop. What did you expect? It's not nearly full of disease-causing bacteria as carnivore poo, domestic or wild. Don't mind it.

Third. Thank you for feeding the birds.

Before the snowstorm, we went and filled all our birdfeeders and hung several suet feeders all over the garden.

The yard turned into a field of ice and it was impossible to go and refill the birdfeeders...so, in desperation, I just opened the patio door leading to the back yard and flung several cupfuls of sunflower seeds on the iced over patio and back yard. Before we knew it, birds from far and wide came and there was a feeding frenzy. Within a couple hours all there was left was the shells of the sunflower seeds. I kept throwing out cupful of seeds and the birds kept gorging themselves.

Today, I went out to replenish the suet, and realized that my entire backyard (still covered with ice) is now just covered with freeze dried bird poop on ice...and sunflower seed shells. It is fascinating and horrifying at the same time.