This being the season of great bird activity, it's not surprising that this is also the time of year when a lot of bird-related questions start pouring in. So, once again, we present some of your most common questions and the answers from various bird experts.

Q. A bird keeps flying into my window. Why is it doing this, and how can it be stopped?

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (ENLARGE)

Rose-breasted grosbeaks migrate through the Atlanta area in the spring, often delighting people who see one for the first time.

Johnny Crawford / AJC (ENLARGE)

A Red-bellied woodpecker

MORE WILD GEORGIA: Hummingbird, flower perfect pair  Eagle numbers up significantly  Bird dads help with parenting  Wood thrush is a scarce delight  State has wealth of amphibian life

A. In spring and early summer, songbirds are vying for breeding and nesting sites and will attack an intruder to defend their territories. Both males and females may do this, especially species that often nest close to houses, such as robins, cardinals and song sparrows. The defenders may mistake their reflections in a window for a rival and attack the reflected image.

To prevent this, you should eliminate the reflection. Some suggestions: put a screen or other covering on the window; cut strips of newspaper and tape them outside to the window; hang a silhouette of a flying hawk, owl or falcon and tape it to the window. Nature supply stores, such as Wild Birds Unlimited, usually carry those items.

Q. What about a bird that keeps pecking at my car's side mirrors?

A. Try covering the mirrors with old black cloth when the car is parked.

Q. A woodpecker is pecking away on my house. What can I do about it?

A. Most likely what the woodpecker is doing on your house this time of year is drumming loudly and rapidly — its way of announcing itself as a potential mate and proclaiming its territory. If the pecking is light and irregular, it probably means the bird is foraging on your house for ants, termites, carpenter bees and their larval grubs. Whatever the reason, the rat-a-tat-tat can be very annoying to the human occupants inside.

Discouraging the bird requires some effort. Some birders suggest that you simply startle the bird or shoo it away on a regular basis, and it might get the message to stay away. Others advise that you hang up something — sheet metal, balloons, pinwheels, wind chimes, aluminum pie pans, foil, rubber snake, plastic owl — in the vicinity of where the bird is pecking to frighten it. If the bird is foraging for food on the side of your house, you might want to consult a licensed pest-control operator.

Q. I keep my feeders filled, but the birds have stopped coming to my yard. I haven't changed any routine. Why do I no longer have birds?

A. Unfortunately, there are no easy answers to this. Bird populations normally fluctuate seasonally and from year to year. There may be several reasons why birds stop coming to a yard, including:

• A hawk or cat may be hanging around, scaring the birds away.

• Trees may have been cut or new houses built in the neighborhood, disrupting the birds' habitats.

• Natural food supplies, such as insects, seeds, berries and fruits, fluctuate from year to year, causing birds to move about to take advantage of abundant and more nutritious food or to compensate for food shortages. Some birds that feasted on seed at your feeder during winter might switch to insects or fruit during the spring and summer

But take heart: The birds most likely will return.

Q. What can I do about a hawk hanging around my backyard?

A. The best answer (one you might not want to hear) is to sit back and enjoy the show. Most likely the hawk in your backyard is a sharp-shinned or a Cooper's, which belong to a class of hawks known as accipters. When they attack songbirds at feeders, they are doing what comes naturally — going after a meal. Most birders advise that you simply let nature take its course and enjoy this spectacle of life being played out in your backyard. Anyway, hawks, like nearly all wild bird species, are protected by state and federal laws.

Q. A stunningly beautiful bird just showed up at my feeder. It's larger than a sparrow; its chest is black and white with a beautiful red spot and. ...

A. Wait. Stop right there. You have a male rose-breasted grosbeak. The grosbeaks will be migrating through metro Atlanta within a few weeks. No doubt, we'll soon be getting numerous reports of grosbeak sightings. Folks who spy a rose-breasted grosbeak for the first time often are amazed to see such a gorgeous creature.

In the sky

Look for a thin crescent moon low in the west just after dark Sunday night. It will grow into a first quarter moon by Friday and by week's end will appear high in the south at sunset, says Fernbank Science Center David Dundee. Mercury is low in the east just before sunrise. Venus rises out of the east about an hour before sunrise. Mars is high in the south at about sunset and will appear close to the Moon Friday night. Jupiter, shining brightly, rises out of the east about 2 1/2 hours before sunrise. Saturn rises high in the east at sunset.