Feed the birds, tuppence a bag...#2

Sally---Don't feel like the Lone Ranger....My sock became unusable too the 1st season of use...poor stitching....

I went through one Thistle sock in less than one season. I bought it in a Grocery store. It came with a small bag of Thistle seed.
I think I paid over $4 for it all.....It WAS an impulse buy....BAH--Humbug!!!! I tell you--the sock was c--p!!!
Mainly, because the stitched top, where the draw string was inside the hemmed part--just tore apart.
The stitching in the hem just did not last....WHO makes these cheap things anyway???
Five year-olds in some third World country?????
I have a new one I have never used yet....feels like the same quality....still c--p! Will see.....

Question: WHEN DO Gold Finches start to feed????? Should I put out Thistle seed already?

You can buy a finch bird-feeder at HD for under $4, The tube one with about 6 perches....
Besides--these feeders come with optional larger feeder insert mounts that allow for regular seeds.
You can change them as needed. A neat extra!
Last year--they were giving them away FREE at Ace hardware just for coming in....What does that tell you?

AND--BTW--Finches do not like old, stagnant seed. They are picky and want FRESH!!!
As well as clean, odor free feeders....SO! No sense buying Thistle seed a year ahead. They may not eat it....
IF I have done this--I just mix the Thistle seed in with my regular bird seed and put it in my BIG feeder.

Jill--
I do not remember seeing that feeder at your Swap. I think, i DO remember someone looking at a feeder....???
Maybe David and Mrs. ?????
I think the best one is the one that has an outside, metal, structure that is weight-sensitive.
Like a frame-work all around it on the outside. Decorative too!
IF a squirrel would perch on it--the outer metal encasement would just drop down enough and close off all
access to the feeder stations. The weight of a bird would not cause this...
Neat!!!! They are everywhere--for about $20. Nice looking too! I know HD has these.....

I put my 3-tube feeder out today! Now the birds just have to "find it"....
Because it hangs under my sloping Patio roof--it is NOT visible from the air above. They have to learn to find it.
I KNOW they will--they do every year! The only thing I HATE is when the Blackbirds converge on it...
Then it is emptied in a matter of hours! They just trash it looking for all their favorite seeds...

The positive side of this is that it it gives the ground-feeling birds (like Doves) a chance to get their share.
They are a bit too big to fit around the feeder perches....

Sadly--whenever i see the remnants of a consumed bird (by Hawks)--I know they are all Mourning Doves...
Because they ARE ground-feeders and slow anyways---all that is left are feathers in one of my beds.....

The sadness is that Doves mate for life.....and then one of the pair is eaten up...They become widows or widowers....

Gita

Goldfinches in our yard eat thistle seed any time of year that I put it out, but yes, they do like it fresh! If I get a bigger bag, I divide it into quart ziplocs and put the extra in the freezer.

You're right, the thistle socks are often not made to last from one season to the next. I like the appearance of the no-no finch feeder, and I also like the little tray at the bottom -- catches a lot of falling seed, and also gives other birds (juncos love it) a chance to snack on the thistle seed.

So, for me, this feeder has worked out very well, even if it's not the cheapest option.

Junco eating from the seed-catching tray at the bottom of the feeder

That does look sturdy, Jill!

Nice looking feeder, very nice finch picture!

Jill, I love your kitty tv. And those no no feeders seem good alternatives to usual tube feeders. As they are made of metal, seems they would last a good while. How long have you been using yours? I like the use of the mesh as it lets both perching clinging and platform feeding birds use the same feeder. The prices do not seem unreasonable to me. Joyanna made a good choice with that ball!

Jen, you must have that new breed of squirrel, you know, the Lake Wobegon ones ( Lake Wobegon. where the women are strong, the men are good-looking, and the children are above average...) and the squirrels have Engineering degrees and have trained with Cirque Du Solei!

The last time I regularly fed the birds here ( many years ago now) I used an old wooden platform feeder with a roof to keep seeds dry. It was about 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 feet and weighed a ton. To outwit the squirrels, I fionally found a location that was high enough off the ground and far enough away from my big old oak tree's branch that they couldn't get to it. I hung it by cable wire attached to a 3/4 inch rope so I could lower it. I filled it with a can on a pole while the squirrels sat on the branch overhead and scolded me no end as none was brave enough to try to descend the wire fireman style and the feeder was too heavy to paw over paw hoist it up. I endured their scolding for over a month, claiming "victory". One afternoon in mid Feb I came home to find the feeder lying broken in several pieces on the ground. The wire was still attached to the feeder and still intact. However, the rope I had used to raise the feeder once to the out of reach position had been gnawed through! Clever, clever persistent little guys! Definitely not a one day effort on the part of the squirrels.

I think I've had the hourglass feeder 3 years and the finch feeder 2, although it may be longer for both than that. The multi-seed feeder has only been up for the past week, so I'm still experimenting with it. Feeding millet has attracted far too many english sparrows (but also other sparrows), and when I mixed the mostly-millet blend with safflower, the sparrows emptied the feeder quickly and tossed most of the safflower onto the patio (where juncos and doves have been eating it). So I refilled with the millet blend, hoping that its few sunflower seeds won't tempt the squirrels (not like they don't have lots of other choices!). It holds 4 pounds, and at the current rate I think the birds could go through 10 pounds a week... so it may not stay constantly full, LOL.

Here's my hourglass no-no feeder (rings are big enough for cardinals to perch, also attracts woodpeckers, titmice, chickadees, song sparrows, blue jays, wrens... I don't think there's a bird I know of other than hummingbirds around here that won't eat sunflower seed!). It holds 4 to 5 quarts of BOS (black oil sunflower), so in winter when we get more "customers" I fill it probably once a week, maybe more often in bad weather.

FUNNY Coleup.

I had one of the thistle socks and found it dragged all the way on the other side of the yard Wall-e or squirrel???? hmmmm...

I know when you clean birdfeeders you use a bleach mix but what about wood ones? is ok to use the bleach on wood?

I don't think there's any reason wood can't or shouldn't be bleached. Not sure... I gave my wood feeder a good scrub with dish soap before putting it out this fall (in winter, it replaces the hummzinger that hangs on that hook in summer).

here's that acrobatic squirrel this morn

LOL, Jen, that would be funny if it wasn't so aggravating! I feel your pain! If those critters would just take a reasonable helping instead of cleaning out the feeder it wouldn't be so bad... ;-/

It's so warm here I'm still seeing Robins....don't remember that EVER happening before

I got a bag of peanuts this weekend for the squirrels. I like to put them right outside the patio door, I call it "Cat TV'.

We do "kitty TV" here, too. Eliot also likes the feeder that hangs near the window (just inches away), and the seed tray feeder that suction-cups right onto the window behind the couch occasionally has him doing this terrific leaping & crashing thing when he just can't stand it any longer and has to pounce. He pounces at the squirrel from time to time also... and the squirrel obligingly jumps back... all of 3 inches. LOL

Yup, I heard bunches of robins today too. I think I read that they are resident but that they stay in the woods during cold weather, and are visiting yards when ti is mild.

I agree with you Sally, that they stay in the woods because I see large groups of them almost daily in several wooded areas on my paper route busily flipping over leaves, probably foraging for worms!

A red bellied woodpeacker has been visiting my wooden picnic table turned bad weather feeding station. When he is feeding the squirrels don't interrupt him or chase him away like they do all the other birds. Wonder why that is???

Love the "kitty tv"!!

Saw the flocking for the winter robins again today and in amongst them was a red winged black bird (male). Even though red wings are supposed to be abundant, this is the first one I've seen in 6 years! Maybe I just don't get out much!

Booooo--Hooooo!!!!!

I forgot to take down and put away the concrete top of my bird bath.....Just thought of it today----
Too late!. It is cracked in a circular pattern. I am so mad at my negligence! I usually just put it in my shed.
Just was one of those things I did not think of--with all this mild weather--then the whammy of a couple
of freezing nights. I just did not focus!
I do not know where, for a reasonable $$$, one can still buy just the top.

Have had this one for ages! Maybe even from "Franks" .
I will definitely try to glue it all back together with my water proof Epoxy Glue I bought.
Already did my heavy, thick clay W-Box. And--my bird feeder. Remember???
Then--maybe give it a concrete wash over all the bowl. Any suggestions?

Funny thing....I have yet to see any birds at my bird feeder...the big 3-tube one under my patio.
It has now been out for a couple of weeks....
What gives????????? The tubes are all filled (one each with different seed) and there are no takers. Maybe a couple sparrows...
I took someone's (Jill's) advice here--and sprinkles the seed on the patio floor to attract some Junkos. . And--there it sits!

Are any of you having this same issue? Do you have birds at YOUR feeders?
What is wrong with mine???? Do you think they can smell the Epoxy glue?????

I have been making a coupe batches of Cranberry Sauce since Th.-Giving.
Threw out the so-so berries for the birds. NO takers either....There they sit, frozen, on my lawn.

WHAT is going on?????? Any ideas? Gita

Do you see any birds around? Maybe your area just doesn't have its fair share this year. Our back yard is busy busy, bushes all a-flutter, feeders looking like O'Hare airport some days. The millet mix has really been attracting the sparrows lately... which may be what has attracted this guy...

For perspective, here's a Carolina wren in the same tree (the mimosa in the island bed)

It is a mystery! I tell you!
Maybe we need a snow--(NOT wishing for one, mind you) and then the birdies will come and chow down.

My parents were down the other day and they were saying that they have no birds at their home. They have been feeding for years but for some reason this year they just aren't getting any birds.
When Lily was here the other day we made those seed cakes, using rice cakes buttered with shortening and covered with bird seed. She had a great time.

Gita- your bird bath plan sounds fine to me. I have broken three since I've been here. Well, one was due to sending a young boy outside for fun, with a small hammer, and saying Go find ice in my garden buckets, and have fun breaking it" He found ice in the bird bath too... LOL! It may have been doomed at that point anyway. No sense crying over spilt birdbath water.

Jill, Ruh roh!! Don't those hawks look HUGE compared to wrens etc? Can you hang a little sign , ''Please restrict your harvest to English sparrows and house wrens" House wrens are huge nest predators on bluebirds etc. Carolinas are ok. Nice pictures!

What fun Holly!. I also don't see much activity on my feeders, with thistle, and safflower...

Oh coleup- RWBBs are common. Go anywhere you see a patch of Phragmites or cattails. Look at the birds perched on the swaying reeds. Listen for the conklaREE. Or check out your flocks of blackbirds. For me they usually seem to be grackles/ cowbirds/ RWBBs. Those are the two situations where I see them.

This message was edited Jan 20, 2012 9:13 PM

Yeah, Sally , lots of cattail is now developed round here so I have to go farther afield then 20 years ago to see what I used to see from my own backyard. Just thought it was odd to see the red wing flocking with robins instead of other blackbirds, and in the woods to boot.

He seems to have been confused ! LOL

lol, like human kids who have a way of only hearing part of an instruction (smash the ice) he is following the "flock together" for the winter!

Aren't RWBB pretty territorial when find a mate time comes?

((chuckle!))

I don't know much behavioral bird stuff. But when I have noticed RWBBs in the reeds, it does seem to be just a few. Maybe that's what all the conklareeing is for.

We've attracted a flock of 40 or 50 English sparrows (might have to do something about them, dunno), and the Red-Tailed Hawks might be snacking on them or on some of the myriad of juncos & finches, but so far none of our other countable "regulars" have gone missing. I'm surprised the squirrel count hasn't gone down, as we have several sunflower-fattened ones that are pretty slow. The only thing we've seen them stoop on so far was some sort of mouse/vole. RT's feed more on mammals than on birds, according to the Cornell site, so if they stick around maybe they'll help with the summer bunny population.

Alfie doesn't like birds. He gets very upset over hawks but I really laugh at the fact that he won't share "his" apple tree with the birds either. I guess he figures it's in his dog yard so that makes it his tree. No birds allowed.

This message was edited Jan 21, 2012 10:04 PM

All you plant people will appreciate, I had to edit my post above when I realized I wrote petasites and meant Phragmites. Two completely different beasts!!

Jill, you just might get a visit from a sparrow hawk next! If I recall, they are so named for their diet...Boy, your evil plot, to fatten the squirrels so much they can't run. nyah ha haahh


Birds are hitting it today 1-21, after the light snowfall.

This message was edited Jan 21, 2012 10:00 AM

A bit on the blurry side, but the Cardinals look so pretty in the snow.

Sweet photo, Holly! You got a bit more than we did, but our birds are busy today also. Hope Gita's feeder has some customers!

I didn't get the millet-mix feeder refilled yesterday, but there's still BOS and thistle in the other feeders, and I threw a few handfuls of millet & sunflower out onto the deck. I know you're not "supposed" to just toss seed out onto the snow, but our birds will have it eaten up before it has a chance to get wet or yukky.

I've seen a Cooper's hawk and something smaller, maybe a peregrine falcon? from time to time in our yard, and they are almost certainly scouting for a feathered snack.

Nope! Not a bird in sight! Maybe they just have not "discovered" my feeder yet.

The seed I threw on the floor below remains just as it was...untouched by anyone.

This IS really ODD!!!!! :o(

Gita, just wondering if anything near your undereave feeder has changed from last year. For instance, is there less cover(bush, shrub, tree, vine) or more open space birds have to cross to get to the feeder? Most of my lack of feeder activity is when there are "hawks" about.

Hopefully, the seed you have put out will stay dry and good for when they do return. Til then it is one less thing for you to worry about for a while!

Finally today a small group of juncos. Cute.

Holly, come to think of it, I've never heard anything disparaging about cardinals, ever. What's not to like.

Judy---
Nothing has changed! Same old--same old----

The only thing (possibly) different is that I glued my feeder back together with an Epoxy glue.
I let it set in my basement for a week before I hung it back outside. Now it looks like always.

Do you think birds can "smell" hardened glue????

The only other thing is that I bought my current seed from "Good Stuff Cheap" It was mostly Millet.
BUT! The other 2 tubes are filled with different stuff...
One with the kind of bird food that has cracked corn and "rougher" stuff in it----and the other with Black oilers.

Nothing out of the ordinary! I do this every year.

I have noticed, in the past years, that the birds really love the Wagners Eastern Blend bird seed we sell at HD.
BUT---$17 for a 20lb. bag????? Nada!!!!

I am thinking that the birds are just somewhere else.....Perhaps a whole new generation that does NOT know
where my feeder hangs. As I said earlier--it is invisible from above--as it is under my Patio roof.

This has NEVER deterred them before.

Overall--I am NOT upset if they never come. it will save me a lot of money and sweeping up the remnants.

We shall see!------We shall see!.......Gita

The weather has been so mild with so little snow/ice most natural browse is still standing. The birds are still feeding in open areas. Fierce temps and snow cover should increase feeder activity esp. in residential neighborhoods with good cover (evergreens). I'm hoping it kills back more of the weeds as well. Ric

Ahhh! I no longer have my evergreens along the back of my yard!

They got cut down and then the raised bed was built in their place.
May be part of the reason????

I had a small, house-like feeder I was putting seed in. It was in the open and the birds sure did visit that one.
So did the squirrels--they just dumped it all out...

I still think they just have not discovered the big feeder under mu patio...it is out of sight as the birds fly...
G.

More and different birds seem to discover my feeding station every day. This is the first time in a very long time that I have fed so consistently on a daily basis rather than bad weather basis. This morning the red bellied woodpecker was back and dined on black oil sunflower seeds as I am out of the big grey striped (read the squirrels eat them all). Just after he left, a smaller woodpecker landed on my tube feeder! It is a Downey. My little bird book says they will tavel with chickadees and return to feeders if there is suet around. Putting it on my shopping list for today. Need suggestions for suet placement that squirrels can't easily get to or does that red pepper suet work?

All of my bird feeding action takes place so close to house that my good binoculars are of no use for ids!

We recently had an incident with our ceramic feeder that required David regluing the pieces, and that did not seem to stop the birds from coming once it was back in place. Normally I put out the sunflower seeds and by the time I have gone the 12 feet to the door, a couple of birds have already taken away one of the seeds. I put a handful directly on the deck yesterday for the ground feeders.

I get downy woodpeckers regularly at the BOS feeder or the peanut butter feeder, but I've only seen the red-bellied or the flicker when I add peanuts to that feeder or put out suet (for whatever reason they don't go for the peanut butter log). I need to find some lard to make "all season suet" (the one with the peanut butter)... Giant doesn't carry it, might have to check at a latino grocery.

Gita, maybe it is the absence of the evergreens that have scared off some of your previous customers... but I think they'll be back! I do know that our back yard bird count has increased over the years as we've made brush piles back in the fence row tree line, and it probably helps also that there's lots of "forage" (seeds, bugs, etc) out in the garden because I don't deadhead much and limit pesticide use. Maybe you need a winter brush pile along the back of your yard to hide your neighbor's mess when your garden isn't green & growing! I can just see you dragging brush home all fall and then getting one of your HD buddies over with a chipper in the spring... fresh mulch! :-)