Fauna of the Mid-Atlantic

Eeeks!!! Is this the same daughter that dresses the cats up? And if so, don't tell us she does the same for that tarantula lol... Can you imagine???

Tarantula couture!

I want to pet the tarantula. The roaches -- not so much. Bet they're nearly as good as a worm bin at recycling kitchen scraps, though!

Aspen, yes this is the same daughter who dresses up the cats. She hasn't dressed up tarantulas, but her hamster and some other little pets (geckos maybe?) have been dressed up.

Critter, I believe my daughter did mention the roaches' ability to recycle kitchen scraps. Still, I don't want them around permanently even if they can't get out of their container unless my cat breaks in.

When she was living at home, she wanted to have pet Madagascar hissing cockroaches and I said absolutely not!

My daughter did say I could feed some of the smaller roaches to my birds...they'll love them!

LOL, but then you have to reach into the roach bin... You love your feathered friends, though, so you'll probably get up your nerve to do it.

The "Flyby Cafe" is open for business again. I have a couple more mesh/metal feeders in the dishwasher now and will hang them tomorrow. We'll have happy birds -- and squirrels, too, as I've filled an easily accessed feeder with sunflower seeds, peanut hearts, and cracked corn. The squirrels aren't overly fond of the cracked corn, but after they toss it down the morning doves are all over it.

The roaches are still here...DD says she can't take them back because she's been running her cat back and forth from the vet. I'm not sure I quite get that, but it gives me another chance to make my birds happy! I forgot all about the roaches today. She bought some mealworms for me, I think because I'm paying the vet bills ; - )

I gave 2 bird feeders a thorough cleaning today. I definitely don't do it often enough.

I still have not hung any bird feeders out. Still contemplating gluing the big one
together again.

I looked in Wall Mart--there just is not any good-sized feeders available.
Not stressing about it yet---the weather makes me think it is not winter...yet...

G.

We started feeding and the response was great, birds everywhere. I think they found the suet in record time. I started with the no-melt peanut butter suet since it can get so warm during the day. Our pair of plated wood peckers have yet to check in. I'm hoping to enjoy them for another season.

Ric, how close are your feeders to your house? We have pileated woodpeckers, but they have never been seen at our feeders, which are very near the house.

Flyby Cafe' is mobbed! And I've put some sunflower seeds right outside the door for the squirrels (as well as in their easily-accessed feeder)... Byron is discovering the joys of squirrel-stalking. I'm waiting to hear him "bonk!" against the patio door like Eliot does.

Jill, LOL on the "bonk". Since we have had Alfie, I've been scolding him if he jumps against or tries to dig through the patio doors after a chipmunk or something. He still gets so excited that he goes "bonk", then scrambles for the doggie door to bark at the offender. Well I better go do the feeders to improve my entertainment.
David, our suet feeders are on the telephone pole at the upper corner of our lot, maybe 40-50' from the windows. The pilateds come almost everyday in the winter.

Hmm I should probably put a suet feeder out in the treeline... if I put it toward the right, it'll be behind the stormwater thing, not too close to the house behind us. Then again we really like having the little woodpeckers and an occasional flicker at the feeders we can see better! Pileated guys are so big you can see them even from 50 feet away, LOL

Critter, have the little woodpeckers found your flyby cafe? I see downies and red-bellied woodpeckers going after the shelled peanuts in my flyby feeder.

I see pileated woodpeckers in my neighbors' trees fairly regularly, but not too often at suet feeders, possibly because I had to keep the suet cakes horizontal last winter to deter the starlings. I'm hoping the starlings don't come back.

I shouldn't say this for fear of jinxing it, but I did not have the usual horde of grackles this summer and fall; in fact I had just about none. Whatever the reason was, I was loving it! If they stay away, there will be more suet for the woodpeckers, bluebirds, etc.

I've seen them in the treeline (downy woodpeckers), so I know they'll come around as soon as the PB or suet feeders go out. They will occasionally come by for BOS, but they can't resist the PB. I'm sure they love your shelled peanuts!

I've been putting peanut hearts into some of my seed mixes since finding them at Southern States. They're cheaper than shelled peanuts. I add them to the no-melt suet recipe, also.

I put BOS and peanut hearts into the squirrel feeder for its first fill-up this season -- it was empty by this evening when Joyanna and I went out back to look at stars. By comparison, the feeder with safflower and millet is down maybe 20%.

I haven't seen a place that sells just peanut hearts, but they're in the mix I put in the caged feeders.

I think there were 12 bluejays in my yard this morning, along with 2 crows and some cardinals, titmice and chickadees. I left peanuts out overnight, hoping that the raccoons wouldn't get them so that the bluejays wouldn't wake me and the neighbors up at 7. I didn't hear screeching at 7, so maybe it worked, but they were still really hungry!

I'm going to put another pole baffle on that feeder so I can fill it up at night. I feel for the raccoons, but I don't want to spend the $$$$ it would take to feed them!

plus, they won't stop with feeders, if there are accessible trashcans or compost. Your human neighbors wouldn't be thrilled if they become pests, to now you are feeding them. Although, they certainly can try to be pests, whether you feed them or not.

Something is using one of my feeders but not seemingly the other, with the same seed mix in both.

True! I'm sure they come into my yard to scrounge around, but maybe they'll give up when they don't find anything. I had to learn not to let seeds fall in garden beds because they would unearth everything looking for more.

Perhaps they just haven't found the other feeder yet, or one is preferable because it's closer to shelter or easier to perch on.

I get single-variety birdfood at Southern states -- BOS, peanut hearts, white millet, safflower, thistle, and cracked corn. Joyanna and I mix up various "recipes" for the different feeders on the deck & patio.

The squirrels don't bother the safflower & millet feeder, and if their easy-access feeder doesn't have *too* much cracked corn in it they'll stick with it rather than turning themselves upside down and inside out getting BOS out of the sunflower seed feeders. I put things like stale cheerios in the squirrel feeder also.

I think my thistle feeder will work with sunflower chips, and I might switch to that this winter, just because it's such a pain to keep the nyjer seed fresh enough. Peanut hearts are just a tad too big.

Joyanna is so lucky that you're showing her how to take care of critters ; - )
Most kids don't get that kind of education nowadays.

I might follow your lead with the thistle feeders....I haven't bothered to fill the one I have for a while now.

I started a new thread so that we don't have to go to page 3 to read new posts! Let's go here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1411173/