Are you feeding the birds?

Said other. We just started like a month ago. The feeders are right outside of my office windows. Fun to watch. Also have lots of natural food around. Crab Apple trees, lots of leftover garden plants & weeds. Also have 3 rows of various shrubs in our 5 acres of gardens.

The Anna's hummingbirds were fighting over the feeder earlier today. Even in snow, wind and rain, they always get to the feeder and bicker endlessly. The rest of the birds have found Hawthorne berries a tasty treat.

We have had sparrows virtually all winter so far, and chicadees, cardinals and small woodpeckers; once in a long while a pilated wood pecker (with the larger red spot on top of the head) larger bird. Saw a Flicker woodpecker for the first time; only once. Seemed to be eating something from the tree branch. We get a hawk to attack the sparrows in the bushes periodically; usually in the fall more than winter. Have not seen the hawk lately. He creates a big stir in the bushes. The birds seem to know when he is lurking. Had a few grackles; they eat the suet so fast. Squirrels dont like the peper flavored suet; (TIP) birds will eat it. We put out peanuts and it attracts the wood pecker. This feeder is furether away from our kitchen window; I think they like a little privacy. Had a handful of purple finches and a few junkos. They are cool.

We have California Quail along with a dozen other year round birds. I feed by tossing seed on the ground and I also have some black oil sunflower seed holders I use. Occasionally a hawk will take a feeding bird . . . but I guess they gotta eat too!

This message was edited Jan 24, 2017 10:26 AM

I feed the hummers when they arrive in the spring. Not other birds but I do have a bird bath for those others.
I keep the flower stalks on for feeding the birds in the winter.

This message was edited Jan 24, 2017 4:48 PM

I feed the wild birds all year but especially during the winter months. The feeders hang from the deck railings and a couple are just under the carport roof. I love my birds!

I use commercial feed all year but my garden plants provide a lot of food as well, both in summer and through winter. I leave any of the seeds on annuals and perennials (sunflowers, coneflowers, etc) until they are truly gone. I just cleaned up a couple of weeks ago.

I feed mine from November to about the end of April. My grandson loves to watch them as I do

I feed the birds with BOS, a mixture called Nut and Berry, Bird Suet Blocks, Seed Blocks (mostly BOS in it), a mixture I make called Bluebird Banquet that all of the birds eat, and Mealworms all year.
I also have a bird habitat friendly yard with food, shelter, and water as most of us do.

I feed the birds all year with two feeders, one in the backyard and one in the front. I keep the hummingbird feeders out during the warmer months, but probably need to keep them out into the winter for those birds passing through.
Barb

We feed both birds and squirrels... not so much because we think they "depend" on us (they can find a lot of food elsewhere in our yard), but to draw them close so we can enjoy them. It's also "kitty TV"

There's lots of grassy field around our house so there's probably plenty of food out there for them, but we do feed them up near the house so we can see them.

Yes, WeezyG. That's the trade off. Feeding them allows you to see them up close. So fun.