Show Us Your Feeders Everyone!

I just wanted to show that this product I recently picked up from Lowe's is apparently working. It's pricey but if it keeps my newly discovered (thanks to Resin and others) Nuthatches and Chickadees happy, it will be well worth it to me:

Here's some proof...

Great pic Dave!

I have the feeder that goes w/ the nuggets but yours in that bag/ feeder are a different brand and look darker than what I've had before.

A few questions please:

How long have you had this in your feeder?

How does it hold up in the rain?

Thanks, Pelle

Just two days, Pelle. It has yet to rain. I'm getting more traffic than I did with straight peanuts including a beautiful new bird (to my eyes) an hour ago that I have yet to get out of the camera.

I'll try to make that post here in the morning.

You know.....this bird stuff can get addictive.

My DH made this feeder for the Orioles and Hummers. In the top section are two holes which we put baby bottle covers into with Jelly in them. We also get many sparrows and finches that come to eat the jelly. Moogle-glad you asked about BOSS, I was sitting on the side lines afraid to ask! LOL Ok, I thought I had a photo of it but I guess I just have video. I am uploading them to my picasa web album. The link is in my original reply on this thread but so you don't have to search above for it, here it is again. http://picasaweb.google.com/sjweld/Nature

dwdruley, we're very good enablers here! :-)

I had some of those but the squirrels ate them. I may try again in the tray, now that I solved that problem.

Wow sjweld, When you have time I'd love to see a closer pic of that setup. I watched the video; very nice!!

Sure! You got me at a good time on the right day. The last day care kid just left and supper has been cooking all day in the slow cooker so it doesn't need my attention. I have to warn you as DH saw me taking the pictures and I explained why he was horrified because it is all "yucky and full of bird poop." Well, what does he expect from a much used bird feeder?????

closer up

I haven't tried jelly, but have set out grapes.
Is there a trick to keeping birds?
In the spring we had a few titmice, and juncos. A few weeks ago a carolina wren stayed for about a week.
I have peanuts, BOSS and safflower.
The squirrels steal the suet cages.

Very nice sj!! Tell your hubby we all know about that mess stuff. I'm impressed; be sure to tell him!

debilu, do you have a pole system w/ a baffle on it?

no baffle, I guess that would keep the thieves away

This message was edited Sep 19, 2007 7:22 PM

He does good work that's for sure! Here is the squirrl feeder he made. We need to get more corn though.

BOSS - ah! Thank you :)

Wow, jelly, interesting. If I start mentioning to dh that I want to put jelly out he's going to nail shut the back door so I can't feed the birds anymore. lol. He thinks I'm too concerned with feeding them as it is.

I don't know debilu. I can tell you that for my yard, the birds didn't begin to stay until we bought a berry-scented mix. The regular mix drew them in occasionally, but didn't keep them. The berry-scented caused towhees to stay. I am pretty sure they made a nest in my abelia. 3x chickadees began to come for it as well. They never entirely leave my yard now. I got a regular batch of juncos and if I splurge and spread it over the lawn, I get a huge family of juncos. Seeing the rest of the birds pecking through my yard, has brought in other birds to investigate.

sjweld, how does that spherical hummingbird feeder work for you? I've seen them here in stores. I have one similar to the left one on that shepherd's hook. The hummers always check the top of it but never go near the flower ports. I've seen at least 4 different hummers do the same thing (independently). They come to my yard for the few flowers I have, but I'd like them to see I've got a little something extra for them as well.

The ball one they do not eat out of. It just sits empty now! The other one they eat out of a lot. trying totype with on screen key board, Grand baby is here. I,ll check back later!

sj, Whats the thing hanging from the spring??

Again DH did another good job!


debilu; what type of pole do you have; do you know the diameter?

I use a couple shepards hooks, and I have a pole - don't think it was meant for a bird feeder - probably about 1 to 1 1/2 " in diameter.

Humm, "hanging from the spring" I can only assume you mean the threaded rod out at the end of the board? That is where he puts a "log" of corn. It is real corn but highly compresses and I think it is the amount of 10 or 12 ears of corn. Something like that. Anyway, we live somewhat in the boonies and the one store we could get them from has not had them lately so the rod sits empty. :(

SJ...I think she means the thing that looks like a plastic bug hanging from the shepards hook.

Thats what I meant; sorry I should have explained it better. :-)

OH!! LOL My brain is still in grammy mode from my visit this evening. Now, THAT was my very feable attempt to stop the squirrls from climbing up to steal the jelly! They can empty my little jelly dish in about 2 minutes and then they steal the dish.

Does it work?

Not even for one second!! LOL It was on sale for $1.50 so I figured it was worth a try.

nanny_56, spoken like a true Hoosier.

Here's that pretty new face I talked about.

Please note that it is blue on top - neither black nor brown.

ID please?

BTW, here's that $1.29 suet I get at WalMart.

Dave its a Female-Red- breasted Nuthatch.

Heres some info on them.

If you read the sentence under Sex Differences it tells you that head difference between males and females.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red-breasted_Nuthatch.html

This message was edited Sep 20, 2007 7:46 AM

I guess their all different (Wal Marts) I've never seen that brand at mine even before they changed their pet supplier. :-)

This message was edited Sep 20, 2007 8:05 AM

Thanks a million Pelle!

I'm delighted to add a 2nd Nuthatch to my short newbie "life list". The blue is what left me scratching my head.

This is starting to get fun!

Pelle, I just saw that I have a chance to keep her during the winter months. An old man living alone can use all the company he can get when the snow starts piling up.

I guess you get your share of snow in NJ too. What birds can you keep during the winter? I should point out that the WM suet is not "no melt" but what little melting I get in zone 5 summers mainly just fertilizes the lawn.

Thanks,
Dave

I had the same nuthatch in my window feeder just a few days ago. We noticed it was a little smaller and had the eye stripe. We were a little confused too. So glad to now know I have two different types of Nuthatches. I know ours take the sunflower seeds and tuck them behind loose bark in the trees for winter food. Maybe if you keep sunflower or other similar nuts available through the winter it will help encourage them to stay?

I've only seen nuthatches in the winter - but maybe because the leaves don't hide them!

Thanks folks,

I'm headed out the door for the day but I'll check in tonight. I'm hoping for all the winter feeder tips I can get.

Maybe from my fellow Hoosier?

Dave

According to my book, Peterson's Field Guide, you should see the White Breasted year round and possible the Red Breasted as well though you are on the edge of a pocket for that one.

Debilu-Wait, for some reason when I looked at where you were from I saw NJ. Being NY I am not sure where exactly you are for the Red Breasted. My geography is not that great. Here is a photo of the page from Peterson's. (Hope I am not infringing on any copy rights.) I was looking to see exactly where in NJ you were, when I realized it was NY. I spent 5 years as a child in Eatontown/Ft. Monmouth NJ. (don't know if I spelled it right though)

Oh, Purple is year round resident and blue is winter range

Well, shoot I guess I better look closer at mine, I maybe able to add a new one to my list!. Some of these are really tricky to ID. I have to get me a good bird book for sure!! I find the nuthatches very amusing to watch and they can be sooooo fussy some days.

I am waiting to see if we might have another juvienile RBWP show up as I'm seeing the familar quick coming and goings of mom & dad getting peanuts from the feeder again.

Gee, I don't change my feeding routine much during winter. Just maybe keep things filled up better and add a couple dishes for the ground feeders. Try to keep things dry and from freezing.

I will probably add another suet feeder and maybe some type of large enclosed type of feeder. Depends on the budget, ya know!

Got done early.....thanks all !

done early? Yipee, more time to play.