Over 3 weeks and no birds!?

I know you probably get this question here all the time, but I'm a beginning birdfeeder and wondering why the birds don't seem to be finding my feeders.

I hesitated to make this post because my main question is similar to the post by Depsi (which was very helpful, by the way) but I wanted to ask more and didn't want to hijack Depsi's thread. There are two main differences between my situation and Depsi's (aside from being in totally different areas of the country) and they are 1. Depsi said there were lots of birds around her area coming to birdbaths before she put out the feeders whereas I see surprisingly few birds even though it's a relatively rural area. and 2. I've had my feeders out longer than she had at the time she posted.

We just built and moved into a new house in a neighborhood where everyone has about 2 - 4 acres so the houses are spaced far apart. I've always thought it was kinda strange that I didn't see that many birds around our place, but that just made me look forward to luring them in with feeders when we finally moved in.

Here's what I've got:
1. Two ceramic feeders with WBU's mix of BOSS, safflower, peanuts, millet, etc. These are each hung from a freestanding crook and a trellis (see pics).
2. A small yellow thistle feeder with nyjer from WBU in it.
3. A cedar feeder that has three compartments, one with just safflower, one with a suet cake and one with suet pellets. The seed in this feeder is from Lowe's. According to the guy at WBU, their (Lowe's or HD) seed is always at least a year old by the time it goes on the shelves, so maybe it's a bit stale, but this is the only one I've seen a bird go to.
4. Two suet cages, each with half a suet cake and half a cake of seed hung further back in the woods. The WBU guy said it will temp the birds who don't know what suet is to try it if there's something in the cage that actually looks like the food they're used to, so I got a couple cakes that are just seed packed into a form.
5. A birdbath I just put out yesterday.
6. All of this is near our swimming pool and deck which were just built this year along with the house, so I'm thinking while the sight of water might attract some birds, they can't actually get to it and it's all new stuff so maybe they're still nervous about it.

So here are my questions:
Is it unusual for them to take this long to find feeders? I have a friend who took a birding class and he said he thought they usually found them amazingly quickly. I did see one titmouse (I think) go to the safflower in the cedar feeder, but I watched all weekend and no one else even scoped any of them out. Saturday a female Cardinal (I think) flew over and I got all excited, but she didn't even seem to notice the feeders. I've been checking for dropped seed which would indicate one had at least landed on a feeder, but there's nothing.

Is there a bad time of year to start trying to attract birds, and if so, is this it? Someone said something about them eating a lot of grass seed this time of year, but would that make them not come to feeders?

Here are pics of my set up. First the blue ceramic feeder at the edge of the deck. There is a big drop off of about 6 or 8 feet from the back of the pool to the ground below. The feeder is on a ledge along the dropoff.




This message was edited Dec 9, 2007 10:46 PM

Here's a pic of the cedar feeder (see the speck hanging from the tree near the center of the pic). I would think this one would be placed perfectly, except I'm not sure about the height because of the dropoff. It's hanging from a tree at the edge of the woods, but visible from the open area above and around the pool. So there's cover nearby ( the woods are dense with cedar, but not brushy and they go back probably half a mile from here) but they should be able to see the feeder.

The height is about 7 or 8 feet off the ground (I have to use a ladder to fill it but that hasn't been a problem so far. . . and therein lies the problem. ;o) ) but with the dropoff from the pool right there, it doesn't look that high.

Notice the birdbath below and to the right of it in the pic.

View from the side of the cedar feeder showing the dropoff. I've wondered if that black plastic we used to keep the roadbase material on the dropoff from sliding down is flapping in the wind and scaring the birds. It's been like that for at least two months, though so I'd think they'd get used to it.

I don't think you can see them, but the suet cages are hung about 15 yards back in the woods.

Closer up. Okay, maybe that feeder is more like 9 or 10 feet high.

This message was edited Dec 9, 2007 11:25 PM

The Nyjer feeder and the other ceramic feeder. These are in the flower bed between the pool (to the right) and the side of the house (to the left), so they aren't as close to cover as the others are.

This message was edited Dec 9, 2007 11:05 PM

And finally, a pic of the whole area. The Nyjer's on the far left, the cedar's on the far right and the blue one is in the middle.

Do you think my problem is that I put the feeders too close to the deck to start out? Should I move them to the other side of the yard til they get used to them?

I thought I was being smart putting the suet cages back in the woods, but it doesn't seem like that many birds are hanging out in the woods, so I don't know if they get a chance to see them. I heard and saw a few birds the past couple of mornings when I had my coffee out there, but they weren't flitting around all over the place as I always pictured them doing in a wooded area such as this.

Oh, one other question I've had. I don't know if any of my neighbors feed birds, other than hummers. I imagine some of them do, but if not, is it possible that the birds around here don't know about birdfeeders, or are birds' ranges so vast that all of them know to look for feeders? This is a small development pretty much surrounded by raw land. Obviously migratory birds certainly encounter feeders, but I don't know if there are some that just stick to a small home area.

If you notice any other issues with my set up, please let me know. If it's just that I need to be more patient, that's fine. I hope to be posting soon, as Depsi did, that I've got all kinds of birds at the feeders and I just needed more patience.

Hi, I tend to lurk here in birdwatching, so I'm not the pro from Dover, but I have had feeders for a long time.

I've got a couple thoughts and questions

What has your weather been like? Is the seed clean and dry? If you've had rain and it's gotten wet and moldy birds often won't eat it (good thing!). Sometimes you can't tell from a distance that the seed is getting moldy, so go take a close look if you have had some rain recently, and clean and refill the feeders if necessary.

I don't see a lot of problem with where your feeders are, except maybe for the one near the diving board. Are you using the pool a lot? (Is it warm enough to use the pool? No, wait-don't tell me that-it's cold here.... :) ) People jumping up and down on the board and being close to the feeder could be scary for a bird.

You're saying that your area is a brand-new development and pretty rural? Are they still building? Lots of changes and noises will make birds more cautious.

And, yes, if you are the first person to put up feeders in an area it can take longer to get the birds coming to a feeder. You've had a few come by to check things out, that's the first step. If you're willing to tolerate a little mess and maybe some birdseed weeds next spring, you could scatter some seeds on the ground near the feeders where they might see it to help them get the hint. (Do you have any ground feeders in your area?)

For me, it's always been a slow, gradual build-up of birds-I think it's kind of "bird of mouth" (sorry) as one hears about it, others find out or are told.

Somewhere I read that tying something that sparkles or moves or is bright near a feeder temporarily to get them to notice it might help, but I've never tried that.

Thanks for the quick reply, susybell. The blue feeder is the one that's been up longest and it did get blown over in a windy rainstorm after the first week, so it's possible the seed got wet, but I stuck my finger in to make sure the seed was flowing out the hole, and it didn't seem wet or moldy there. Tomorrow I will empty it and make sure though.

The other feeders have just been up a little over a week and it's been dry until right now. We had a "Blue Norther" cold front blow through today along with some rain and the temp dropped 30 degrees in just a few hours. . . to, umm. . . 45F (sorry). No, it hasn't been warm enough to swim (we had a day or two that reached 80, but the water was in the 50's) so no one has even gotten a chance to jump off the diving board once since it was put up a couple of weeks ago.

Yes they're still building. Our house was just finished two months ago, but as far as the houses right next to us, the one to the left has been done for well over a year and the lot to our right hasn't been built on yet. The next house over to the right has been there over 5 years. This hasn't been one of those developments where they bulldoze the whole place and put up all the houses in a year. We bought our lot in 2001 when there were only about 4 houses up. That number only doubled after about 3 years, but in the past 2 or 3 years the pace has picked up. But the nice thing is that their goal is to "preserve the beauty of the Texas hill country" so no bulldozers are allowed and except right where the house sits, the trees are left intact. They even have a rule that the outer 25 foot perimeter of each lot is not to be touched even to remove a tree that has fallen or to cut limbs. So that leaves a 50 foot "conservancy zone" along the edge of each lot where the grass isn't even mowed.

A slow gradual build up is okay with me. That makes me feel better if it's not always an overnight thing. I was beginning to fear that if they hadn't found it in 3 weeks, it meant I'd just never have many birds around.

I'll try the sparkly "bird lure" idea. Lord knows I've got plenty of sparkly things this time of year. And maybe I'll scatter some seed on the deck next to the feeders so there aren't quite so many weeds. I'll tell my DH he'll have to put up with the deck looking like it needs to be swept for a few weeks.

Y'know, now that I think about it, I'm wondering if hanging something bright might have been for a hummer feeder.

You've only had one of the feeders up for three weeks, and the others for only one week and you've seen several birds. You're not doing badly at all!!
-
Your new home sounds like it's in a wonderful place to live-very peaceful and smart about the land conservation!

75-45, ok, I can handle that....;) (bigger shock for you, I'd guess, lol!) Around 40 is fairly typical for winter here, but we did have a bit of snow today.

Um, let's see...what else can I tell you? I'm sure some of the super-birders will come along in the morning and have tons more to tell you, too.

While you're trying to get birds, you should be super-super consistent with having seed available. Once you have the patterns established it won't be as much of a disruption if you have a feeder go empty or be down for cleaning. Right now, you're establishing yourself, and you want your "customers" to know you're a 24x7 establishment. You should keep the seed fresh and the feeders clean, although it will mean you will probably end up tossing a fair amount of seed for the next little while. Might as well get into the habit of good feeder maintenance right from the start. For the feeders that they can't easily see into, only fill them part way so you toss less seed.

Birds haven't learned your area is safe yet, so it will be easy to startle them if you're close enough-or get excited. So, try not to get excited (Yeah, right that's just about impossible the first time you get a new visitor...I think everyone has done this at least once, anyway.... :) )

You also may need to try different seed in different feeders, or you may discover you don't have the birds that like a particular seed right now, so be prepared to experiment until you get the right combination. It won't take long for you to figure out what is getting eaten, or picked through and tossed, or ignored.

And, think gradual over the course of months, not weeks. That sounds long, but don't worry. By next year at this time, you should have a great contingent of regulars and will have had two migrations pass by.

Another thing about HD or Lowe's seed-there's a greater likelihood of weed seed in their mixes. WBU and the other bird stores are much more careful about the composition of their mixes.

Happy Birding! I'll keep watch for pictures of your feeders with your new friends!

Everything looks great to me but I might try moving the feeders away from your pool. Birds do like moving water but they like shallow water. Also I bet they have learned to stay away because of all the construction going on - especially if there are still workmen and noisy machinery.

My sister built a new house deep in the woods and it took quite a while for birds to come to her feeders too. Woodland birds aren't as used to houses and feeders as birds that live in communities where the houses are closer together. (does that make any sense? lol its too early in the morning for me here) It might be better for your woodsy birds to put the feeders close to a tree or shrubbery so they don't feel so exposed. Then when they are used to the feeders you can start moving them where you want them. Just give it time. Good luck and keep us up to date with your progress!

Hi Peeper, Welcome to Daves and the BW forum.

Besides what already has been said (construction,pool etc.) I'm wondering if with the woodland being so close (to some of the feeders) if they feel skittish because it would be a great place for a Hawk to be able to hide easily and just pop out and get them.
Having the woods closeby is great but also an advantage for the Hawks. Are there other shrubs on your property away from the woods that would provide cover for them if you moved some of the feeders a little farther away from the woods but not too close to the pool? Sorry but its kind of a fine line.

Your situation and Depsi's are almost the opposite in the fact that your woods are pretty much right on top of your property and Depsi's were much further away.

I would somewhat agree w/ the person at WBU about those other stores but it all depends on their turnover so I think he may be exaggerating to some extent.

Welcome PeeperKeeper!

Good Luck with the feeders! It's getting cold up north here, so your neck of the woods should be seeing all the fairweather birds. :)

You could try visiting a local bird sanctuary or wildlife area to ask your questions, too. They may know something about your area that we don't.

Looking forward to hearing about your success!
~shan

Thanks everyone for all the tips. I'm learning a lot from you guys already!

Consistency. Got it. And that makes sense that they have to learn it's safe here after all the construction. For the record, I didn't get "jump up and down" excited when I saw the cardinal. I just got excited inside, hoping she'd land on the feeder but I stayed sitting in the lawn chair I was in. ;o)

Shan, the WBU guy said that goldfinches are just arriving here so that's why I did the Nyjer. I hope to get some of them. It sounds like they are lots of fun. I think I've got a pretty good mix with the safflower and the suet and Nyjer and regular mix. Should I rotate which feeder has what or keep the menu the same for each so they'll know what to expect where?

I think I may move one feeder over to the edge of the woods where it's really brushy. If you look at the picture with the yellow Nyjer feeder in it, behind it you see the lawn, then some dirt, then yellow native grass, then cedars. I'm thinking of putting one by that line of cedar. Pelletory, I haven't seen hawks in the woods, but obviously that doesn't mean they aren't around. I've seen them at my parents' place which is only a few miles away. So do you think it would be a mistake to move the one feeder close to the bushes? There aren't really any bushes out in the open around the property.

About the seed at Lowes and HD, the WBU guy said they (L and HD) buy their seed for the next year from leftovers from the previous year and it doesn't actually make it to the shelves until it's a year old. May or may not be true, but that's what he said. Sounds like something he might have heard from a vendor rep.

I like the idea of teaching my woodland birds about the joys of feeders. Unfortunately, they are about to start building the house next door. I hope their construction doesn't scare them away too badly. At least there's the conservancy zone between us and a fair amount of woods in addition to the cons. zone. Thanks again for all the advice. Keep it comin' !

Hi Peeper, I wouldn't keep changing seeds in the same feeder.

The most popular seed among small and large birds is

Black Oil Sunflower Seed & Sunflower Seed (out of the shell).

The reason you haven't seen hawks yet is because you haven't gotten alot of feeder birds yet. Once the hawks know the feeder birds are there then they'll start stalking (so to speak). I'm just talking about hawks like Coopers and Sharp-shinned. It doesn't mean you'll have a real bad problem with that but it is a consideration when thinking where to place your feeders.Feeders should be put in the open but close enough (10-20 ft?) to shrubs etc. where they can dive into if a Hawk comes after them. Birds want to feel somewhat safe while eating.
You don't have to worry about doing anything else to attract them because they have excellent vision and can see the feeders from above.
Its different w/ Hummingbirds; their attracted to color.

Hope this helped. Have a good day! Pelle

BTW, Nice pool area! :-)



This message was edited Dec 11, 2007 8:21 AM

This is gonna sound a little crazy but go to the local fabric store and buy several yards of yellow 1 inch ribbon. Hang it in your feeder yard. Not tied in bows but so it hangs down and flutters in the breeze. Cut them 18 inches or so. Im betting that there are a lot more birds coming and going over your place than you are seeing/hearing. The movement and color will get there attention. I have birded in your area during the winter and have always found winter residents easy to find. Another thing that comes to mind is to join the closest to your home birding club and begin to learn to bird by ear. You live in a marvelous area for spring fall and winter birding. As you landscape think of trees/shrubs that produce berries. You will be very happy you did in just a few years.
Doug

They found me! When I came home for lunch the other day I thought I saw a bird fly from the blue feeder so I went to look and there were LOTS of them at the cedar feeder eating the safflower! I know for sure I saw at least one or two chicadees and several other cute little ones I couldn't identify.

The one that left the blue feeder may have been some type of woodpecker from the way it gripped the side of a tall stump it flew to. Whatever it was, it didn't have much red on it (there may have been a little) and it was smaller than most woodpeckers.

The ones at the cedar feeder stayed for a while, taking turns. There were probably between 5 and 8 of them. After a little while, they left for about half an hour, then they came back for a while.

I'm so excited that they've found the feeders. Hopefully they'll spread the word now. I asked my next door neighbor if she had feeders out and she said she did and had lots of birds, so you're probably right Doug, that there were more than I realized. Now maybe I'll get to see them more.

Is there something magic about posting here that makes them come within the next week? :o)

LOL! Congratulations Peeper!

Your Woodpecker was probably a male Downy.

Check this out and see if this is what you saw.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Downy_Woodpecker.html

I didn't get a really good look, but you are probably right about it being a Downy, especially with what it said on that link about them hanging out with groups of other species. It looks like I'm right at the edge of its range, here in Central Texas.

Wonderful news Peeper! You're gonna have so much fun and I can't wait to see pics of your birds!!

FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Doug

Yayy! Congratulations!

(Chickadees are some of my favorites-they're so cute)

yeah!!

Yay! Congratulations!

Now for the downside... say goodbye to getting your chores done lol.

You're right, lilyfantn. Not only is it hard to get things done, but now I eat my meals by the window instead of at the table. Not to mention my new hobby comes with a few chores of its own. I cleaned the cedar feeder today and freshened the seed in it.

I saw a female cardinal on one of the suet cages today. And the cute little birds were back at the cedar feeder around lunchtime again. I agree with you, susybell. The chickadees are my favorites so far. I enjoyed watching them today with my 10yo daughter as we sat in the sun on the back porch and ate a snack while the birds had theirs. Then I went up in the attic to get my binocs so I can start figuring out what the rest of the "cute little birds" are besides chickadees. I know a couple of them are titmice (titmouses?). I'll try to get some pics next time.

Welcome Peeper! Glad to have you! Congratulations! ;-)

I wanted to say that I've been buying my birdseed at my Lowe's since Dec. 2000 for everyday bird feeding (365 a yr.), since then and not have a problem with the birds eating the seed.

At my Lowe's, they seem to have a high turnover in their bags, since sometimes they're out (I've noticed it at times since 12/00). There is a date printed on the bags. You might want to look the bags over for the date and see when it expires. I've noticed that it's not a date that's not soon to expire.

I have 3 plastic locking lid medium size trash cans that are only for bird seed and bird feeding stuff. One is for BOSS (black oil sunflower seed in the shell), another for mixed seed (I buy different bags and make my own mix) and the third one is for storing whatever I need that pertains to bird feeding. Could be an extra seed block, a bag of Thistle seed, bag of peanuts, etc....). By having the thick plastic containers with locking lids, I can keep out any mice that get into the garage (where I keep everything, except for suet cakes - they're kept in the fridge) and everything stays fresher for the birds.

Marilyn

Hello and welcome to the bird addiction forum, Peeper. Lilyfantn is right, chores don't get done. we're to trigger happy with our Cameras. We have to, cause we need the knowledge of Pelletory and Resin to ID our birds. Watch out for Marilyn and Dellrose, they'll fill your yards with bird feeders.LOL. And like nanny, I'm a nanny too, so we try to keep up. ;~) And Doug, he's got a good eye for pictures. As for Shan and Susy, so please to meet you.

Burn,

LOL! ;-) That's about right (what you stated in your post)!

Yes, I have lots of feeders and want to add more! ;-)

Marilyn

Chores? What chores???? :-)

Meant to add a hi! to Peeperkeeper, HI!!

This message was edited Dec 18, 2007 1:42 PM

LOL, burn, thanks for the rundown/intro to the BW regulars. I had already figured out Resin and Pelletory really know their birds, and Doug's a great photographer (I could tell by some of his photos that he claimed weren't good due to lighting . . . if I could get shots like that in perfect lighting I'd be happy).

Some message boards I've been on show the date someone joined or keep a post count so you can tell who's there all the time and who is new or doesn't post a lot. Since DG doesn't do that, it's helpful to have intros.

Marilyn, thanks for the tips on seed. Nice to know I don't need to spend the big bucks on seed from WBU. I figured I'd start with it and then once I'm established go for the less expensive stuff and watch the dates. Good idea on the bins too. I need those and a couple of good scoops with narrow openings to pour seed in the feeders.

Hi Peeper, here you can hover your mouse over someone's ID and it will tell you the date they signed up and whether or not they are a subscriber. I think Dave is trying to avoid the "look at how many posts I have" thing that sometimes happens.

Also, I'm jealous-you have cardinals! We don't have them out here.


Hi burn, nice to meet you, too :)

Marilyn, We can never have enough bird feeders LOL. I'm always trying to configure something up. This year, I place a few pieces of wood on the stands where my flowerbox goes, and am trying to get DH to build me a few roofs for them, so the seeds and birds can be protected. The only platform feeder I have is a Terra cotta dish. Look at what the poor birds have to put up with.

Burn,

They are happy to have food everyday in the Winter. Do you have trees, shelter of any sort, a brush pile?

I feed on the ground, as well as, feeders and they don't have anything that is over their little heads.

Susy,

You don't have Cardinals?! I just checked the Cornell website and, you're right! They aren't in your area! I'm surprised!
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Northern_Cardinal.html#map

Here's a pic of a male Cardinal I took today (18). I even live on a street called Cardinal Way, ;-)

Marilyn

Thanks Susy, I hadn't noticed the mouse hover thing.

That's a shame you don't have cardinals. They're so common here we almost start to take their brilliant flashes of red through the trees for granted, but I would sure miss them if they weren't here.

But actually, my favorite "red bird" is the vermilion flycatcher. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Vermilion_Flycatcher.html We went camping in the South Llano River State Park (further South than where we live, it's near Junction, TX) early one summer and had a male using a tree in our campsite as a home base all weekend. He was spectacular! I asked the guy at WBU if there's any chance of seeing them here and he said it was possible but unlikely. :o/

Peeper,

Thanks wonderful! I looked on the map of Cornell, and they are no where even close to us. :-(

I wanted to mention that you might want to pick up these containers with handles to carry your seed with you to the feeders. They aren't expensive and I've seen them (the area of bird food) at Lowe's, PetSmart, Tractor Supply and they have them at Duncraft. Here's what they look like.

http://www.duncraft.com/Seed-Storage-Container--P2197C5.aspx

Marilyn

Wah, another red bird I don't have, and right before Christmas, too! Very pretty! Well, at least I still have hummingbirds!

I saw my first cardinal when I was a little girl and visited my grandparents in the midwest. I got so excited, dragged my mom to the window to see a RED bird... I think after that is when my parents decided putting up a feeder at home might be worthwhile... :)

Patience, it's just so worth it, isn't it!!!!!! I put a road sign out amongst our feeders with an arrow pointing toward TX....lol...I'm glad they found you!!! now enjoy....Deb

Marilyn lol, My yard is surrounded with cedar edging, I have a yard full of feeders too, I'm even worse than you. I was referring to the depth of the snow , The birds are sunk right in , in that picture.

Deb, how nice of you to put arrows signs as direction for the birds. LOL

Of course, we'd love to see pictures!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Marilyn

Speaking of cardinals, I had my first one on the feeder yesterday! It's a terrible picture, but see the little red speck above the cedar feeder?