Backyard bird watching

[basswipe]

Originally Posted by Raven

the cooper hawk is most anxious to score a small bird to eat during a very windy storm approaching....and thats when to look for them.

so when the flurries start blowing sideways they are sure to appear.

My parrot would square off with him in the tree and shriek sometimes being chased around from tree to tree (in summer) with the cooper hawk 1 foot away from sinbad the parrot's tail feathers ...with him screaming bloody murder the whole time even though they were equal in size.
i go thru 50 pounds of black seed per month...but i have found i attract more birds offering suet than seed and i buy both types;
the natural beef suet thats white and pink and the suet cakes
you can buy at most stores although the cheapest source is the christmas tree shops at 79 cents each and never pay more than a buck each.

i like feeding the red belly wood peckers and of course the nuthatches and the downy woodpeckers too.
cardinals love safflower seed the most........

i have cardinals every day( two pair) ...and if you have thistle seed you'll get the purple finches and the gold finches by the dozen.

i attach boards to my deck railing with a lip on the edge so they have a landing perch but they favor the branches i screw down to the railing to land on the best.

We go through a fair amount of seed ourselves.Jane has started to show me how to make homemade suet(bacon fat and peanut butter!)

We have three pairs of Cardinals I can certainly id by pair.We also get a Downy woodpecker too.Lotsa tufted titmice and black-capped chickadees.Nuthatches and blue-jays and of course sparrows,starlings,doves and finches.And other seasons bring a whole host of other birds which in Spring brings the damn grackles!

There really is nothing like seeing that hawk though.It really is awesome.

[gone fishin]

And lots of squirrels .. feed em 5mm lead!

[basswipe]

Originally Posted by gone fishin

And lots of squirrels .. feed em 5mm lead!

.177,.20,.22 or .25.As long as it comes from a quality pellet rifle!At least when that used to be doable.Grain fed squirrlies are nice but the neighbors might not like the "scene" so to speak.Not anymore.I've learned to live the buggers.The right food along with the right feeders,the birds and squirrels are fine.

[Clammer]

I,m gaiving aball beweet beed feeders & birdhouses ;;


great time :;I,ll be selling most of my fishing gear >so I can spend more time checking these little peckers out :;

What has worked for me with squirrals & coons >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Is I have loaded the base of a couple of stands & make sure they are toooo far from a place that they can fly from > with axle greese >>> works awesome /they dob,t even attempt to get to them any longer

[Raven]

Dave f18 musta snuck over to Clammers puter.... me thinks

`~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
this year i intend to encircle my long feeder in green chicken wire
forming a big tube.....
so only the smaller birds can get in

and then the 12 bluejays and flocks
of grackles and starlings will no longer have access except
for what the little one's drop... my preference is for birds that sing..
especially the wrens and the fox sparrow and song sparrow and or Finches

squirell's tend to bloody up the snow and make a huge mess
when you shoot them which i learned as a kid...

i am going to buy an electric fence cow zapper
and shock the HELL out of them instead ..............
ZZZZZZZZZAPPP !!

[fishaholic18]

Originally Posted by Raven

Dave f18 musta snuck over to Clammers puter.... me thinks

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Nope///not this time......Thats all him..