Bird Feed

[justplugit]

I am down to sunflower and suet, a little mix for the scratch birds, but the thistle and safflower prices are just too expensive now.

[ProfessorM]

Come out and play little birdy. Look who I just saw out here this afternoon. Looking for stupid birds eating a feeders. Kind of far away so pics. are not that good. Been here a lot lately.

[striperman36]

What is that a grouse?

[gone fishin]

Red tail hawk - hungry? Oops there goes anther dove.

[FishermanTim]

What happened to all the birds we used tohave around here?

Gee, that snow looks an awful lot like white feathers...!


I saw what had to have been a hawk, although it was smaller than the red-tailed hawks I have seen. I didn't get a good look at it, as it was chasing another bird across our yard. The reason I suspect a member of the hawk family was that it had to fly through lots of tree branches in pursuit of its quarry. The only birds that will fly kamakazi style through tree branches are birds of prey. (all others stop in the trees, seeking protection whereas birds of prey intend on flying right on through with victim in tow.)

I wouldn't mind a little visit now and then, to keep the regulars on their toes.

[Chris in Mass]

Originally Posted by ProfessorM

Come out and play little birdy. Look who I just saw out here this afternoon. Looking for stupid birds eating a feeders. Kind of far away so pics. are not that good. Been here a lot lately.

Nice get!

[Clammer]

This was/ is working great ;;

I have been using this lobster pot as a bird feeder ;
I block the two entrances with kids / play balls >> just pushing them in ;;
The other nite I went to put food in it & I didn,t have any shoes on .kinda f $%^&*() cold .. so I removed the balls for access & than ran back in the house / neglecting to block the entrances ;;;

well ya see what happens . BUT I watched him for a while the M/ F#$%^&*() free dives ..he goes under the snow for a long period of time ... getting & eating the seeds that was put in there before the snaow <><><><>

[justplugit]

Originally Posted by Clammer

The other nite I went to put food in it & I didn,t have any shoes

Hmm, bare feet, somehow i always pictured you wearing $300 leather slippers with like Hugh Hefner silk bathrobes.

[Raven]

bird feeder = open border

slam the door shut i say....

[gone fishin]

Originally Posted by Karl F

all the reasons i don't feed the birds are in there and on here.. the cost, the mess, the tree rats, (squirrels and chipminks), the mice, the non stop noise, and god forbid they find any empty they wil really squack.....chit qall over everything.. knocked it off years ago... and even one die hard bird loving bird feeding friend stopped becasue he had a "realization"... these are "wild" birds..should they not feed themselves???

now, i got the idiot neighbor with elaborate multiple feeding stations.. and non stop air rifle action with him killing the tree rats...(wtf...but..the guy has no brain)...o.. i love dead squirrels all over the yard, and pellets whistling thru the trees over my head... but.. like Forrest said... "Stupid is, as Stupid does"....
and don't tell me to call the cops...they is useless...

Dead squirrels on the hood usually gets their attention. After he plugs a few and finds them on his car he will be sure to get to them before you do. Is this the bad -ss next door? Can you get a couple on his motor block??

[justplugit]

Originally Posted by Karl F

guys gotta be from Joisey.

[Chris in Mass]

Too funny! I'm native Joisey and even though he has that Soprano kind of thing going, I think he's a New Englander. He gave it away when he said "start", it came out Staht. Followed by "Bahbeque" and pwocket for "pocket". He would fit right in at our annual reunion though.

[saltfly]

Very Good Karl!.

[FishermanTim]

I make it a habit to feed the birds primarliy in the late fall through early spring. After that, they "might" get a suet cake of some leftover seed, but I prefer to let them fend for themselves.
The main reason for stopping the bird seed gravy-train is that since the majority of the feeders are sparrows, I want them to do what they do best during the summer: eat bugs, lots and lots of bugs.
Sparrows LOVE mosquitos, and do a real good job of keeping them at bay.
If you are keen on bird watching, and want to cut down on the expense, build a few birdhouses (cheap and easy to build) and watch the bird population grow year by year.
We had one house on a tree in our front yard (tree recently removed) that had returning sparrows that raised successive generations of sparrows. You were able to see the parents return with beaks packed with bugs and see the young taking their fledgling flights. There are just a few specifics you need to be aware of.
1.) hole size. The entry hole size is specific for certain bird species.
2.) Reinforce the area around the entry hole with wire mesh or metal plate. Everyone will want to move into an "open house", and if that means enlarging the hole you started with, so be it. Heck, even the squirrels with try to move in.

With proper care and cleaning (annually) they will last for years.
I've had some that lasted close to 10 years, and then they needed some basic repairs.