A Gardeners Forum Forums Members History Forum Life 2005 Bird Feeders

Well a few weeks ago I was at Walmart and picked up 3 bird feeders. Before I would just sprinkle the feed around and they would pick it up. I only filled the cheapest one first with bird food that I had purchased quite awhile ago that is a mixture of sunflower seeds, those white seeds, and the little brown ball kind of seeds. (sorry threw the bag away awhile back) Well after filling the feeder...(with the adaptor with the bigger hole)...first day no hits, second day went out to half the seeds gone, waited til it was almost gone and then later that evening filled it again....but when I went to the feeder the grass below was filled with seed and mostly those little brown balls. So I moved it over the dirt instead of the grass ...this morning went out to half a feeder again....as I sat in my swing watching....one of the red finches took his beak and pulled out one of the white seeds extracted the seed from the hull and then proceeded to put his beak in there and pull out about 5 HUGE LOADS of seeds and drop them to the ground, repeated doing this over and over again.....feeding probably 25 other birds.

I think they are all that messy. I've noticed at other peoples bird feeder the seeds are just tossed on the ground. I think they eat cleaner right off the ground. I feed off the ground, just scatter what I have and they seem to eat it all. My mother in law uses a bird feeder and it seems to me more on the ground then in the bird.

Belinda I am in agreement I think they clean it off the ground much better if it is scattered. I bought 3 different types...the first one that they are dumping is a plastic one with 4 side holes/interchangable with the smaller hole, the second is a wood one with small finch holes for thistle, and the third one is flat and you can either put the seed in the mesh part or put in the dish/or use the dish for water. At this point the last one I think is going to be used for water. now while observing them.

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v161/LynneNY/bird-snow.bmp[/img]

Hey Karen! How are you feeling these days?
Couldn't resist this cartoon - in light of what you just wrote.

Finches LOVE thistle seeds - especially goldfinches. I have a separate feeder that I have out just for them filled with thistle - they are sooooo bright and cheerful in the spring and summer with their beautiful yellow feathers. In the fall and winter they are more of an olive green/brownish color.

You'll probably find that Juncos and Titmice and Nuthatches eat the seeds that are thrown out by the other birds. We also get a few pairs of morning doves who are bottom eaters and will pick up all the cast-offs.

Enjoy this fun hobby... Lynne

I've been feeding wild birds for several years now and have researched a few tricks. If you're trying to attrach finches and songbirds, it's best to use only thistle seed. Stay away from the "wild bird seed" mixes since they will attract tons of sparrows, blackbirds, squirrels, etc. Those mixes also contain seeds that birds just don't care for, which is why alot of it is thrown to the ground. Finches are automatically attracted to tube feeders. I just bought 2 of the upside down tube feeders and the goldfinches were on them within 10 minutes. These feeders have the feeding hole below the perches so the birds have to hang upside down to eat. Most birds are unable to do this but the finches are acrobats and have no problem eating upside down. It's very cute to watch
If you'd like to attract Cardinals, it's best to use Black Oil Sunflower seeds (blackbirds and sparrows don't care for them either) in a platform or ground feeder. The finches will also eat these seeds. Another seed that is recommended is safflower, especially for Cardinals, but I haven't had many go for the safflower as of yet.
There are birds that prefer to eat off the ground, like Juncos, Doves, and Quail (we had a family of Quail last fall that were daily visitors to our feeders). So really, any seed that is dropped to the ground usually won't go to waste. If other birds don't get it, other animals will, like squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, etc.

I enjoy watching the birds too. We have so many beautiful cardinals. We used to have a lot of mourning doves but since we got the cat I haven't seen one. How do you cat people deal with this?

Sheri, if I put out birdseed my cat thinks it's for his eventual dining pleasure, so the only birds I feed now are hummingbirds. I attach the feeder with a suction cup to my window to decrease the cat's chances of catching one. A picture is worth much more than a thousand words if it's of a cat sliding down glass with a petrified look on his face!

Catlover, how do you keep your cats away from the birds? I'm reluctant to put a bell on my cat for fear of him getting caught in underbrush.

Wow, thanks for the responses.
Lynne...that cartoon is EXACTLY what I was thinking was going to happen. Last year I got it by a scrub jay that flew over head...just caught the top edge of my hair and then splat on the ground in front of me....ewwwwe...jumped in the shower realllll fast. I have morning doves, finches (reg.color and the red ones, orioles once in awhile, hummingbirds (lots of them), scrub jays and mockingbirds which scare off the little birds once in awhile, and those darn ravens who scare off everything. There are a few I don't know what they are....dark black head and wings with a little white along the wings but the body is a real pretty rust color...then there are others that look like sparrows but much bigger and with lonnnng tail feathers....and of course the sparrows.

I need a site that has pictures of different birds for the North County San Diego area.

Yeah, I think I need to stick to the thistle from what you all are saying....After this mixture is gone (don't have much left since they are pigs right now) I will stick with the thistle. The only good thing about the liquid amber balls is when they are bursting open with the seeds and those little finches are a riot to watch hanging upside down....just like Corgi was talking about. The red finches are a little smarter than the other birds...they will actually sit on the thin branch pick up the ball from the stem with their beak and pull it up to them holding it with one foot and peck away at the ball for the seeds.

I only have 2 of the 5 cats that are indoor/outdoor. The black and white one(Pico) like my sign. button...he is sooo fat that he couldn't catch a bird if he tried. The mockingbirds did a head trip on him one time when we first moved in.... they would squawk reallll loud and kept dive bombing his back and rear~end while up in that area so he stays away from the feeder.LOL Pookie....she likes to sit and stalk from a distance but with sooo many of them at one time she is scared to go over there. Pookie is more of a gopher/mouser....she will sit by a hole for hours just waiting. The feeder is in a more open area and when one bird see a cat anywhere around they all head for the oleander shrubs right behind it. Now you see the birds, now you don't.LOL.....so not to worry about my cats getting one. The neighbors male comes over once in awhile but my cats usually run it off.
I have skunks, raccoons, and coyotes but no squirrels or rabbits....I live by the end of a ravene (sp?) and so the coyotes favor this area quite a bit. We have a lot of owls....I hear the great horned owl and see him flying at night and we also have some screech owls ....I hear them screeching at night but have never seen one as of yet. Red Tailed Hawks like to soar this area and there are larger trees behind that they like to hang out in....probably getting the mice, gophers, birds, robbing bird nests etc. from the Orange grove behind me.
Geesh, here I go with my book again. LOL

Catlover
P.S. Lynne, I am still in pain...they ran the CT scan of my abdomen and everything was normal...now I have an appt. set for a HIDA scan to check the gallbladder. Hopefully they will come up with something soon...enough is enough already.

Well I usually have 3 feeders up but the 3rd they broke.I tried to set it on post but guess will have to mount it after I re pair it.They eat from the feeders pretty well.I wait 2 days when empty before I fill it again,by then they done cleaned the ground up.I get a wildbird seed mix.I got 2 tall green feeders with 4 holes with pertches were $1 a piece.they broke the $3 one.i got a suet feeder for woodpecker too but he eats whatevers available and will eat fruit plums& figs.I add walnuts& almonds to the mix that I chop in food processor.I pick the walnuts up out of yard.neighbor gets almonds (USDA program thing)I toss out leftover popcorn& kernals too..right under the feeder.sometimes I smear peanut butter on pinecone& roll it through bird seed bag and hang on a branch.sometimes the whole darn thing goes.pinecone and all.I feed mine more in the winter than in summer,but feed year round.they really like the real expensive birdseed with fruit bits in it& more variety,but thats too bad,but buy 1 1 lb bag at christms for them...woddy hogs it all too.Thats how got to see the female.mostly is the male I see.I have loads of cardinals,a few blue jays but they don't eat at the feeders much cowbirds,mockingbirds,wrens,titmouse,3 kinds of chickadees.I got roadrunners that eat in the yard,they are neat.

That's what you call "a bird doin' a bird thang"!

After finishing my bird garden, it didn't take me long to figure out which seeds were being eaten the most. So, I started mixing my own seeds for the feeders. I buy 25 and 50 pound bags of different seeds, and mix them in a big plastic trash can. The birds at the feeders scatter it on the ground for the birds that like to eat off the ground, so it works out good.

Cindy

the blue jays eat out of my compost pile...which is fine with me cause they were noisy at the feeders when they use to eat there(durring nest building time...they will feed then)
I been hearing robins which I really haven't seen much of since moveing to TX 5 yrs ago but have this winter.I usually just hear the cardinals and are LOTS of those here.I know had about 3 known nests last year.& my woody was nested in dead tree with top broke off.I get hummingbirds too and get most of them at night over in my 4 pm patch and they hang with my moonvines& brugmansias.I now CHECK the brug flowers before smelling them cause got hit in forhead last year by hummer exiting flower I was smelling...scared the crap out of me.I see them in early morning hours then back out in afternoon flying all about inmy cypress vine.

Don't ever try and win a "stare-down" contest with a hummingbird!
I was standing outside my sign shop years ago, watching the hummingbirds fighting in my mimosa, and one came right up to my face and just hovered there. I didn't move, and it got closer and closer...and finally poked me in the eye!
I moved then!

I have all of my birdfeeders hanging on posts and I learned along time ago(the hard way I might add) to never put plants around the posts. It became a daily chore to pull out all of the seedlings coming up from the birdseed. So much is thrown out that the ground-feeders can't eat it all.

Around here we have Juncos,Doves,Barn Owls,Hummers,4 types of Woodpeckers,Great Crested Flycatchers,Swallows,Chick-a-dees,Tufted Titmouses,Carolina Wrens(they are real friendly, I've even had them come in and check out my house),Mockingbirds,Robins,bluebirds,Cedar Waxwings,Myrtle Warblers,Pine Warblers,Cowbirds,Towhees,Goldfinches,Chipping Sparrows and House Sparrows. There has also been an occasional Wild Turkey(NOT the drinking kind Cindy ),Red-tailed Hawk,Vulture and Eagle.

Can you tell I'm crazy

ya'll have inspired me to get more of them... think i'll hang a couple from my clothes line poles

Uhhh...I wouldn't do that if you actually hang clothes on your clothesline!

good point!

I got the most beautiful big birdfeeder for xmas......I must go out and take a pic of it so I can show you all....It's copper, with glass around the sides with cardinals on it.....and inside is a solar light....

It's great, holds an entire bag of seed! I have a cheap small feeder that the birds were used to that I hung next to it for about 4 days before they started using the new one. Now they are all over it!

It's hung from my clothesline--which is fine, because I don't use it--but I could if I wanted.....It's really long and I could use the part up near the house because the birds all congregate on the other end at the bottom of the yard.....

Actually, I have to venture out and fill it.....birds have cleaned it out!

I love sitting outside in the summer and watching them all feed......one time a cat was scoping them out--it was about 7am.....and I had on my PJ's, and slippers---you should've saw me running down through the yard to protect my birdies.....neighbors probably liked the entertainment....lol

I have one thistle tube feeder in my wildflower garden. I noticed finches when summer was over, I thought they must be migrating because they showed up and then left. Haven't seen any since it got real cold. I only have one feeder on the other side of the house. I buy the block of seeds from Lowes and put it in the green basket. Robins, woodpeckers, cardinals, blue birds, NC Chicadees, what's the bird that has "cow" in it's name, all eat from that same seed. Today, since it's sleeting, I put some seed on the driveway for the doves, hoping the cat will be too cold to get them. I used to have more feeders but they all eat from the same one, so we just keep this one with a block of seed in it all the time. I have two hummingbird feeders, but they favor one feeder.

I have some older bread that is JUST starting to get that mold smell....is it still okay to give to the birds or should I compost it? I don't want to make them sick....or is the rule...if it isn't fit for human consumption it isn't edible for the birds either?????
Do I need to break it up for them or just throw it out there?

Catlover

I give it to my birds. I break it up into small pieces and throw it around the bird garden.
I have one suet feeder that I keep a few slices of toast in...with peanut butter and bird seeds in the middle. They love it.

Good idea Cindy. I never thought of putting bread in my suet feeders. I think you actually gave me my two suet feeders - one red bird one and one green cage one.

I also keep a suet feeder stocked with straw, grass clippings, short pieces of string, etc. for nesting material. They use it a LOT!

I've got that kind of stuff in the red cardinal one you sent me. I guess I should change it when spring comes huh?

I had my nesting stuff in the little Cardinal suet basket, but they didn't use it, so I put the stuff in a regular size suet holder and they use it all the time. I think the holes in that Cardinal suet holder are too small for anything. I finally just threw mine away. Guess it wasn't much good for anything besides a decoration!

They seem to really go for the string. I cut it 2" to 4" long and put it in with a little straw and dried grass.