A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 Different kind o' bird problem

I'm new, so forgive me if I should have put this somewhere else...

Ok...here's the skinny. I love the birds that come and visit my backyard. I have a few feeders and such and don't mind all the seeds falling in my garden. Last week I used some Miracle Grow liquid plant & flower food...you know the kind that you attach to your hose and have to spray for twelve minutes...and now...well...I keep finding dead little birds. Did I kill my feathered friends with Miracle Grow? If so, how do I fertilize without harming them or any other critters that crawl around? I feed the squirrels, a couple of raccoons and a possum as well. I'd hate for my dog to come draggin something furry in the house...yikes! Not to mention the fact that I now feel like some villianous murederer. Please help! The dwindling wildlife and I would greatly apreciate it.

Hello Dixiedoodle,
Welcome to The Gardenhelper's Forum!!!

Another New Yorker!!!!
We've had that happen here alot!!!
I always hate to see that!But it does happen???

Weezie

Welcome Again, hope you take a look around, there's alot of new sections here we've added...
Recipes, Crafts, Hobbies... Banter Hall for chatting to get to know the members, we have a really friendly group here in our "Cyber~Community"

First of all, the hokey pokey IS what it's all about!

Second, I emailed Scott's about the Miracle Gro. They have a toll free number on their website for any questions.
1-888-270-3714
But, if it is harmful they aren't going to own up to it! You'll have to find what's in it and do reseach on that. Best research on this kind of stuff ends up in a university study. You have no idea what I went through to find out if my crab grass stuff harmed the birds.
I'll let you know if I hear anything from Scott's.

As far as I know, the likelyhood of the miracle grow harming the birds is slim, you would have to contaminate thier source of water, then I don't know, may make em BIGGER I get lots of dead birdies around here every spring, may be the farmers planting near by, could be the 50 to 90 mph. winds we have in the spring! Usually bird deaths are caused by the pretty, but BAD blue Jay, who hatches their brood early enough in the spring that they can join the parents in Attacking baby birds.

And what the heck is up with those Blue Jays???
They won't let my crow ("Whiskey Man") come to his feeder. They gang up on him, along with some pretty mean catbirds, and attack him every time he tries to come in. They are really making me mad. I have separate food and special home made suet cakes for "Whiskey Man". He's my baby.

Cindy, they are just ONERY birds, I have never been able to keep a cardinal around here because of them, I told Laura this when she first came here, now, we have a cardinal, I sure hope it is TOUGH enough to out last them Jays. Whiskey, interesting, how did you name it?

Molly Hatchett song, "Whiskey Man".
And, since he ain't nothin' but an "Old Crow" ,the name stuck! (Not that my life revolves around liquor or anything! )

I swear Cindy, you been peekin in my tape case haven't you? never even thought of the song! Ok, Kentucky,,, who wrote the song..Paradise??

Which one? Plain ole Paradise, or "Paradise By The Dashboard Light"???

No Not Meatloaf...Plain old Paradise, c'mon done by a Kentucky Native...

If it's somebody like Ricky Scaggs, I won't know it! Didn't know we had any rockers from Kentucky. Unless, of course, you count Billy Ray Cyrus!!!

When you refer to "tape case", uh...
..is it 8-tracks???

No, Not so much Leading edge country, kinda folk/bluegrass, no not 8 tracks...cassettes, give up??too obscure for Ya??

I know there are a grillion songs with the word Paradise in the title...but I can only think of a couple actually called Paradise and one that most people just call Paradise even though it has a longer name...but I don't know that any of the artists are from Kentucky...hummmm this is a stumper....John Denver, Vanessa Carlton, Sade...and that aforementioned song "Down & Out in Paradise" by John Mellencamp...well ya got me on this one...

Anyway... thanks for the advice on the birds. To expound on the subject - they aren't babies. These are full blown fatty birds. I have found two in two days and they aren't of the same species. My man thing says its just nature. It just seems a little too odd to be nature. My cat is a Maine Coon and notoriuos for bringing home "gifts", but I don't think he did these guys in. First, el gato has just gotten too old to really hunt any more and second, it simply didn't look like his handy work. I'm stumped on this as well...sheesh.

Just to share - I have the most beautiful pair of Cardinals! A male and female. I so love seeing them hanging out in my backyard. Lately I have noticed a blue jay poking about. He's only come around a few times. I wonder if my cardinals are pulling the tough guy act back on him and keeping him at bay...I can just see the little red man carrying a violin case whistling the tune of Da Godfadder...heh heh.

Thanks for all your help!
Tootles!

Don't tell me yet.
But, I'll take another clue if ya got one!

Initials: J.P.

John Prine!!!!!

Mullenburg County.


Been to see him many times in Lexington, KY.
Dammit! Why didn't I know that? I listen to the CD all the time! I even have it covered in flag decals!

Yay, Cindy, Ya got it...But remember; Your flag decals won't get Ya into Heaven anymore!!
John prine Fans UNITE!!!

They'd better get me into heaven! That might be all I have going for me!

Sorry about your birds, I've used Miracle Grow in the past and haven't seen a dead bird around here yet. I have my feeder on one side of the house and the garden on the other, most of them stay away from the veggies. I have a LOT of bluejays, doves, a pair of cardinals, some kind of blackbirds, some brown and white birds, wrens, an occasional hummingbird, a few woodpeckers, a gang of squirrels, and a few turtles that all share the food with a minimum of fuss. Oh yeah, sometimes a coon will come out in the morning and check out the food. I usually feed them at 7:30pm. Started with one, now there are 9 that I counted at once. They come out of the woods when I call, some are braver than others. But they are my favorites and my whole house has things with coons on them. I've seen a possum once and a red fox too---we live only a couple of blocks off the beach in the city. Never saw this many critters all the years we lived in the country.

Gayle

If it wasn't for hokey pokey, none of us would be here. Or is that hankey pankey? But I heard someone say My Baby Does the Hanky Panky, and I don't think babies would do that kind of thing. Anway, I've had 3, grown, dead birds this year. I called environmental health cause I was thinking West Nile, but they told me it's not the time of year.