Do you feed the birds ??

[lew]

I keep a bird feeder in the yard thru the winter and always enjoy seeing how many different species show up, and have seen alot of different ones over the years. Infact I got a bird identification book a few years back to sort them out.

 

For some reason this year there haven't been as many different species as other years, but there's alot of cats around this year so maybe that's why, but I still get Blue Jays & Cardinals, but in the last couple weeks I've been getting Morning Doves and every day there's a couple more show up and this morning I had 22 of them in the trees in the yard.

 

They show up at sunrise and spend most of the day here and then take off in the evening.

 

Beautiful birds !!

 

Hard to see in this picture taken 15 minutes ago, but there's 22 doves in the branches.

 

Anybody else feed the critters in the winter ??

 

[OhioFisherman]

I used to summer and winter, nice to see the different types. In the city about all we saw was sparrows starlings robins and pigeons.

 

Had the Hummingbirds here regularly at the feeders, they also like the red handles on the garage door emergency release.

 

Can`t do it too much any more, if I go out in this weather I might feed the buzzards!

[Guest mistyriver1]

Morning Lew.

 

Yeah we have a couple of feeders in the back along with three bird houses. I have to admit they've gone empty quite a few times in the month of February on the crazy cold days.

Edited March 7, 2007 by mistyriver1

[MuskyBill]

Yup, but with last weeks high winds, my feeder has blown over & the ground is too hard to pound the pole back in...

[Bernie]

We feed the birds as well.fun to watch the different species. My mother has had a woodpecker for the past few years that taps on the kitchen window when hes hungry.

[lew]

I just looked in the yard again, and now there's 35 doves in the tree.

 

 

Jeeeez, I'm gonna hafta go back to work to be able to afford all this bird seed

[Smokey]

I feed them in winters as well. Try using a mix with lots of sunflower seeds and peanut kernals and the Bluejays and cardinals really like them. Once they find your feeder they will make it a regular stop. We've been feeding them at the hall each winter as well and we have about a dozen cardinals staying in the area year round now.

[pikehunter]

No. I used to years ago. I found that it also attracted rodents and stopped it. Also gave some species a reason to hang around and nest in places I wished them not to nest in, like my roof air vent after they pulled the screening out to make a nice cosy home.

[hawkeye]

We've been feeding them for years. Mostly finches, sparrows, and yes a good group of morning doves and one fat black squirrel. I've put out some niger seed for the finches, some suet for whoever and the bird feeder with a mix of sunflower seeds and regular bird sees for the rest

[Garyv]

We sure do. We have a platform feeder in the back and a couple of hanging feeders in the Birch tree by our front window. As mentioned in another thread watching them feed is my serenity in the morning before facing the day.

 

Now we do get squirrels and I have to admit they can drive you nuts but their ability to figure out how to get to food is amazing and does make me laugh at times. It's fun figuring out ways to see if you can keep them away from the food. So far this winter squirrels 8 me 0 .

Edited March 7, 2007 by Garyv

[Headhunter]

My neighbours feed the birds all winter. They get all of the above mentioned birds and many squirrels as well. He buys the no name dog food and puts it out for the birds and the Starling/Grackels (sp) fight with the squirrels to get at the meat! Commical at times and just like having a big screen tv, looking out the back window!

HH

[motv8tr]

I'd like to, but with the cats here it's not a good idea...prefer to keep the birds alive and flying and have more control of what my cats eat.

 

Maureen

[Bob]

We've been feeding birds for years, winter and summer. We have 2 seed feeders, a suet feeder, a hummingbird feeder and usually hang a seed cake. We get finches, (gold and purple), sparrows, chickadees and red wings at the seed feeders, the woodpeckers like the suet, and we nearly always get nuthatches pecking at the seed cakes. The woodpeckers we get are mostly hairies but we did get a bigass pileated woodpecker one day that flew right into the window. No damage to him or the window but it shook him up. I guess the reflection in the glass looked bigger than the feeder.

[lew]

Now we do get squirrels and I have to admit they can drive you nuts but their ability to figure out how to get to food is amazing and does make me laugh at times. It's fun figuring out ways to see if you can keep them away from the food. So far this winter squirrels 8 me 0 .

 

I have my feeder sitting on a 24" X 24" platform, on top of a 6' 6" galvanized pole, in the center of the yard, far from the fences, and so far the little critters haven't figured a way to get up there.........yet !!

[Entropy]

Feed the birds. No.

 

End up getting to much weeds and 'stuff' growing in the lawn from the seed, and the birds 'pooping' there. [yes there are seeds in that too]. I am on a Quest for the perfect lawn this summer.

 

When I have a kid, I could see us having a couple of feeders.

 

Entropy

[Bob]

I fought the lawn and the lawn won,

I fought the lawn and the lawn won.

[Beans]

In the fall I remove the feeders from out by the wishing well in the front yard as they get too difficult to get to in the winter ( I get enough snow to shovel in the driveway...thank-you) and just use the platform feeders that sit on the railings out on the front deck...

 

Nice to watch them and try to identify from the book...

 

 

 

 

 

Also fun to watch the cats go nuts when they see the birds through the window...

 

Edited March 8, 2007 by Beans

[brandon]

We usually feed the birds throughout the entire year. Yesterday I topped up the feeders and borrowed my step dads new camera and snapped a few pics....

 

 

[nautifish]

Yup i feed them.

 

In certain parts of germany it is illegal to keep out feeders for the wild birds through breeding season as the adults take the seed to feed the very young and they cannot digest it or choke on it which kills them.

 

So i tend to keep my feeders empty through the spring months.

[fishindevil]

yes i used to feed them and i had 14 bird feeders in my yard,i had about 20 different kinds of birds comming and even had a hawk attack a dove right on top of a feeder there was feathers everywhere,i used to get 50lb bags of seed for 5 bucks ,and i used to have the blue jays land on my hand and take a peanut.....i love to feed the birds,its very relaxing to watch them carry-on, cheers

[crappiesteve]

...yeah Lew,Ifeed the birds all year long,and have quite a variety of them too,like the other day I saw a Red-Headed Woodpecker

which you do not see to often.Mainly all the above that everyone has mentioned and a pair of white-Breasted Nut Hatch,

with lots of Black Capped Chickadee..and many more.One Ireally like seeing is the Northern Flicker,beautiful colors.

Living in the out skirts of town I see a lot Birds.

 

Steve

[pikehunter]

I have read that hot peppers, crushed chillies will keep the squirrels away. To the birds the seeds are not hot so they will eat them. Guess it's worth a try?

[JFR]

I've been feeding the birds, squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits for many years.

 

I enjoy it when the Blue Jays sit in the trees next to my deck and squawk and screem until I put out the peanuts in a shell, then all hell breaks loose as they swoop down to gather the nuts before the squirrel gets to them. I've seen several cardinals in the trees, but yet to coax them to the feeders.

 

I know the environment is OK, when all you get to see the wild life on a daily basis.

[GbayGiant]

I tried to get a pic the other day (didn't get the camera in time), there were more Blue Jays in one spot under the feeder on the ground picking the seeds than I've seen in my entire life, at least 50 maybe 100 all bunched up together it was a awesome site, they've been back but not all at once like that. A few woodpeckers and others too.

 

There is also a big fox that is interested, and close by.

 

It looked like a Crip gang meeting with all that blue , anyone ever see that many Jays ?

Edited March 8, 2007 by GbayGiant

[Gerritt]

I too feed the birds... Love to see the different ones and identify them using my Birds of Ontario books... Helps me pass the time... as for seed? well I go to the local Co-Op and Black Oil Seed (they look like black sunflower seeds just a little smaller) they have a really good nutritional count compared to other seeds and help add a bit of fat to the birds.. and it is alot more inexpensive then some of the seed you seen in warehouse/grocery stores. I havent seen a bird that is unable to eat them