Getting an idea from some site, I made this one with 9" steel plate and a cup and mounted it on a cement pipe. Whatever I put in there was not properly used by the birds. I wonder why. Another problem was that the rain collects in there. The unit does not shake. Has it got to be more colourful?
Dinu, Your idea is great, I did kinda the same thing, I got the idea from going to a craft show, they wanted $20 and I made it for less than $10. I have birds all over and they're messy too, LOL! Some people say feeders should be at least 20 to 25 feet from your house, I have that and also just outside my door, maybe the birds just haven't noticed yet. Hang in there! You can always try a different brand of seed too. Denise
With this type of feeder, you should only put out enough food for one day at a time. If the seeds get wet they spoil
quickly. It would help to put some drain holes so it does not hold water.
Larry
drill fine holes in the bottom for water to escape. It may be too new for the birds and they arent used to it. How long have you had it?
We have found that the birds here prefer the tube with red top and feeder perches and bottom plate(about $7). We have them right outside the living room window so our 'keets can talk to the wild ones.
Does the metal get hot??
I have had it there for about a year now and had stopped putting grains once I realized that the water and even mist did not help keeping the thing dry. It is about 20ft away from the door, under the mango tree in some shade. Now I have to try drilling holes to facilitate drainage of water.
Birds are like people some just don't like to eat from a feeder at all. Some of them pretty much eat where they ate last so
If you are not offering them a steady supply of food and the neighbours are, well the traffic is down.
Even if the majority of the birds in your area are ground feeders they should be using it long before now.
Yes the feeder needs drain holes in it.
What kind of birds are you trying to attract?
Is the feed offered consistent with their diets?
What are your neighbours doing?
Good luck. Hope this helps you get lots of birds. Ernie .
Dinu, As someone else asked what kind of birds are you trying to attract. I forgot what kind of metal did you use for the tray. Is it quite shiny and reflective. If it is that might be part of the problem. My main problem is way too many house finches and English sparrows. I feed birds more than 1 gal. of bird seed mix every day. Donna
Dinu....why not turn it into a bird bath? Some birds won't eat from a feeder like that but they sure like it for a bath.....huh....... :o)
Dee
That plate as I told, is made of stainless steel and the cup in the center too is of that metal.
The crows are ubiquitous. Mynas and Koels too are common. Some piegons also visit the premises. Early in the morning and the afternoons, a variety of little bird is a common visitor. They are small, not brightly coloured or attractive - something like the hummingbird (these are not found here), short beaks ... have seen them flap their wings quickly while trying to reach for nectar in some flowers. Very shy bird this. Sparrows have made their exit some couple of decades ago - it is a mystery the bird lovers are trying to solve. Squirrels are common. Another shy bird that comes is the crow pheasant. My neighbour too has a lot plants and a couple of big trees - mango, jackfruit. But our houses are on the main road where there is increasing traffic and plenty of noise (I hate it).
May be I should think of a birdbath.
Dinu driving to work I happened to wonder what if you switched the grain to fruit, you speak of crows. I don't know if they are the same type as live here but these like fruit and they like bread.
Maybe you should try that and try moving the feeder out a little more in the open. Maybe the bigger birds are tree feeders and just are not seeing it from above.
Sounds like your small birds are somewhat limited, here we sometimes have a dozen types feeding at the same time and the main feeder is 20 feet from the house.Two or three types eat fom the dogs dish beside the glass back door to the deck.
Keep at it you will find the right combination yet. Regards Ernie.
Thanks Ernie. I also wonder now if the diameter of the plate is too small and also there is no perching point anywhere near the unit. Is it wise to add a twig?
Thanks Ernie. I also wonder now if the diameter of the plate is too small and also there is no perching point anywhere near the unit. Is it wise to add a twig? Here are some of the visitors: http://davesgarden.com/t/402018/
Maybe your birds don't like the shiny metal. Paint doesn't like to stick to stainless steel, so use primer specifically recommended for stainless steel before you paint it. I recommend using a color like green or brown, rather than white. Our birds were not too keen on the white birdbath until we painted it green.
Kelli, I think this is a good idea.
I hope it solves the problem.
Floridian....You took the words out of my mouth =)
shirley....wisconsinite lol
I have just kept where it is now and keep wiping the steel plate often. I fill it with water and the koels have been using it to quench their thirst. I have to think of newer ideas to make it a very bird-lovable place. May be in green or brown..
