Show me your feeders!

My sister just moved out to Justin,TX and I am also interrested what local fauna will make an appearance. My mom, who lives with her will watch there for me and tell me what she sees. (We get a stark contrast between the burbs and where she lives.) Who knows, we might take a property up there with her some day too.
Becky I will also ask Maureen at WB center about the best baffle thingy
:>chirp

This message was edited Jan 3, 2007 9:12 PM

Well, you all have inspired me! My Dad is a retired carpenter and avid bird watcher (back in Western New York). He still builds lots of beautiful things to keep himself busy. About 3 years ago he sent me this bird feeder that he made for my birthday. I haven't put it up... too many things to do, a little complicated with buying the pipe it mounts on, blah, blah, blah! So, I went out and pulled it out of the storage shed, and Tony helped me get it mounted and up... it really is quite beautiful! Dad is a perfectionist, so the finish, the way it opens, even the way it mounts on the pole... all gorgeous! It took only a few hours for the birds to find it, and Mr. Cardinal is quite pleased with the buffet, especially the sunflower seeds! Thanks again to all of you, I am already loving watching the birds enjoy the feast!

Brenda

Brenda - that is a beautiful bird feeder. Your DF sure is a perfectionist. Nothing wrong with that! I'm sure his is much better quality than most purchased in stores. Enjoy!
Debra

Fleursdefouquet,

Thanks for the link for the Yankee Clipper. That was really funny! I would love to talk DH into getting one.

Marilyn

Marilyn, if you ever have a chance to see the video in the store, be sure to do it. It's much better quality, many more shots, and the audio is a hoot. They try sooo hard to hang on by their claws and sometimes make a full 360 degrees before being flung off! DH has to drag me out.....could watch it all day long. Don't need one since our baffles do the trick, but am very tempted to get one just for it's entertainment value! Glad you enjoyed it.
Debra

Sheila,

I don't see any ants on that old Fence post, but sometimes I see, at night, a raccoon and/or a possom on it getting the crunchy PB. The squirrels are the only rodents that are a pest most of the time.

The square feeder is great. The birds love it! I've been putting just sunflower seeds in for them and they love sitting there and eating.

Marilyn

Fleursdefouquet,

I get up to the Wild Birds Unlimited store a few times in the FallWinter and Spring/Summer. It's not as close as I would like it. It's in the Cincinnati, OH area and I live in KY. I'll have to make sure I remember to watch it when I'm there. Thanks!

Fleursdefouquet,

We have 2 baffles, but it doesn't stop the squirrels on one of them. We just noticed the other day that the squirrels are jumping from the old fence post to the peanut feeder. :-((

We had to put veg. oil on the posts that the square feeder hangs on and the other that the peanut feeder hangs on, because they were climbing up the posts on both. [make note to self to get baffles].

Wished we had pics. DH said that he saw a squirrel keep sliding down because of the oil. It was very funny. Wished I had seen that.

The 'problem' with putting a baffle on for the peanut feeder is that I have another hanging post very close to it (I hang the 2 upside down thistle feeders there in the Spring/Summer), so we'll have figure it out.

Here are 4 of my feeders; a tube feeder that has a cage around it to keep big birds out, a house feeder that has 'wide' sides for the birds to eat and feed on (I don't fill it up with seeds, since its too heavy), a small glove feeder that I fill sunflower seeds in and an upside suet feeder that holds 2 cakes (feed suet year round).

I also have 2 upside down thistle feeders (just for the Goldfinches, the House Finches can't do it) and 4 Hummingbird feeders that have perches (Hummers like the perches so they can sit and drink).

I only have the Hummingbird feeders out from April to October and only use clear sugar water solution. 2 are in the front (we can watch from living room window) and the other 2 are in the back (we can watch from the kitchen and/or the patio door). I change the solution daily so they always have fresh solution.

Edited to say...... that I just noticed that the Suet feeder is cut off by half - its twice as long.

This message was edited Jan 4, 2007 11:43 AM

Here are 2 of the Hummingbird feeders that are in the back.

Here's my 2 upside down thistle feeders when the are hanging in the Spring/Summer months. They get hung where those 2 Hummingbirds are for the Fall/Winter.

The peanut feeder gets hung where the first thistle feeder is (closest one to the old fence post) in the Fall/Winter.

Forgot to add ......

The tube feeder with cage around gets sunflower seeds.

The house feeder gets sunflower seeds 'in the pits' (sides).

The small globe feeders gets only sunflower seeds.

The upside down suet feeder gets Peanut Treat cakes (get them from Lowe's). The birds really like those the best. They have peauts and peanut flavoring.

I also feed the birds by having mixed seeds and sunflower seeds on the ground (and on patio) for the birds that don't use feeders and prefer to eat only on the ground.

This is what it looks like, distance wise, for the squirrel to jump off the old fence post to where the peanut feeder is (where the closest thistle feeder to the post).

Here's a photo that shows how much room the birds get to feed on the house feeder. That's a House Finch eating seeds.

Here's a photo of the 2 Hummingbird feeders in the front. (there's a Hummer on one of the feeders). The sidewalk in front of the house is where the pic cuts off on the left.

A photo showing the length of the suet feeder (and part of the small globe feeder). There's a young Red Belly Woodpecker getting the nutty PB on the post.

Oops! Wrong pic. There's the young Woodpecker.

I'll try to get the right one this time. ;-))

Marilyn, you have a great bird watching yard. What is that beautiful tree - a spruce? It's breathtaking! What do you mean by "upsidedown" feeders? I need some educating...
Debra

Hi Debra,

Thanks for the nice words.

Yes, that's a Colorado Blue Spruce that my parents gave me in May 1999. DH said we were a little bit taller than it when we got it and it has gotten much taller than it since then. My parents had a 5 acre lot with house at the time and had some Spruces and lots of other trees ('leafy' and otherwise). They had a few years before that, offered a second Blue Spruce, but it had gotten to tall to transplant in May 1999, so we didn't get it. Last year, being in their 80's, they had to sell the house and land and move to a condo.

Here is another pic of the Spruce I took in June 2006.

The property on the other side of the old fence post is not ours, though I wish it was.

Marilyn

An upside down suet feeder has a roof on top and the suet cakes on the bottom that 'suppose to be' Starling resistant, but it's not. They fly up from the ground and hang on to the 'cage like bottom' to get at the suet. You can get an upside down feeder at Wild Birds Unlimited (we didn't get this one there). They have one that is square. Here is a link for them.

http://www.wbu.com/prod/fdr.htm

So, that's what an upside down feeder is! Thanks. Really do like that tree - the birds must, too. The story of how you came about having it makes it extra special.
Debra

Heres mine. I had to take it down off the tree because the squirrels were chewing the wood. It was pretty messy by this point.

Pelletory, that pic really helps. Those are interesting, may have to get one.

here is my feeder lay out. Also have one with nuts hanging under the eve by the picture window so the coons and opposums can't get it

Wow Donna thats a lot of feeders, I'm glad to see someone else besides myself with so many. I like the way yours are all spread out, wish I could do that.

Wow! You must get a TON of birds, Donna! How do you keep the squirrels and raccoons out of the feeders?

Wow Donna!

What a great layout of feeders! How exciting! How many feeders do you have?

We don't have the space for all those feeders, but I wished we did. You'll have to supply more pics so we can see all the birds that come to your yard. ;-))

Do you feed the ground feeding birds also?

Thanks for sharing your fabulous yard!

Marilyn

Donna, sure looks like you have something for every kind of bird. Looks very inviting!

I leave a cheap one out all winter here in Maine and have a variety of birds that come, especially when a storm is due.

Female Cardinal

Male Cardinal

Tufted Titmouse

I always do more adding of seeds when its snowy and ice on the ground. The birds can't seem to get enough. LOL I feel like 'mother hen'. Makes me feel good! ;-))

Marilyn

Nuthatch

Dove

I love the Tufted Timouse (Tufted Titmice)! They're so sweet and adorable! Thanks for sharing the pic (and the Cardinal pics)!

Marilyn

And I do feed them well just check out this little finch!

Pixie,

Thanks for sharing all your pics! Love the Nuthatch! Always seem to see just the male come around when its colder. Haven't got a photo of him.

Cute photo of the Dove.

I love the little Goldfinches! They're so sweet, beautiful, cheery and have a sweet song! Adorable!

Thanks for sharing your great pics!

Your very welcome Marilynbeth, my pleasure! I also have a few different woodpeckers, starlings, wrens, red tailed hawks,and chickadees. In the spring several other varieties show up. My favorite 2 would be the Scarlet Tanger and the Baltimore Oriole.
This was taken last spring.

I almost forgot this guy, he's been here for the last 3 years. I pretty sure its the same bird every year as he has what looks like a blind eye and thats how i know it's him.
Rose Breasted Grousbeak