Show Me Your Feeders Pt. 4

Yes Becky there are big ones and regular small one. I use the small ones. Don't know what the big ones are for lol. Just figured the bird have small mouth so i get the small ones

Congrats Becky, glad the birds are finding your feeders. Here is a pic of my female and male Painted Buntings. The females look similar to other birds, this shot shows the front of one and back of the other.

Becky: How about some pictures of the Sandhill Cranes?? They landed in Gainesville three years ago but I haven't seen them on the ground since. They are so magnificent!
Joyce

Becky, such fun - and your feeders are all terrific . . . you'll find it a full-time job now to keep them filled!!

Gardenpom, that photo could be right out of Birds & Blooms, or National Geographic - what beautiful birds!

Becky, if you don't find them at Petco try most any bait shop. Spoken from a fisherman's wife. I have eastern bluebirds here year round and they love them. It is the only thing I can get them to eat.

Donna - Thanks for clarifying the "sizes" of mealy worms for me. I would have never guessed they came in different sizes!

Gardenpom - Wow! You've got those tropical birds right in your own backyard! Does the Painted Bunting male have more than one mate or do you have more than one couple of PB visiting you? Beautiful photo!

Joyce - There are so many Sand Hill Cranes where I live that it is not unusual to have to stop in the road to let them walk by. And they take their sweet time, too! lol I saw some yesterday, but didn't have my camera. I will definitely take some pics and post here on this forum. I think there is already a Sand Hill Crane thread started somewhere on the Bird Watching forum. I wonder why they don't hang out in Gainesville anymore? Displaced by tropical storms? Too cold?

Murmur - I don't know if I will get a LOT of visitors to my feeder, but I'd be happy with a few daily visitors. :-)

Does anyone know if less birds come to a feeder if there are more feeders in the area????? I think that a number of the neighbors around me have feeders.

It's looking rather cool and damp and overcast again here this morning. I put out more peanuts. No birds. I guess the birds and the butterflies are all staying put in their night time spots.

bluegrassmom - I wondered about the bait and tackle shops, if you could get mealy worms or earth worms there. (Though I would hate to waste the earth worms. I'd rather put those in the ground in my gardens! LOL)

What is the difference between a mealy worm and an earthworm????? I know they look a bit different.

Earthworms are long and pink, they have to have dirt to live (underground), although I have seen them on the driveway when it rains. They can not dry out or they will die. I don't believe earthworms morph.

Mealies are dry worms kinda golden brown color, the small ones are about an inch long. I get them at the WBC, or at Petco. They are packed in meal. (Use a sifter to clean the meal b4 serving.) Mealies morph into Beatles when they are mature.

Donna the large mealies are for big pet Lizards etc. LOL

Deb

Awww...yay for you Becky! :) And what a beautiful bird to be your first visitor! Your squirrel is too funny. Easy for me to say tho, since I don't have any. lol

I was just reading the other day that the male PB's are very mean and will even fight to the death! Yikes!

Oh Deb! Thanks for telling me about the mealy worms. I didn't know what they were. Beetles, huh? Interesting!!!

You are correct that earth worms do NOT morph into another form. I have lots of them in my yard when it rains. Unfortunately, the birds know it and get a lot of them. Looking at the sand in my soil ... you wouldn't think I'd have that many earthworms.

Paige - I just love the squirrel! He just makes me laugh every time I see him. I have been very fortunate to have so many "colorful" birds coming to my feeder. These very birds are here year round. I always see them in the trees watching me when I am out in the yard working. Now that I have feeders up, I am sure they are watching me even more. LOL

Well, it didn't take long for THE Party to get started this morning. Unfortunately, I couldn't get any photos. Room was occupied by a sleeping person. LOL

But is seems once the Blue Jays start coming to the feeder, the other birds follow. I saw a red bird with black wings that I've not seen before. Do Oriole's have that coloring? It was definitely not a cardinal. Very pretty color!

And I got to see some interesting behavior. So I am going to start another thread: Bird Behavior at the Feeders at this thread (since this current thread is supposed to be about sharing photos of feeders):
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/690504/

Though, I have already gotten way off topic at times. Sorry about that!

BECKY THAT RED BIRD WITH BLACK WINGS WAS MOST LIKELY A SCARLET TANAGER. THE FEMALES HAVE A YELLOW GREENISH COLORING. THEY ARE SO BEAUTIFUL! LUCKY YOU.

daiseycat - I looked up SCARLET TANAGER and that is exactly the bird I saw at the feeder. Yes! He was very pretty! Bright red coloring with those contrasting black wings. I've never seen them before. Are they northern birds???? I don't know what migrates here to Florida in the winter.

I haven't seen any brown or black or tan birds at my feeders. Such as the smaller birds. Do they like seed mix???? It seems all the birds I am getting at the feeders are colorful larger birds.

Becky, the tangers migrate. We have them in the summertime. They are so pretty. I love watching for them.

BECKY;I'VE ONLY BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO SEE THE TANAGERS 3 -4 TIMES IN MY LONG LIFE, BUT THE VIVID COLOR JUST STOPPED ME IN MY TRACKS. THEY ARE UNFORGETABLE. I SAW ONE (OF ALL PLACES) IN A TREE OUTSIDE A FRIENDS HIGH RISE IN BOSTON! SORRY, I DO NOT KNOW WHY THE SMALLER LESS COLORFUL BIRDS ARE NOT AT YOUR FEEDERS, IT COULD BE A FOOD ISSUE, BUT I'D EXPECT THEY WILL COME IN TIME. HAPPY BIRD WATCHING!

Thanks daiseycat! Yes, I am wondering if the seeds I have in the feeder are not the right kind for the little birdies.

(PS It would be easier to read your post with the caps lock off. :-) All caps mean that you are "yelling" here in cyberspace. Just to let you know. :-)

thank you becky - i had no idea - hope i haven't been rude.

Becky try putting out a dish of orange marmalade up off the ground. I had the tanagers migrating through eating it

Daisey, don't worry about it. Now you know. We all learn new things every day, or should.

Geez, try to be more patient lol, they just started arriving. I know the PB's like the kernels, hearts of sunflower and also the no waste stuff. I saw you have safflower, boss and peanuts. I think your doing just fine Becky.
Word will spread and then you'll be overrun with birds,lol.

I finally got a shot with a bird at the feeder! I was freezing at 15 degrees this morning!
Teresa

Nice feeder Teresa!!

Cute feeder! Even the little bird looks cold. Brrrr .......

Hope you can get a shot of the Tanager Becky! I want to see if it is the Scarlet or Summer. See there, look at you with all the pretty Florida birds!

Deb

pic>Robin finally got a shot at the hanging fruit feeder. Mock usually keeps such good charge Robin hasn't had a chance. He lingered and chowed down while he had the chance.

Nice pic Deb! Is that dried cherries??

Wow Becky - a scarlet tanager and painted buntings. You are so lucky!!! I was happy to see a yellow-rumped warbler for the first time last week. Your feeder setup looks great. What is the seed on that star thingy? Or is it popcorn? Becky

I don't think Beckys here but I believe its a Safflower Star.

Thanks Pell. I'll have to look for one at the wild bird store.

I remember seeing them around the Holidays but haven't looked for them lately. I know they sell them online too.

Thanks pelle, Yep, finally got some dried cherries..:-). Robin started out at the fence yesterday morning, kinda lerking to get there before Mock..This was yesterday morning, it was 22* but Robin finally got brave enough to get at the whole tray of cherries today.

Yesterday>

Deb - I don't know if the Tanager was just passing through or is hanging around my area? I was looking out of my dining room window with binoculars at him. I wanted to get a photo for IDing purposes, but that window is too far away. (I really need a telephoto lense for my camera.) Maybe he'll come back and I'll get a photo of him! That would be cool!

I am very surprised to have so many colorful birds coming to the feeders. I didn't know there were so many different species of birds in such bright color ranges here in the U.S.. I am only familiar with Cardinals, Blue Jays, Robins, Hawks, Owls, Eagles, and Crows. And the Sand Hill Cranes. (Which I saw a pair again today, but unfortunately didn't have my camera with me.) Since I live near the ocean, I see a lot of seaside birds too when I am over near the river or beach. Pelicans, Osprey, Seagulls, Pipers, etc. I had never heard of Painted Buntings until my neighbor mentioned them and I looked them up on the internet. I've only gotten a glimpse of the male from a distance. The female frequents my feeder every day now. I wonder if the male will eventually come, too?

There are so many bird species, I don't know how y'all learn to ID them all. It seems overwhelming to me to try to learn the names and characteristics of each one. Y'all impress me with your knowledge!

beclu727 - The star was a Christmas gift from my principal. It's safflower seeds. None of the birds have shown any interest in it yet. Nor my suet feeder. I have peanut butter suet in it. They just seem interested in the flat feeder and the top feeder.

What kind of birds eat the safflower and the suet?

Deb - Are those cherries out of jar. Or a special kind of cherries?

Becky, I don't have any safflower yet. I hope someone answers, as I'm going to try it. I have insect suet, and goldfinches, chickadees, wrens and others have been eating it. I also saw a thrasher on it a couple times. Becky

The Cardinals LOVE safflower. Becky I would try a seed suet if that one doesn't work out. I had to take my PB suet down, no one was was touching it.

Pell - None of the birds seem to be interested in mine either.

What do the woodpeckers eat? There are several of them that hang around my neighborhood.

In the No Waste seed mix that I have in the feeders, there is a lot of safflower seeds in that mix. That must be what the cardinals are eating. They are always the second birds to eat. And then the female Painted Bunting comes flying in after them.

Those Blue Jays come crashing in and scare all the other birds out of the feeders! They are kind of like the loud mouth bullies of the bird community.

This message was edited Feb 4, 2007 10:44 PM

Dried marichino cherries, they are delicious! I have only found them at WBC. I think Robin likes them better than the worms... There were ctually 2 Robins in the back yesterday that Mock ran off. Mock saw me talking to the Robins and finally allowed them to sneak past.. What drama!

Deb

They love peanuts. I wouldn't be surprised if you see them come down soon for one of those peanuts. You could also get a seed cake made for woodpeckers. There are also suets that are made with woodpeckers in mind. Do you have a tree you could hang suet from?

Thanks, Deb. I wonder if I could use regular jar cherries?

Pell - I have an medium size Oak tree in the backyard but the branches are so high up that I can't reach them to hang anything. I don't know where else to hang something like that?

Right now the suet is hanging off the arms of the post.

This message was edited Feb 4, 2007 10:49 PM

I just remembered that you have squirrels so if you hang it anywhere else they would get to it.

The only suet the squirrels don't bother with is Plain Beef Suet. My Downy WP's love it but I don't know about others.

Heres the plain. You could put this anywhere.

https://www.wildbirdstore.com/238_67_Natural_unflavored_Suet_Cake.aspx

Pell - What other birds like the suet?

Where would I hang the suet? Does it have to be high up?

I see the Wild Bird Store now sells dried mealworms, too! That's cool!!!

This message was edited Feb 4, 2007 11:00 PM

Well here up North I see the Chickadees, Junco's and Carolina Wrens eat it besides the wp's.

Maybe a southerner would be better in answering that question for you.