First Tube Feeder

On advice of an Internet website, I purchased a 23 inch tube feeder to attract house finches, purple finches, chickadees, and the like. I filled it with hulled sunflower chips and hearts As my backyard is small I thenplaced the tube feeder in the same citrus tree as my largest hummingbird feeder(although on different sides of the tree). I have seen a house finch hen get close to the feeder even though it has only been hanging a week. It seems like they either don't trust the feeder's dominant hummingbird male or else they are too reticent to try out the new feeder. Has anyone heard of this before? Also I need to share that I am not exactly bubbling over with patience when I try new things out in my garden. Am I being too impatient?

Thanks,

Chuck

Hi Chuck, Is there any way you could hang it from a pole instead of from the tree?
I think they would feel more comfortable with it a little further from the tree as predators can lurk in branches above and come down after them not giving them much time to escape.

A lot of birds will be timid about using a new feeder although I've never noticed House Finch being shy. Hope this helps.

Dear Pelletory, How would you go about hanging a feeder from a pole? Would you get the pole at Home Depot? How tall would the pole have to be to attract House Finches? Would you have to reset the pole each time you took the feeder down? I am a complete novice when it comes to tube feeders. I have a hummingbird feeder on a four foot pole in the backyard and the hummers seem to prefer the feeder on the tree.

Also, I have only seen the one hen and two other House Finches this Spring. They are not very common (at our house, at least) in this area. I am trying to attract and provide the sustenance for them to nest.

Thanks for responding,

Chuck

Actually the pole I'm talking about is a Shepheards Hook pole (has 1 or 2 arms or hooks you can hang the feeder from). You would just slip the feeder off the shepheards hook (no resetting pole). If you don't have problems with squirrels then you won't need a pole system with a baffle.
Yes Home Depot and many other places sell them they should be at least 6 ft. tall.
Be sure to place it away from the tree.
Send us a pic when you have it set up.

Thanks, Pelletory!! I will go to Home Depot first thing in the morning. I don't have squirrels but we DO have rats so we have to be careful. Will send pics when I have it sent out.

Thanks again,

Chuck

Chuck, I took this pic a bit ago from my deck - hopefully you can see the Shepherd's hook with four arms (and a hook I put in the center better to hang even more stuff!) back by the shrub (it hasn't been a problem, but it's really thick - no place for predators to hide). My DH gave it to me for Christmas in 2002 - it's from Wild Birds. The other feeder is hanging on a T-bar DH built for that feeder and the wind chimes.

Nuts - it doesn't really show up. Sorry.

I saw the Shepherd's Hook over by the shrub. That is a good idea!! About twenty minutes after I posted the last message, the pair of House Finches used the feeder. I was dumbfounded...LOL. The rest of the afternoon, the House Finches kept coming back. The dominant hummingbird male would post himself on the branch above the feeder and the House Finches would just proceed as if he wasn't there. The sparrow that is dominant over the bug feeding in the yard kicked up a fuss, but the House Finches just kept coming back. I was really pleased. However, the Shepherd's Hook is a good idea. I will check at Home Depot tomorrow and see if the item sells competitively at Wild Birds.

Thanks everybody!!

Chuck

Great, Chuck - enjoy!

Chuck, if the shepherd's hooks are too expensive,
you can always get a piece of rebar, bend one end into
a hook and spray paint it with Rustoleum. Just an idea.

Thanks, Mahnot!! I have, for the time being, left the feeder where it was originally. The last two days I have seen a lot of birds, mostly males. I don't know if they are all House Finches or not. I have seen birds with dull red markings, others with deep red markings, others with bright red markings and an occasional male with bright orange markings. I need to bring the bird book my son gave me to find out who's who...LOL This morning all six of the perches on the feeder were full with a lot of squabbling.

Thanks again,

Chuck

I haven't had a chance to set it up yet but I got a 7' metal rod with a shepherd's hook for less than ten dollars at Home Depot. I also ordered online a terra cota bird bath and waterer. When it comes I will get another one of the shepherd's hooks. Do you think the birds will get confused if I move the feeder now? There are so many of them when I am not outside (I can tell by the amount of sunflower seeds eaten) and today when I was outside, there were very few.

Thanks,

Chuck

The birds will find the feeder in a jiffy, Chuck, have no fear! Sounds like you are going to be having a great time!

This is the tube feeder as seen out our patio door. It has been visited by a lot of house finches and their relatives(I think). The birds are eating 3 lbs of hearts and chips of sunflower seeds every two days. I can hardly wait until UPS delivers the combo waterer and bird bath within the next couple of days.

Take care,

Thanks a lot,

Chuck

perfect - I know you will spend many a happy, healthy hour watching our fine feathered friends (and hopefully providing the rest of us with pictures!).

Ditto!

Sorry about the photo! This is about as close as my little Cybershot DSC-S90 will get from fifteen feet away.

Hope you get the idea that this is a busy feeder. So far we have been going through three pounds of sunflower hearts and bits a day. I hope that the birds will stabilize their amount of food (something less than what we are going through now.

Thanks,

Chuck

This is the new birdbath. So far no takers from the birds...LOL

Maybe as it get warmer the birds will try iit.

Thanks,

Chuck

I'm sure they will try it, Chuck - they're just getting used to it being there. I hope you're enjoying your bird watching as much as we're enjoying reading about it and seeing the photos!

Every time I see this thread . . . I keep thinking . . . a bird feeder is a place where birds come to feed . . .


. . . so a tube feeder must be somewhere that tubes come to feed?

;-)

Ha ha very good Resin! :)

Yes, Resin... I tried feeding tubes... it got WAY too expensive:)/
If mealworms, suet, seed, peanuts and sugar water won't do it, they're on their own.
But I do want to live in this utopia CBernard speaks of which has no squirrels!!!!

This message was edited May 31, 2007 4:35 PM

Dear Heyitsmejudy,

I have seen squirrels before just not at our house. The problems we have here are gophers and rats. A gopher hole is an unsightly mess (not to mention how you feel when a gopher will eat your favorite perennial from apical meristem all the way to the roots) and I would rather have squirrels than rats...LOL. I know what you mean about the expense. I just ordered a 25 pound bag of hulled sunflower chips and hearts. The birds have been going through three pounds a day. I don't mind right now but if it gets to be a burden then I will have to try something else.

Thanks for sharing,

Chuck

We have a few feeders hung in trees and they do fine. Seems like the tube feeder is the first to be emptied. We have one tube with black oiled sunflower seeds that is constantly swaying with birds coming in and out. We take it down at night though, as the raccoon just open it and dump the contents in their mouths, then throw it on the ground when they are done. Saved a bundle by using squirrel proof feeders and taking the others in at night. Couldn't believe the difference.

Thank goodness I don't have racoons! My squirrel buster feeder was an expensive one but so good I can hang it anywhere and it completely defeats the squirrels.

C- Are you using any other type seed besides the sunflower chips? I know that goes fast, I actually stopped using it here because I couldn't keep it filled (mainly because of Starlings).
Right now I'm mixing black oil sunflower seed and safflower seed. The finches like it but the starlings are not too fond of it.

Right now, just the black oiled sunflower seeds. We are lucky that we do not have too many starlings, but sure alot of different birds. So fun to watch.

How about mixing some of the black oil sunflower seed into the tube feeder with the other things.

Could, been laid off and money is an issue. Birds are lucky we are even feeding them I guess. We seem to get quite a few different birds with just this seed. We used to feed thistle too, but too expensive, and still see all the finches and chickadees etc. The only extra I put out is sugar water for the humming birds and grape jelly for the oriole.

Okay cpart.

CBernard, How about this for your tube feeder?

Dear pelletory,

I use the completely sunflower seed in the form of hearts and chips. I know it is expensive but it attracts the House Finches, the Purple Finches, the Cassin's Finches and the American Goldfinches as well as the local songbirds. It also has the benefit of not sowing unwanted seedlings below the tube feeder. I f anyone knows of a cheaper way to feed these species, please let me know. I special-ordered a 25 lb bag of this to see if it would be any cheaper.

Dear Cpartschick,

I know what you mean about money being tight. I took an early retirement.

Take care,

Thanks,

Chuck

Are you ordering it online? I've never checked to see if Home Depot or Lowes carrys large bags of hulled sunflower.

Actually no. I special ordered it through a local animal feed store. I will let you know if it is cheaper or just more convenient.

Thanks for asking,

Chuck

I was falling into this myself, thinking I had to keep filling up as they emptied everything. But it finally dawned on me that I should be supplement to their diet, not the main source. Of course during the winter it is a little different. But this time of year they have other sources, natural and other peoples feeders too. Sometimes we are too knid for our own good!!! It should be enjoyable, not something that is causing you stress!

During the warmer months theres plenty of insects, berries etc. for them to eat.

That is a good point you bring up, Nanny 56. However we have blistering summers here (up to 119 degrees last summer) during which there is little activity in the garden. I am hoping I can carry over at least some of the finches during this rough period.

Thanks,

Chuck