Show Us Your Feeders Vol. 3

I once raised a pair of racoons around 25 years ago or so. Hunters killed the mother then discovered the kits in the den. Sad! They were riding around with the kits in the car and wound up at my house. That was the end of their ride. I took them in. Bottle raised them, yes I even got up during the night to feed them. When they started leaving the "den" I made them in the bathroom and foraging for food in my kitchen I decided it was time to move them to the outdoors and try to teach them how to be racoons.

I named them baby boy and baby girl, very original I know. I did a little research to learn what they like to eat. They love night crawlers so we went night crawling together and they had to wash their worms before eating them. They also love grapes. Word to the wise, don't drink wine around them. They get pretty agressive when they smell the grapes and decide they want them. I left the bottle unattended for just a few minutes and came back to drunk racoons! The male especially liked wine.

Eventually they started wandering further and further from my house. But when they were around NOBODY was allowed near me and they weren't really fond of other people. They were quite protective of me. Baby boy got to be huge. As a "teenager" he would let me pick him up and he would put his head on my shoulder. He was so large that his tail hung below my knees. Baby girl was more of a loner, she didn't like to be picked up. One day they left and never came back. I often think of them to this day. I really loved those racoons. My husband, ex-husband now, use to tease me and tell me that baby boy wound up on somebodys jumbo stretcher. I really hope that didn't happen. I hope they both had a bunch of kits and lived to ripe old ages....I guess I'll never know and maybe it's best that way.

tobasco - I put out a peanut feeder and the next morning had been added to the Pileated's regular feeding rotation. The one I use is for peanut pieces and almost all the birds love it.

Beautiful pic sybil!

sybil, how high up is your peanut feeder? I really want to get these guys coming on a regular basis!!!!!

Cool photo sybil! I added a peanut feeder to the yard today, not takers yet though. The RB and Downy WPs flew at it but couldn't figure out how to land on it, I guess they'll figure it out.


I had 3 snackers on my log feeder today, first is a Downy WP

A Chickadee

and a Cardinal, I was totally surprised to see this guy eating peanut butter!

And here's my lonely peanut feeder, hopefully someone will find it tomorrow.

Very nice pics sadie! Don't worry they'll use the peanut feeder but at this time of year they really like suet the most!

Interesting about the peanut feeders! Especially the quick spy by the pileated! I put up mine (probably too close to the house on the deck) with whole peanuts and have only had titmice figure out how to use it. The RB and Downy woodpeckers are going to the suet (but no pileateds at all in the yard yet). I must be patient!

What is this "BOSS" feeder I keep reading about? Or is it a feed? I have been looking on the internet and found nothing.

BOSS = Black Oil Sunflower Seed, and some feeders are made for them specifically, although you can put other stuff in them too.

Here's mine, Stokes actually calls this one a "Sunflower Screen Feeder"

HA. I feel stupid. Should have thought of that. Geez. Thanks!!!!!

Don't feel stupid, it took me forever to figure out what it meant, LOL!

Don't feel bad Mrs Ed; we all did not know what it was at one time or another. :-)

This message was edited Nov 24, 2007 10:55 AM

This morning, a Carolina Wren and Downy were enjoying the feeders....

this is not really a feeder, but everyone lives it. Part of my bradford pear was blown over this summer, so where the huge branch used to be, I now put seeds. Here's tuti....

and a dee checking things out, although they prefer the ground...

here's a better dee shot....

tabasco, If you do not have problems w/ squirrels maybe the Peanut Silo would get better use against or in a tree?
Are you using peanuts out of the shell?

Sometimes if you mix other types of seeds in w/ them they get more attention to start out with and at least all the birds know their in there.


Nice pics guys!

Indiana lily, I love your natural feeder! Perfect feeder station for the birdies as long as the squirrel ignore it! Perfect spot for picturesque bird photos, too!

Yes, I am using peanuts in the shell, pelle. And I do have some problems with squirrels although right now they are minimal. May try the peanut feeder next to a tree trunk and see what it attracts...

We have had flickers, red-bellieds, hairys and downies coming to the suet feeders now and again in the past week, but not as many as in past winters...no pileateds yet. Maybe it takes them a while to find our feeders...or maybe there aren't as many as in past years?? Or maybe our suet isn't so tasty--we did get a 'deal' on it at the feed store!

Are the woodpeckers still finding berries in the forest this late in the year??

We signed up to do the County Parks Winter Bird Count on December 8. The bird club here said it's a great way to learn a lot about birds in a little time and you can even be a rank beginner, so that suits us just perfectly. I may organize a neighborhood christmas party afterwards to get more of the folks on the cul de sac to join in!

Good birding this weekend, everyone!

Hi tabasco, I don't know what everyone elses experience has been w/ peanuts but I've had much better luck w/ peanuts NOT in the shell. You could try it w/ both types in the same feeder.

I'm beginning to worry that my Red-bellied Woodpeckers have moved to a different area. I haven't seen any at the feeders at all this Fall and haven't heard their calls at all.

Indiana Lily, I really like your natural feeding area too and it does make the perfect backdrop for the photos.

I finally had a taker on my new peanut feeder. I had a Pileated fly over but it didn't stop in for a snack :-(

Nice pic sadie! Those Tutis sure love peanuts!

Well thanks much!! I didn't really think of it as being a "perfect backdrop" either until ya'll said something. I guess even though a 1/3 of my bradford pear was blown off, it's a good thing because now the birds have a good place to feed from.

Sadie, I just wish I could get a taker for my peanut feeder. :( Very cute picture of the tuti!!

Sorry it has taken me so long to reply -

nanny_56: the peanut feeder is hanging on a crab apple tree and can't be more than 5 feet off the ground.


You can see here that she is nearly on the ground being run off by that menacing squirrel up there! LOL

This message was edited Nov 25, 2007 5:23 PM

Hi sybil, How has that feeder held up to the squirrels strong teeth; have they been able to bend parts of it yet?

Cute pic!!

I thought maybe I had ours too low for a bird that size, but I guess not. I am 5'1'' and it is just over my head.

I was wondering the same thing, pelletory!!

They haven't destroyed it yet. Maybe that's because the mesh is open enough to easily remove the peanut pieces. I really don't know.

Tobasco,

You might want to check out the Duncraft website. I found this feeder there.

http://www.duncraft.com/BirdsChoice-Woodpecker-Tail-Prop-Feeder-P1288C189.aspx

Marilyn

That is a nice one Marilyn! I had one similar but made the mistake of hanging it in the tree and the squirrels destroyed it. :-(

Theres another I've seen here at the bird shop that looks nice; it has suet on both sides and the middle is for peanuts etc. I don't know the manufacturer but its sort of shaped like a V.

Pelle,

I looked at all the feeders at Duncraft to see if they had one you described (so I could see what you were talking about) and I found this one. It's called a Duncraft Pileated Tail Prop Feeder.

http://www.duncraft.com/Duncraft-Pileated-Tail-Prop-Feeder-P2025C216.aspx

Don't think they had what you described. You really got me interested in what it looks like.

Marilyn

This message was edited Nov 28, 2007 6:08 PM

Hi Marilyn, I just spent a LONG time looking for it online and can't find it. I'll ask the store owner about it next time I'm there. Thanks, Pelle

bump :-)

Oooo, I like that Pileated feeder!! Think that will go on my wish list!

Boy I wish I saw pileateds more often! They are breathtaking!

I just love my meal worm feeder. I have it mounted on a pole right outside my living room window. I stopped stocking it this summer after the birds had finished raising their broods. Now that the weather has gotten cold I decided to start up worm feeding again. The carolina wrens didn't miss a beat and have continued their practice of hoping on to the window sill and screeching when they empty the feeder lol!

Very cute! So glad their enjoying it!

Susan ~ do the raccoons or anything else bother that feeder? I kept meaning to buy one the last time you showed it and did buy a small cup of meal worms and a small feeder but never had any takers. Anyway, now I'm seeing LOTS of my bluebirds that overwinter here and am thinking about getting one again but didn't know if the other critters would bother it. I thought I could put it out by the old elm that they use to perch on and gradually move it closer to my feeding stations for better viewing. I have a few Carolina Wrens that come to the seed feeders but they're few and far between, I'd like to see more of them as well.
I see yours is pole mounted, have you tried to see how it does hanging, is it heavy?
Thanks,
Vicki

Hi sadiemae! (waving from Tn. across to Ky. :-)) So far nothing of the furry kind has paid any attention to this feeder. I have it mounted on a very high pole so I can see it right outside of my living room window. My windows are pretty high up because only half of my basement is underground. I would have preferred to hang it but then it would have been below my window sill. I actually glued a thick slab of wood to the bottom so I could screw the mount into it that came with the pole. I was surprised when I got it in the mail how big and substantial it was.

OOOO I'm jealous of your bluebirds! I didn't get many last summer and they seem to like to overwinter in big flocks at the golf course that is across the creek from here. I'm going to try luring them a little later in the winter with heated water and oily cornbread lol!

Pell, I don't know who is enjoying it more... them or me!

Thanks! I think I'll get one and try it out. Do you get your worms locally or do you order them? I know the Wild Birds Unlimited, in the next town, sells them but they are HIGH! That wren is too cute!