from Debnes, Sheila, Frostweed, and anyone else that lives in my area. I desperately want to invite more, and different, types of birds to my yard but I can not spend a fortune on food. I have just been buying cheap bags of mixes from Wally World that feed the sparrows and doves and the occassional visitor. I also buy a smaller bag of more specialty seeds and mix some of it in.
Currently I have only Black Oil Sunflower seeds, unshelled. I'd like to put out some other things like the bug suet cakes suggested by Debnes and some other things. Where is the cheapest place to buy? A local feed store? in bulk? The WildBird stores have variety but I'm sure they are above my bird-budget. (?) What about Marshall Grain? Anyone purchased from them? (if they sell seeds)
I've learned with butterflies that "if I plant it, they will come" but not sure if this will work with bird seeds. My "problem" is that the area I live in is a new development on a prairie, thus no pre-existing trees. The trees we have are now becoming more than saplings and giving more shelter but without old stands of trees am I really going to attract anything else?
I have Cardinals, Finches, sparrows, doves, Red-Winged Blackbirds. I've had one Bluejay a Ruby-crowned Kinglet (I think) a couple of times. I'm happy having anything at this point but don't want to spend extra $ on food just for the sparrows to scarf it down.
Help me out because it's all I can think about! I've got BIRDS on my mind constantly! LOL! Any suggestions on some good books to look thru for some good ideas? I am definitely getting spring/cabin fever.
Bird question but need local help
Fresh water.... I know this is necessary and I do keep saucers on the ground and have a running fountain that the little birds do like but they've just practically abandoned my birdbath the last year. Any ideas why? I kept it clean, it's near a tree, away from the fence but would never see the birds in it like they used to be. Could another local source of water be distracting them? Should I move it?
Paige, you really not doing bad with what you have. I buy the inexpensive seed too
for the same reasons, price, the suet cakes they sell work fine too, they attract woodpeckers really well.
One thing I have found to be the best to have is water, they need it even more than food since it is harder to find.
I have found that the easiest way to provide water is with large plant saucers, you can put them wherever you want them and they are very easy to clean.
I found that the concrete bird baths are hard to clean and they break, I have about 4 or 5 bases around the garden serving as hose guides or garden decor.
Put plenty of water out and they will cone, and remember they like it shallow.
I hope that helps.
Josephine.
konkreteblond, you sound like a good canedate for a Purple Martin person. Being a purple martin landlord brings us a great deal of pleasure (and you dont have to feed them.) Google purple martin and see if it may be your cup of tea. This is the ideal time to get started, they will be arriving from Brizil in Feb and Mar. to raise their families. Gene
This message was edited Jan 20, 2008 1:51 PM
I would lower the water - they dont like their water to be in view - add some srubs near it or place it on the floor for them to enjoy. Do you have anything with fruit? You might think about adding some plum trees to the mix, they fruit easy and the birds love the fruit in the summer to fall.
I just started trying to attract different birds to my yard as well, and at first was frustrated at the lack of variety coming to the feeder. So I had my dad put up a big post with a T on the top so I could add a couple different feeders. I've got one black oil sunflower seed feeder (plastic feeder from lowes, I think $4-5), one thistle feeder ($3.97 at Walmart), one suet feeder ($1-2 also Walmart), and a platform feeder that hangs and has a screen in the bottom ($5-10 at Walmart). This not only allows me to offer a variety of foods, but also keeps me from having to buy large bags of food as I put different foods in each feeder. The thistle satisfies the house finches and goldfinches, the BOSS keeps sparrows, cardinals, and the like happy, and the platform feeder has fruits and peanuts which blue jays like. What falls on the ground is prime picking for the doves. And the suet is hopefully for woodpeckers although I haven't had any yet. My parents got me a nice set of binoculars to watch the birds and it is now my favorite morning ritual. I am worried about cost so I don't put too much in the feeders at one time, the sparrows just knock out the extra and waste it. We have a feed coop where they have smaller bags of different kinds of food and peanuts, might be a place to check out if you have one in your area. Definitely a novice here but maybe something I said might help. And I see I need to add a water source or two....thanks!
You can always grow some thistle - they are very easy to grow and look nice in the garden.
I think you've done a great job creating a habitat and assortment of offerings. This was a good year for wildlife. The birds are not that picky concerning where they eat and drink. A weeded empty lot and water filled pot hole will make them happy. I think once lean times are upon them again, they will be back in your yard looking for a handout. I on the other hand would hangout there all day...love that photo!
I find they love a sheltered area ~ sheltered meaning cover that they can escape to... shrubs, bushes or trees. They will rush to cover if some of the larger more aggressive birds fly in. Or for some areas if a neighborhood cat should be lurking.
For the past week, I have had five Flicker woodpeckers in the back yard. They are busy pecking at something in the grass and have been joined by cardinals and an occasional bluejay. Great fun to see and I would love to know what the meal of choice is. Probably pine seeds.
Question for those that feed suet? Do you keep it out year around? I have tried and we warm up for a few days and it seems to get nasty. I have never seen a bird bothering it. Just wondered...
No we don't keep suet year round, it gets rancid in the heat very fast, and tends to melt.
Yes I wondered as I have had that problem during warmer winter spells. For that reason, I no longer use it but love the birds it attracts.
Yes, we get the adorable Downy Woodpeckers, it is amazing the amount of noise those little guys can make pecking on a tree, and even telephone poles.
You can hear them form a long distance.
A few years ago, we noticed a dead tree out in the woods that was covered with poison oak. It had bloomed and had tons of berries. The woodpeckers loved it. At one time, we counted five different types of woodpecker on it at the same time. Most amazing.
Of course for quite a few years after that, we had poison oak plants popping up around trees in the yard. The woodpecker feast was worth it though.
Just thought I would take a pic of my little setup. It isn't much but it seems to be working. The post was an old piece of wood my parents found on their new property, and then a piece on top for hanging.
Very nice Kim you did a good job.
Hey! Did you know there is a Bird Watching forum here at DG? You can find it here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/birdwatching/all/
I just recently got into feeding the birds too. There's a lot of information over there, and LOTS of great bird pictures!
Speaking of woodpeckers, here's a Ladderback who had taken to my Post Oak.
Bird-friendly plants will bring in many visitors, especially during the cold winter months. Yaupon and Possum Haw Hollies will draw in Mockingbirds, BlueJays, Robins, and Cedar Waxwings. Leave the Lantanas untouched until March. Many birds fly in to glean from those dead branches (Ruby Crowned Kinglets, Orange Crowned and Yellow Rumped Warblers).
A really cheap thing to put down is cracked/crushed corn. The Doves love it, and will usually draw in other birds to their feeding area. You can buy a bag of sunflower hearts at Lowes for ~$6.99. Sprinkle a cup or so under your feeders or under your plants and you should draw in Juncos and White Crowned and Chipping Sparrows.
Carla
::chiming in::
I'm pretty mystified. I have NO birds at my feeders right now except doves. I usually have finches, chickadees, cardinals, wrens, sparrows, jays, etc. all year long. Juncos and a few others in winter. (I also put out thistle hoping for goldfinches, but so far no luck.)
I'm not doing anything different this year. Where are they all?? !!
Maybe there are a few hawks waiting it the shrubs and the birds know it. That could be good reason for them to stay away.
Hmmm. You could be right. I have seen some very large birds fly by lately. My feeders are in a protected area under trees, without any shrubs nearby. But I live near the lake, so I'm sure there are predators not too far away.
I've also seen someone's cat in my back yard a couple of times lately. I really hadn't made that connection.
I sure hope things improve before spring! I miss my birds. :(
I've witnessed a Sparrow Hawk swoop in near our feeder...trying to catch a Grackle or Cowbird that had migrated ahead of a front....and occasionally a larger Red Tailed Hawk will take up a sentinel's position nearby,...waiting & watching,..usually for mice or gophers...but when there's one in the area,...the "regulars" and migrants that come to the feeders disappear for a while. I wouldn't be too concerned...unless the cat keep coming over with predatory intentions.
A hav-a-hart trap baited with tuna usually works well for capturing stray cats. We have 5 dogs (which I've trained to leave the birds alone) that keep stray cats away.
I have seen a hawk come in like a flash and catch a bird in mid air, also the small kistrels no bigger than a sparrow, can capture them too.
They are amazing! The Sparrow Hawk I mentioned missed his/her mark...but some of the Cowbirds dove beneath a utility trailer I had parked nearby (for conveying shrub trimmings to the brush pile) and the hawk perched on the upright tailgate of the trailer....waiting for them to come out. I stepped out from our back porch area and he/she flew off....it was a couple of minutes later before the cornered Cowbirds felt it was safe to come out from beneath their cover.
The most amazing part was how the SHawk flew in at such a fast pace...still,.. folding its wings to navigate through the limbs of the nearby tree - at the same time. remarkable!
I've also seen one knock a pigeon out of the sky after diving from above,...raking the pigeon's neck & head with its talons as it shot by.
It circled around and landed next to its prize and casually walked up to start feeding.
Pbtxlady ~ all your birds are at my house ~ so sorry. I have never seen so many little birds. I have tons of finches, juncos, chickadees, cardinals, wrens, an occasional blue jay ~ a pair of Eurasian ringneck dove that feed under the feeders.
I don't think the birds would leave totally due to cats. I have four cats and the birds don't mind at all. Just scatter when they walk by.
I have a NHGC book on The Bird Garden ~ you have spiked my interest, I shall have to dig it out and read up.
Incidently, my bird bath is on a pedestal and receives heavy traffic. It is near the woods with many perching places too.
So THAT's it... pod has shanghaied all my little birds!
:)
Shanghai ? What part of Texas is that in? LOL
I am getting ready to send them your way... just bought a 50# sack of black oil seeds today. Ouch!
LOL. I'm sending my bazillions of doves to your house.
I think the tiny birds will empty the feeders fast enough. I love the dove though. They fly into the open yard and walk to the area under the feeders. Their neck movements make them appear to be strutting. I planted Vinca under one of my feeders to camoflage the seed trash and the dove won't go to that one. The little birds seem to like that cover though.
Incidentally, the dove like fresh clay (only) cat litter for their crops. It helps grind the seed they eat. Just don't get the scented or treated kind. One could also spread crushed oyster shell (commonly used for laying hens) or even wash, dry and finely crush eggshells for the birds. How's that for cheap.
And, if anyone is wanting to attract dove, they want water on the ground and in the open. They are wary and want to have a clear area to land and eat or drink. Always watching their backs.
konkreteblond,
I think you problem is more a lack of shelter than a lack of food. You said you're on the prairie and with the cold weather we've been having your birds are probably gathered in the brush.
Try to get some evergreen shrubs planted this winter (so they'll have a chance to root before they scorch!)
I'm not at home to find my best suggestions for plants but try starting here- http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/wildscapes/guidance/plants/ecoregions/ecoregion_5.phtml
Here is an earlier post about homemade suet, even no melt types and it's very inexpensive to make-
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/781641/
Also, you have the right tuypes of food. I find BOSS to be the least expensive due to no waste and filler. Cheap at Walmart or Lowes.
For hummingbirds, I always have canna lilies. May not see but a couple each year, but so far, it hasn't failed. You've already got the salvia, and that works too. I recently saw a mockingbird eating a chile pequin (sp?). By the way, LOVE your flowers!
Yes, they sure are pretty, Paige has a most beautiful and colorful garden.
Ohhh, I love how you've all chimed in on my thread! :) Thanks for all the input and ideas! I do love the birdwatching forum but it's a little over my head at the moment, since I'm really just trying to attract the birds! LOL (their great pics and feeders intimidate me too) Great idea about using the board to attach the feeders. It's cheaper, and sturdier, than poles.
Thanks for the nice compliments! I do have tons of flowers and plenty of nectar for hummingbirds but have only had one or two the last few years. We can usually find them out when it's raining tho.
I've usually got a good supply of the little Mourning Doves. They are so sweet. I do keep 3 plant saucers down on the ground with water for them. (and the occassional toad) The sparrows will use that water too now but they used to always use the birdbath. I have no idea why it's not as popular because the tree has just gotten bigger and given them more protection. I have such limited space so I don't really want to plant evergreen shrubs, but might rethink it. I do have an Elderberry bush/tree that started out as a stick from Frostweed and it's now huge. I've never noticed any birds eating on it tho. I've got about 5 Chinese Fringe bushes in front of my bedroom windows and the little birds are always in it. They have a big Crepe Myrtle on the opposite side of the feeders so they have some shelter.
One main problem I had with bird feed last year were field mice! Nearby construction was driving all the mice to my yard so I had to stop feeding them for a season and let them fend for themselves. I've also had rats run along the fence and get in a feeder that used to be hanging on a post. (I've seen droppings where they're getting behind my huge passionvine now) I think the rats live under neighboring storage buildings too. So, I'm always leary of too much stuff on the ground.
And someone also mentioned hawks. Yep, got those! Every year they come, and are welcome to eat mice and rats! Just about a week ago I saw something go by my window and looked out to find this Sharp-shinned hawk sitting on a cut-back Brugs. (pardon my compost pile/mess)
Keep the ideas coming!
I just thought of something else...bird houses/nesting boxes. I put out a little wren house before but red wasps built their nest in it! Every time I moved it the wasps would find it so it finally ended up on the ground somehow and then guess what found it...fire ants!! Is it possible to put out any little houses (besides my decorative ones) that birds will use and wasps will not??
And this reminds me that I do have barn swallows that come in the spring! I was SO excited last year when they made a nest on my porch. Normally they make nests at the 3 neighbor's and then they all come and sit on my gutter and hang out. My cats love it!
Paige, we had rats in 2006. It was pretty bad because, at that time, I had the feeders hanging on the patio. . They were roof rats, and they'd scuffle around in the dropped bird seed, and then run up the stairs to the roof. I was terrified they were going to get in the house.
Lucky for us, they didn't come back this year.
You know, I've been thinking about how these feeders attract the rodents, be it rats, mice or tree rats (squirrels).
I wonder if we would be better off directing our energies to planting habitat that would provide food sources and shelter rather than which foods and feeders to use??!? Any thoughts?
I have been moving in that direction and this summer didn't use the feeders. Hoping to move away from it altogether, except for the water.
What plants, shrubs, weeds would you recommend for seeds to provide a food source overwinter?
grasses, like Indian Grass for sure - the birds dont even start to eat their seeds until it gets cold here and they love them.
I have Yaupon holly, American holly, Possum haw, Carolina cherry laurel,
Snailseed vine,Coral berry, and some Partridge pea.
I know Mockingbirds eat Lantana berries, Cardinals too....also , as Lilliesan mentioned earlier,...Mock.birds love to eat Birdseye Peppers
(chili piquin), as well as, other small peppers when they turn red. I have small birdseye peppers plants here and there around the property...planted naturally by birds. Cedar Waxwings love Yaupon berries.
when I was growing up,...we had a Mulberry tree that was constantly visited by Bluejays, Mock.birds, Grackles and others...that would be a good tree to have.
This message was edited Jan 23, 2008 2:57 PM