Show Us Your Feeders - Vol. 8

Female Cardinal and American Goldfinches eating on the old toilet lid!

White Breasted Nuthatch and Downy Woodpecker!

Wonderful pics Rose!!

Did you tell us how you made the caged Meal worm feeder?

Thanks Pelle...yes someplace on a previous thread. It's just one of those storage cube things you put together with plastic joiners. I just wired it together and set it on a table.

Great job on the mealie cage feeder Rose! Love your pics!

Glad your feeling better too.:-)

Thanks Deb! I covered the cage this morning with an old plexiglass window as it had started sleeting. The little Wren and Downy are both enjoying eating without getting hit with all that sleet! Wish I could give cover to all the birds right now!

Nice job Rose!! Eleanor

Thanks Eleanor! I spent so many years caretaking the dairy cattle and have switched that energy to the birds! Works for me!

Great pics Rose, all of your creative ideas have me looking around for a place to put a table and for a toilet lid :-) Maybe I can talk the DH out of one of the old water tanks, looks like he needs a new one anyway!

I actually had a Pileated WP come to my feeders while I was outside Sunday doing my bird count. I thought I'd pee my pants, LOL. They really are huge close up. I took a lot of pics thru my jeep window but haven't had time to post any. My new foster dog is taking up a LOT of time!

Good news Y'all! The bluebirds have started building a nest in my birdhouse! Hopefully I'll get some good pics.

Thanks Sadie! Congrats on the Pileated coming to your feeders! Ours just pecks on the tree but I have never seen it anywhere else. I will be waiting for your pic...love to see your pics of the PWP!

Bronc...Congrats on the BB building a nest!! I still haven't got my birdhouse trail set up but am anxious to see your pics. Aren't they just awesome birds!! Those and the Pileated make me stop breathing when I see them!!

Here is the Female Cardinal eating again on the toilet lid...she had it all to herself and then the American Goldfinches showed up!! This look just cracks me up! LOL! (sorry the pic is so bad)

Rose

Edited cause my grammer stinks!!


This message was edited Feb 12, 2008 9:53 AM

I've been breaking ice on the feeders!!

I just poured feed on the ground this morning, it took me 30 minutes just to break the ice off of my vehicle so I could go to work!

It was very windy over the weekend as you can see. The poor little Red-breasted Nuthatch that went for the ride wasn't too happy!

DH put up this feeder "condo" for me last friday. The bottom board has 2 empty hooks, one for a hummingbird feeder, but not sure what I'll hang from the other. I cut the log from a small tree we had waiting in a brush pile for the chipper. DH let me drill the holes for the peanut butter on the drill press. Scarey stuff.

It took the birds awhile to find it and get used to having it around, but now they are enjoying it daily.

Downey

Yellow-rumped warbler.

Cold mockingbird waiting for a turn at the suet feeder.

I took this pic through the upstairs bedroom window that overlooks my yard.

Here's another shot

This one is through my livingroom window.
Lots of comings & goings!

Looks like your busy there!!

I feed the Ravens and Magpies out near the street, away from the small bird feeders. Two cups of dry cat food disappear in a hurry on a stormy day like today. The area behind the fence across the street is a Buddhist Monastery. The Orange sign is there because the street is narrowed down during the day for construction of a 15 story building a couple of blocks away.
Gary

Another view of the plank I feed the big birds on. There is a new three story hotel under construction in the background. No economic down turn in my neighborhood. The skyline has been full of construction cranes.
Gary

That's all the snow you go this winter Gary? You didn't get very much, did you?. Do you still get a lot of birds to your feeders, with all the construction going on?

Gabagoo: That feeder is pretty full of birds, lot of Mourning Dove there.

Beclu great setup, I'm sure you'll enjoy that.

Rose I like the picture with the ice on the feeder, I know it's not much fun to deice it though, but it's still pretty.
Poor Nuthatch took quite a ride, with all that wind.

This picture I took at night, during our last storm, a few nights ago. That post with the feeders is covered 2/3 up with snow. The quality of the picture is poor a bit because I had to lighten it up quite a bit.

Eleanor, nice selection of feeders!

Debnes, cute pics of the Kinglet and Carolina Wren!

Pelle, nice tall (long) suet feeder!

Tabasco, nice setup of your heated blue bowl!

Nanny, great pics!

Rose, great pics!

Beclu, nice feeder "condo" setup!

Gabagoo, great pics!

Gras, great pics!

Burn, nice snowy pic!

OMG burn!!!!

Those pictures of the snow make me even more glad to be living in the south. Tornados, hail, etc. don't compare with the intense cold that I feel looking at those pics. Burrrrr!!

Wow, I haven't seen snow like that since I lived in Upper Michigan. I'll take GA winters anyday.

Great pics btw.

We did get a snowy winter this year.The only times, I remember seeing banks as high as these, was when I was a child. Not fun to drive in or to shovel, but it does creates nice scenery.

Oh, my goodness! That's a lot of Nebraska snow! IMHO we have had a rather light winter this year in our region...no snow to report, just the odd flake or two, and a bit of rain....

Disappointed to report that my heated blue bowl bird watering set-up (picutred above) is not attracting any blue birds and very few other birds...I'm thinking of rearranging it somehow, but I'm not sure how...

I thought birds were desperate for water when all is frozen up in the winter?...

i know the feeling, tabasco -- i put a lot of effort into getting a heater for my shallow upper water basin for the birds in the winter. hah! as it got colder, the more the ice formed anyway, until there was just a thin patch of open water around the heater. the small circulating pump froze up. the only birds that got to the basin were crows -- dirty, messy northern crows. enuf said.
the little birds will dive and roll around in the snow! such fun!

Do you guys have your baths elevated? Near to shelter?

When I asked about little pumps waterfalls etc. they told me not to use them in the winter.

BTW my favorite Bird Shop is going to reopen; I guess someone must have bought it from them.

Just a few of our daily birds.

How great! They are really flocking to your station! Is that a tree that grew there and died, or one you have brought in and put in position? Sure creates interest and lots of roosting opportunities.

Camankin what a nice set up you have the the birds! What kind of birds are there?

Tab & Rita, I am using 3 heated pet bowls and the birds use them all the time...constantly when it is freezing! I unplug the pumps in the evening and if it is freezing I do not use the pumps. I haven't had any problems with ice forming on them but the coldest it has gotten here is about 10 degrees farenheit and hasn't stayed below freezing longer than 3 or 4 days. I have one sitting on the ground near a Rose of Sharon bush and the other two are sitting on platforms that I've surrounded with rocks, twigs etc and also some landing branches. I learned to not put food on the same platform as the birds drop seeds in the water and that makes a mess and also plugs up the pumps. I did read someplace that the birds will eat the snow and we haven't had much of that, mostly ice. I've even seen the birds bathe in them from time to time.

I still plan on getting a heated bird bath but haven't found what I want yet....I want one that has water movement. If I can't find one with water movement I will probably get a water wiggler with a regular heated bird bath.

Good Luck,
Rose

Hi cam, That is a great feeding station!

Thanks, dellrose, for the run down on your bowl. Whatever you're doing, it must be the right thing!

Mine is elevated about a foot off the ground, near shrubby growth and a maple tree, and I put branches around it. It hasn't been as cold here as you have described, and maybe the birds have a stream or puddle to drink from that they like better somewhere. I do think they like the sound of the pumping water, though, so that's good. I keep my pump running day and night, and it will probably wear out, but it will be worth it if I can get the BBs!

BTW I just read on the 'Sialis' site that bluebirds like a flat rock in their birdbath, so I am going to replace my round rocks with some flat ones--

I hung a platform feeder with 'Bluebird Banquet' and meal worms along the back lot line where I think the BBs might like to nest. I also hung a basket full of pine needles for BB nesting material.

If anyone needs the BB Banquet recipe, here is the link:

http://audubon-omaha.org/bbbox/ljrecipe.htm

I have mine on one of those cheap plastic tables so it will be above the snow. It's close to the house for my convience. I don't want to have to go too far to refill it. I have a 6' cord on it but I don't want to put it too close to the feeders. It gets dirty enough as it is.
About late March or so I take it off the table & put it on the ground. That's because - as you can see by this pic - the raccoons start showing up. If I left it on the table, they would knock the whole thing over.
This pic was taken in April '07 through the living room window. You can see the edge of the table to the right.

Here's another shot - you can see the bath a bit better.

LOL!
Bath time at Nancy's house!