Bird Feeder

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hsguy

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I have a few bird feeders in my backyard as we greatly enjoy watching the visitors. I shoveled off the deck after I took this picture so I could keep the feeders full as food is hard to find in the deep snow. The birds were enjoying the food when I heard a commotion and looked out to find one of the diners had become dinner. A whole new meaning to the idea of a "bird feeder".

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Without a doubt, the best part of keeping a bird feeder in the backyard is to enjoy the Cooper's hawks that will come around to eat your guests. That looks like a 1st-year female, best I can tell. How cool is that?!? :cool:

-Jim
 
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Hsguy, I've got feeders on both sides of my house, right outside the windows. My wife and I just love the hawks....but they better not come around my feeders!

That's just not right!
 
I have some bird feeders also but the English Sparrows will kill a twenty pound bag of food in one day and run off the desert song birds. Any idea what I can do?
 
snake charmer said:
I have some bird feeders also but the English Sparrows will kill a twenty pound bag of food in one day and run off the desert song birds. Any idea what I can do?
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Shoot the sparrows with an air rifle..?
 
What do you do when the birds won't feed from the feeder? I recently bought a new feeder as the old one was falling apart. They flocked around the old one, mostly snow birds, gold finch's, house finch's, etc. I put out the new one with feed from the same bag had been using and they won't use it! Are they that picky? With 20" of snow covering everything they still aren't using it much, an occasional single bird stops for a peck or two and that's about all.
 
To deal with the English Sparrows try feeding just Black Oil Sunflower Seed in a hanging feeder. Eng. Sparrows like Millet which comes with the "generic" brands. Most other birds will eat the Sunflower Seed, just make sure it's "Black Oil". And if you can kill an Eng. Sparrow, feel free (the males because they are very easy to identify). They are not protected by the Migratory Bird Act and are destructive to native birds. And HSGUY, thanks for the pics. My wife and I enjoyed them. (We have a Sharped Shinned Hawk feeding on our birds).
 
My Cooper's hawk is out back right now, about 15' out my window, surrounded by down and feathers. He just had lunch at my bait station, er, I mean bird feeder.
 
It's funny, but the English Sparrows here don't stand a chance against the House Finches. Maybe ours are Mob trained. I rarely get much grief from the European Starlings, either. I have enough Mockings and Robins to keep them in line.
 
I love to feed the birds! had five male cardinal's at the feeder at one time today! and four females.. When it snows hard here they come! I all set out swet for the wood pecker's! we all enjoy it.. problem is with Red squirrels! pig's!Yes to black oils sunflower seeds.
 
If you have any extra hawks, send me a pair. The sparrows are getting thick. I occasionally nail a squirrel out of my feeders with a pellet gun. There's an owl in the woods who shows up quickly and can lift off with a whole tree rat in his talons. I like helping nature.

I feed year-round and have seen more bird species than I knew existed. That's kinda what retirement is all about.
 
Originally Posted by Gutpile Charlie
Hsguy, I've got feeders on both sides of my house, right outside the windows. My wife and I just love the hawks....but they better not come around my feeders!

That's just not right!

Charlie, I am not sure how to keep them away, maybe lure one of the coyotes up from the yard?


Ahh- the circle of life! Ain't it beautiful? I always pass a big Cooper's Hawk on my way to work. Lately, he's been sitting on one of the mile marker signs watching the wide, grass median. Magnificent bird. I'd be happy to have him in the back yard, as long as he didn't make one of the Red Wing Blackbirds into lunch. Got plenty of smaller birds for 'feeders' though.
 
H Richard said:
What do you do when the birds won't feed from the feeder? I recently bought a new feeder as the old one was falling apart. They flocked around the old one, mostly snow birds, gold finch's, house finch's, etc. I put out the new one with feed from the same bag had been using and they won't use it! Are they that picky? With 20" of snow covering everything they still aren't using it much, an occasional single bird stops for a peck or two and that's about all.
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H Richard, just give the birds some time to get used to the new feeder. We had the same issue at the beginning of the Winter. After a few brave the new frontier, the others will most likely follow.
 
I have been feeding & housing birds for years, I disagree totally with the black sunflower seeds, I have used them both and am Overwhelmingly in favor of the stripped!!! The black came into favor a few years ago, not sure why, except that the Stripes are much more valuable as human food, and I think the industry started to encourage this idea of higher oil content of the black seeds. and now it is just a given to most people, in fact stripes are sometimes hard to find in bulk. try it yourself put out a feeder with stripes and one with blacks see which is more popular, there is no comparison!! and yes the little birds can and do crack the bigger shell, if you Want to attract birds, go with the stripped!!!! For the squirrels this is what I use, almost silent when used in a rifle, (although they are recommend just for pistols) I use them in my single shot winchester. not much louder then the drop of the pin, I like them better than the air gun, jmop msn

I like these the best about 500fps
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These are a little slower 350fps
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I've fed nothing but black oil for years and years here. The feeders are mobbed and they go through 50#/month. Don't need any more increased consumption now.
 
On the side of my house I have three feeders - all filled with black oil seed. Two are hanging, one I put on the ground. During cold, windy weather, the birds much prefer the ground feeder.
 
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