How to attract birds to the backyard? (Page 2): :thumbup: :lol:...

Greenguy33 Loc: Rhode Island

pbearperry wrote:

Wash and wax your car and park it in the driveway.They will come.

:thumbup: :lol:

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Greenguy33 wrote:

I keep my camera and zoom by the kitchen window to capture birds by the feeders.
Unfortunately, I just get grey, boring sparrows.
Any tips on how to get colorful birds to show up?
I just switched to black sunflowers seeds. Will that help?

A lot depends on what kinds of birds are in your area. One technique I've seen used is having a remotely operated camera placed near the feeder.

Greenguy33 Loc: Rhode Island

jerryc41 wrote:

A lot depends on what kinds of birds are in your area. One technique I've seen used is having a remotely operated camera placed near the feeder.

Jerry, how do you set something like that up? Do you have pictures of the set up?

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

A suet feeder will attract woodpeckers. Your switch to black oil sunflower seeds is a good idea - many more birds like those. The mixed seed seems to be met with little interest by a lot of birds. The activity of the sparrows will alert other birds that food is there - hopefully you will get a more varied crowd. If you get too many blue jays and larger (gluttonous) birds you can also get feeders that block larger birds.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Greenguy33 wrote:

:thumbup: :lol:

Last week I watched two crows attacking a black car - it was pretty amusing. They were going nuts over it. I also once saw a male cardinal attacking his image in a car's rear-view mirror.

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

It will help a lot if you want to grow sunflowers all over your garden, which is what happened to me last year.

Carlo Loc: Maryland, NW.Chesapeake Bay

Greenguy33 wrote:

I keep my camera and zoom by the kitchen window to capture birds by the feeders.
Unfortunately, I just get grey, boring sparrows.
Any tips on how to get colorful birds to show up?
I just switched to black sunflowers seeds. Will that help?

Add a bird bath...mine draws as many birds as feeders do..!!

richosob Loc: Lambertville, MI

Greenguy33 wrote:

I keep my camera and zoom by the kitchen window to capture birds by the feeders.
Unfortunately, I just get grey, boring sparrows.
Any tips on how to get colorful birds to show up?
I just switched to black sunflowers seeds. Will that help?

We use black sunflower seeds and get cardinals, blue Jays, these aren't exotic birds by no means, but if you try thistle you might attract American gold finches and they have a beautiful yellow color. At least the male does. Hope this helps.

Rich

JRosen

We used to use a premium, pre-shelled mix which attracted all kinds of birds, and animals, and because the seed was pre-shelled, it wouldn't grow if dropped on the ground--for the most part.

The best are the ladder-back woodpeckers... they eat upside-down. I don't know how they do it, but its hilarious watching them.

We finally quit feeding the birds, as the rats came to get what the birds didn't eat.

Make sure you have plenty of fresh water, and places for them to hide/perch to have lunch.

Greenguy33 Loc: Rhode Island

sb wrote:

A suet feeder will attract woodpeckers. Your switch to black oil sunflower seeds is a good idea - many more birds like those. The mixed seed seems to be met with little interest by a lot of birds. The activity of the sparrows will alert other birds that food is there - hopefully you will get a more varied crowd. If you get too many blue jays and larger (gluttonous) birds you can also get feeders that block larger birds.

thanks Steve. :thumbup:

Greenguy33 Loc: Rhode Island

johneccles wrote:

It will help a lot if you want to grow sunflowers all over your garden, which is what happened to me last year.

I'll give that a shot! :thumbup:

Greenguy33 Loc: Rhode Island

Carlo wrote:

Add a bird bath...mine draws as many birds as feeders do..!!

I was thinking of doing that, thanks! :thumbup:

BatManPete Loc: Way Up North!

It helps to live next door to something like this:
http://gochipmunk.com/html/leopold1.html

All year 'round . . . schoolbus loads of students from around Madison Wi tour this "nature area."

ssymeono Loc: St. Louis, Missouri

Feeding birds is a long-term affair. It takes a few years for them to learn your yard and to develop trust, meaning no enemies for them. You should have several feeders: one for general use with extra sunflower seeds, a satellite feeder for small birds like chickadees with only sunflower seeds, a small feeder with thistle seed for American goldfinches, and possibly two more; a feeder with suet to attract woodpeckers (their best food in the winter), and a small feeder for hummingbirds. Before you know it, your yard would become a sanctuary for all sorts of flyers and migrating birds that keep coming every year.

Cykdelic Loc: Now outside of Chiraq & Santa Fe, NM

Greenguy33 wrote:

I keep my camera and zoom by the kitchen window to capture birds by the feeders.
Unfortunately, I just get grey, boring sparrows.
Any tips on how to get colorful birds to show up?
I just switched to black sunflowers seeds. Will that help?

Moving water attracts everyone.....,,a fountain bubbler, etc, along with more than one feeder with different foods in them (Niger seed in one should attract finches,,as an example)