birds/feeders/attracting them
Apr 5, 2017 11:45:42 #
kenpic
Loc: Edmonds, WA
oldtigger wrote:
moved to a new house with large deck just outside kitchen door and good light all day.
Now how do i attract some birds?
Now how do i attract some birds?
Contact your local Audubon Society and they can provide guidance. Also, if you have a local wild bird related store (sells food and birdbaths and bird houses) they can help. I buy my sunflowers at Home Depot and mix my own with a little of the finch food, etc. I also get my suet there (the blue label which has crushed peanuts in it.)
Here is a great website that has good info and fantastic videos. www.pugetsoundbackyardbirds.com. Craig and Joy do a wonderful job with this life-mission.
Apr 5, 2017 11:51:30 #
Costco and Sam's club have great mixtures. no red milo. About $20.00 for 40 lb. sack. Attracts all kinds of birds.
Apr 5, 2017 11:56:46 #
Over the years, we have discovered the best all around feed is sunflower seeds...but not in the shell. I know they are more expensive but you DO NOT WANT to have the hulls build up on your deck or under your deck. The sunflower hulls contain a toxin that hurts sensitive plants. Also if you get a pile of the hulls, they can smother the grass. Here is a link that explains more about this and some other ideas. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/beneficial/problems-with-bird-seeds.htm
We buy chopped sunflower seeds. We also have had good luck buying the niger seed for the goldfinch feeders, though you do get some hull waste build up too. My husband also will mix the smaller sunflower seed pieces with the niger seed. We also have a place where we get nut pieces...Try looking for feed stores that sell horse food, dog food, etc. They often have good buys and good selections.
We also have a bird bath that can be heated in the winter...it is on the deck railing.
Having feeders is a great way to get bird photos...Have fun.
We buy chopped sunflower seeds. We also have had good luck buying the niger seed for the goldfinch feeders, though you do get some hull waste build up too. My husband also will mix the smaller sunflower seed pieces with the niger seed. We also have a place where we get nut pieces...Try looking for feed stores that sell horse food, dog food, etc. They often have good buys and good selections.
We also have a bird bath that can be heated in the winter...it is on the deck railing.
Having feeders is a great way to get bird photos...Have fun.
Apr 5, 2017 11:58:05 #
Mustanger wrote:
No no.... to get the good birds you need a FAST red sports car...like a Mustang GT350R...you gotta hear that Voodoo engine singing at 8300RPM!!!
Actually I would go for something more like a Ferrari. First, they go around corners, and they advertise money better. However, I don't play in that league, and don't seem to be going through the male menoporsche either....
On the other hand a vintage E-Type (or XKE) has way more class than a Mustang.
Apr 5, 2017 12:05:37 #
4bcsmith
Loc: Portland, Oregon
Thomas902, you got the shot I dream of. Hummingbird in flight with wings spread & frozen without them being blurred. What settings did you use? I'm still new to photography w/birds. Your advice would be greatly appreciated!
Apr 5, 2017 12:58:22 #
Apr 5, 2017 13:44:11 #
Best thing to attract birds is water. Especially if they hear moving water.
Get a small pump and run water over a small rock feature into a shallow pan with a rock for the birds to stand on. Check Pinterest for bird water features. Can be built for under $50. Won't have the expense & mess of seed. I have this and the birds & small animals love it. Attracted by the sound of trickling water.
Get a small pump and run water over a small rock feature into a shallow pan with a rock for the birds to stand on. Check Pinterest for bird water features. Can be built for under $50. Won't have the expense & mess of seed. I have this and the birds & small animals love it. Attracted by the sound of trickling water.
Apr 5, 2017 13:58:20 #
oldtigger wrote:
will they bath in a shallow flat bottom tray or do they need deeper curved bottoms (both deep and shallow areas)
One as deep as the mud puddles you see them in , they like to touch bottom
Apr 5, 2017 14:07:13 #
IBM wrote:
One as deep as the mud puddles you see them in , they like to touch bottom
You mean like a 'hiney hut'?
Apr 5, 2017 14:48:46 #
Had a bird feeder on an elevated deck for several years. Three points: 1) Once you put the feeder out you should commit to always keeping it out there for the birds. They become dependent upon the easy food source for most of the year and if you take it away many don't survive the loss because they may have overstayed their occupancy beyond the normal occurrence of their natural food source(s), especially during the fall when loss of normal food induces migration.
2) Birds are messy eaters and the seeds fall into any cracks in the deck and eventually many will germinate producing a lot of weeds, etc. These in turn hasten rot attack if it's a wood deck. If the feeder is hanging from a tree branch over dirt you'll get whatever the seeds grow into under your tree.
3) Squirrels are aggressive in going after seeds, especially during winter. Our feeder hung from a cable and the squirrels would hand over hand down the cable to get to the feeder and they'd empty it out in no time ... every day. Cute at first but bad for the birds.
2) Birds are messy eaters and the seeds fall into any cracks in the deck and eventually many will germinate producing a lot of weeds, etc. These in turn hasten rot attack if it's a wood deck. If the feeder is hanging from a tree branch over dirt you'll get whatever the seeds grow into under your tree.
3) Squirrels are aggressive in going after seeds, especially during winter. Our feeder hung from a cable and the squirrels would hand over hand down the cable to get to the feeder and they'd empty it out in no time ... every day. Cute at first but bad for the birds.
Apr 5, 2017 15:24:41 #
Well if you want some free advice from a fellow birder, get (1) a regular bird feeder, (2) a Finch feeder, and (3) a Hummingbird feeder. Position about 3' apart. Stand back with your camera ready! (Actually my camera sits on a coffee table near the door-wall.) It will probably take a few weeks for their visitation schedule to get up to normal for you. If you have Baltimore Orioles in your area they love a slice of Orange. Find the settings on your camera for "through glass" picture taking as you will scare them when/if you try to open the door. You might have some fun/good results with your camera mounted on a tripod sitting out nearer the feeders, and triggered by remote. Best place near me for buying bird seed is Rural King. Recently got 40 lbs of Black Sunflower seed for $14.95 and 40 lbs of mixed bird seed for $9.95. Warning! Warning! Warning! The little devils will go through bird seed really, really fast!
Have Fun!!!
Have Fun!!!
Apr 5, 2017 15:37:50 #
Ricinus
Loc: Leduc Alberta
Another food for Baltimore Orioles is grape jelly, no accounting for taste..
Mike
Mike
Apr 5, 2017 15:46:50 #
Spiney wrote:
Best thing to attract birds is water. Especially if they hear moving water.
Get a small pump and run water over a small rock feature into a shallow pan with a rock for the birds to stand on. Check Pinterest for bird water features. Can be built for under $50. Won't have the expense & mess of seed. I have this and the birds & small animals love it. Attracted by the sound of trickling water.
Get a small pump and run water over a small rock feature into a shallow pan with a rock for the birds to stand on. Check Pinterest for bird water features. Can be built for under $50. Won't have the expense & mess of seed. I have this and the birds & small animals love it. Attracted by the sound of trickling water.
There are also water heaters for cold climates.
Apr 5, 2017 16:15:31 #
Got an Aldi's near you ? $10 for 20lbs of Black Oil Sunflower seeds. I get all sorts of seed eating birds using it. Plus they have bulk pack Suet cakes for I think $8. Oh, and I also put out Peanut butter on multigrain bread in the suet hangers at times...
oldtigger wrote:
priced krogers birdseed, $19 a bag and up.
Where do you find cheap feed and what kind?
I've seen jays, doves, cardnals, robins passing through the back yard.
Where do you find cheap feed and what kind?
I've seen jays, doves, cardnals, robins passing through the back yard.
Apr 5, 2017 16:19:23 #
Screamin Scott wrote:
Got an Aldi's near you ? $10 for 20lbs of Black Oil Sunflower seeds. I get all sorts of seed eating birds using it. Plus they have bulk pack Suet cakes for I think $8
I'll have to check that out. The just opened one next to the Lowe's near me.
Thanks
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