Anyone feed birds? I just put out a bunch of black oil sunflower in a tube style feeder (with ports and perches). Also some yummy seed/nut/fruit blend in a platform feeder. Nyjer seed in a Nyjer seed feeder and a humming bird feeder with humming bird stuff that came with it (will make my own when that runs out). I’d like to also set up a bird bath and a maybe a blue bird house. Anyone else feeding their Birdies? They are fun to watch.
They all came back this past week, I swear. Orioles, hummingbirds, grosbeaks. Prior to that I had finches and red-wing blackbirds, mourning doves, etc. I feed black oil sunflower seed, thistle seed, and put out grape jelly and oranges for Orioles, and sugar water for them and hummingbirds. Oh, and suet. I get several kinds of woodpeckers. I have a bird bath that I need to fill.
We dug up the area around the feeder because we are landscaping a little more there, and they loved that. The robins were in there eating worms and grubs.
Last year a bunch of Bobolinks came through. I hadn’t seen them before. I saw one today, so they’re back. I don’t think they stay long though, or maybe they make themselves scarce. We see them sitting on the fence. I haven’t seen one at the feeder.
I feed lots of birds.
I need to put up the hummingbird feeder this week.
The feeder that has been the most fun has been the peanut feeder. We get 3 kinds of woodpeckers, nuthatches, red winged blackbirds, blue jays, cardinals, chickadees, sparrows …
I take it back, the Oriole feeder is the most fun - it is bright bright orange, which attracts them. It holds orange halves and grape jelly of all things!
[QUOTE=Mukluk;8664586]
Anyone feed birds? I just put out a bunch of black oil sunflower in a tube style feeder (with ports and perches). Also some yummy seed/nut/fruit blend in a platform feeder. Nyjer seed in a Nyjer seed feeder and a humming bird feeder with humming bird stuff that came with it (will make my own when that runs out). I’d like to also set up a bird bath and a maybe a blue bird house. Anyone else feeding their Birdies? They are fun to watch.[/QUOTE]
We feed our birds.
Be careful to avoid the very cheap seed blends, as you can attract house sparrows. (House sparrows are non-native species that kill bluebirds for their nesting spots.)
Sunflower seeds are popular but I’ve found they attract black bears. Where I was, black bears should not have been, so we stopped feeding sunflower except during winter.
I feed a millet-free mix when I can find it, otherwise mostly BOSS (no bears here!) & put out suet year-round.
Sometimes I splurge on safflower seed & mix with BOSS.
I have tube feeders & one platform feeder.
I make my own hummingbird nectar: 1 part sugar to 4 parts water, nuke 5min on High & store in the fridge.
I don’t bother adding color & they don’t seem to care.
Caveat for the Nyjer seed: you are going to end up with thistles growing everywhere!
Finches are just as happy with a mix & you will be happier w/o the invasive thistles!
We have two Bluebird houses and three Purple Martin houses.
The Carolina Wrens have made a nest, in the blink of an eye, in the top on my tool knapsack. I won’t be getting Anyang out of there for awhile, as there are five eggs in the nest. Now I have to worry about rat snakes:(
Our senior Barn Swallows didn’t come back this year:( but one of the kids came back with a mate. They finally got nest-building figured out and built a spectacular nest. If only they lay eggs and if only the eggs aren’t sterile.
We only have one feeder, right outside one of the picture windows. I have seen all sorts of birds at the feeder. My favorite is the Red-headed woodpecker. He shares breakfast with the tiny songbirds bit is quick to take a stab at the Cowbirds, lol
Ooh, occasionally we get a Pileated Woodpecker eating the suet. He’s a very nervous guy.
House finches and mourning doves galore. Gambel’s quail. Broad-tailed hummingbirds. White-crowned sparrows. Too many house sparrows. A pair of black-headed grosbeaks. Ash-throated flycatchers. Western kingbirds. New this year - a pair of Swainson’s hawks that seem to be building a nest in the cottonwood tree in my back pasture, and a male Lazuli bunting (and hopefully his mate). I think I’ve heard some Bullock’s orioles.
A Cooper’s hawk was making passes at my feeders all winter but seems to have moved on.
This is great! We have been getting a few hummingbirds (waiting for word to spread around the neighborhood). Lots of wrens, goldfinches, and woodpeckers. My neighbor has an occupied bluebird house. Thinking of getting a bluebird house also.
We have a plethora here! Titmice, Chickadees, Finches of varying sorts, Doves, Orioles, Juncos, Cardinals, and saw our first Grosbeak pair ever just this week 
On the suet, we get 3+ different types of woodpeckers, including the big red-headed woodpeckers, which are quite pretty. The Turkeys also stop by early morning and late evening to pick up any scraps. Need to put up the hummingbird feeder too!
I’m interested to hear what Orioles want to eat; they are never on the feeder, just on the ground, but we have no fruit out. Just a wild bird seed blend that we add safflower to, as well as dried mealworms, and then the suet feeder. I will try putting out some orange halves for them.
I have Bird Paradise in front of the house - 3 bird baths, 2 Nyjer feeders, 2 tray feeders, enough cover to hide from the hawks and cats. They repay me by staging Game Of Thrones’esque acts of brutality on the lawn. Still haven’t recovered from the starling that speared a sparrow in front of me. And today I caught something going on that involved a Blue Jay, several Robins and a flock of sparrows - I suspect the jay was trying for someone’s nestling or eggs and got himself into trouble, but the sparrows wanted him dead. The jay literally could not launch into the air without the sparrows knocking him down. He was standing on the lawn looking desperate when I last saw him. Gorgeous birds, but nasty habits.
I am late putting up feeders this year, but we have a wide range of visitors. We have two pairs of nuthatches, and one pair didn’t seem to mind that I moved their birdhouse, they moved back in!
We do sometimes have hawks visit the feeders for opportunistic snacking, so I try to be sure that feeders are placed where there is cover for the small birds. Pretty cool to see a Cooper’s hawk so close, tho! We also have owls, two pairs each in different trees in the yard. It amazes me how many years some of these birds return or live in the same place, and raise young.
I have a quandary about one of my other bird houses. It was taken over by wasps last summer, near a ground nest/mother lode of wasps that I had removed by a pro. I thought the wasps in the bird house would die over the winter, but they have not. There aren’t very many of them, but when I went to clean it out, they were still slowly alive in there. I don’t want to use chemicals, because I don’t want to harm any birds. Yes, I could toss it and buy a new one, but for a variety of reasons, I’d rather keep it if I can safely clean it out. Any ideas? At the moment, the birdhouse is in a double layer of trash bags, tightly secured.
I don’t do feeders because I don’t want to encourage mice and rats to the area. I do have multiple bird houses and plant gardens with birds and butterflies in mind. The last two years we’ve had a pair of bluebirds (which around here you never see) and resident hawks and other natives year round.
The neighborhood hummingbirds have discovered our feeder. They sure are a lot of fun to watch. Enjoying the birdies and we also have attracted a lovely grey bushy tailed squirrel who has been eating what’s on the ground. I just love squirrels!
[QUOTE=keysfins;8674394]
I have a quandary about one of my other bird houses. It was taken over by wasps last summer, near a ground nest/mother lode of wasps that I had removed by a pro. I thought the wasps in the bird house would die over the winter, but they have not. There aren’t very many of them, but when I went to clean it out, they were still slowly alive in there. I don’t want to use chemicals, because I don’t want to harm any birds. Yes, I could toss it and buy a new one, but for a variety of reasons, I’d rather keep it if I can safely clean it out. Any ideas? At the moment, the birdhouse is in a double layer of trash bags, tightly secured.[/QUOTE]
Look for herbal sprays - most use peppermint oil - they take down wasps w/o leaving a poisonous residue. I use them in my barn so horses don’t get chemicals dripped on them when I spray nests in the rafters.
Mukluk, I am jealous!
I have my hummingbird feeder up, but so far no customers.
Last year seemed sparse too, but prior to that feeder was mobbed.
So much fun to watch the “owner” take on rivals 
One year I found a teeny/tiny nest - made completely of horse tailhair - in one of my hardy hibiscus.
If you put up bird houses PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do so on a pole with a sturdy baffle if you live anywhere near snakes, raccoons, possums, cats, etc. Nothing is more heartbreaking than having a bluebird couple create a comfy nest and lay their eggs only to have something come along and wipe it out.
Thank you, 2DogsFarm. That sounds much better than the nasty sprays.
Was the horsehair nest a hummingbird nest? Silverbridge has had regular nesters, IIRC. He posts photos on his FB page. So tiny!!
