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nutsaboutflowers

Bird Feeders?

nutsaboutflowers
11 years ago

Hello all. Last fall I didn't quite get around to buying a bird feeder, so it's on my list of possibilities now.

First of all, is there any reason I don't want to attract birds to the yard? How early in the morning will they wake us up? LOL !

Veseys sells a globe feeder that says it keeps the squirrels out. Hmmm. Any recommendations on what type of feeder to get that's easy to maintain, clean, and keep the squirrels out?

Thanks!

Comments (6)

  • northspruce
    11 years ago

    I never have a squirrel problem because I have dogs, and the feeders are hung from the clothesline and they'd have to travel a long way on the ground to reach it. My parents have a squirrel-proof feeder exactly like the one in the link. It keeps squirrels away but you have to push the seeds forward regularly or the birds can't reach anymore.

    My favourite feeder is a $7 one from Walmart that looks like a tiny wooden gazebo but is made of 100% recycled pop bottles. Bearing in mind that I don't have a squirrel problem.

    What you don't want to do is attract house sparrows. They are an awful invasive non-native species with no redeeming features. If you feed any of the millet-grain mixes with a cardinal on the package you will get house sparrows. To avoid them, feed black oil sunflower or safflower in the winter, and nyjer seed in the summer.

    Here is a link that might be useful: feeder

  • don555
    11 years ago

    I don't have a squirrel problem either, so can't comment there. Sparrows were a huge problem when I had a tray-style feeder, so I've switched to two ball-type feeders with holes small enough to keep sparrows away but no problem for birds like chicadees and redpolls to enter. I feed black oil sunflower (and the sparrows were eager to eat that when I had a tray feeder). The only negative thing about my feeder (pictured below with a redpoll, during our big snow a few days ago) is that 2 winters ago (the snowy winter) a thin film of water got in by the sliding door at top where I fill the feeder and so all winter long I had to bring the feeder inside to thaw it for a few minutes before I could refill. I didn't have that problem at all in the two years prior to that, and this past winter I think it only occurred a couple of times. Anyway, that might be an issue if you hang your feeder far from your house. Love the lack of sparrows with this feeder!
    {{gwi:741707}}

  • northspruce
    11 years ago

    In my experience sparrows will only eat sunflower seeds if they can't get anything else. I occasionally see one on my feeders but it definitely doesn't attract populations of them like grains. When I first moved here I accidentally bought millet feed and I had stacks of the horrible things. Then one summer I saw a sparrow hawk around for a couple of weeks and the sparrows were mysteriously gone... mwahahaha... never fed millet since and never had a sparrow problem since.

  • shazam_z3
    11 years ago

    Gak, I hate millet. Luckily it's gotten way easier to buy totally millet free bird seed. I used to have to go to a specialty bird store.

  • don555
    11 years ago

    I don't think there are many bird feeders in my neighbourhood that are kept filled so maybe the sparrows came because my black oil sunflower seed was their only choice. Sure used to be a lot of them, and I hated the way they chased away the chicadees.

  • Pudge 2b
    11 years ago

    The house sparrows eat the sunflower seeds at my feeders, too. With some feeders - like the hopper type, they will just toss the seed out, emptying a full feeder within a day - that's what I hate the most about them. Hairy Woodpeckers will do the same thing - tossing everything out while looking for - I don't know, one particular seed?

    House sparrows are bullies at the feeders but back off as soon as something bigger or meaner comes along. Like a nuthatch - tough little monsters.

    For the sunflower seeds, I've settled on some home made box type hanging platform feeders with a screened bottom. The sides prevent all that seed from flying out. It also allows the small birds as well as the bigger ones to feed from them.

    This is the feeder but I've now modified it to just 4 strands from each corner to hold it up - easier for the big birds (blue jays) to get in there.

    {{gwi:705154}}

    This is just a dried sunflower head on a short length of rebar - it works pretty good as a feeder, too.

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