How do I attract insect eating birds?

[sekororo]

To attract the fruit eaters I've planted papaya, maroela and guavas, it worked; the sead eaters come to the feeders near the pond, but, how do I get the robins, tchagras and flycatchers? I failed with mealworms twice....is there anything else I can do exept mealworms?

[abagguley]

To attract the fruit eaters I've planted papaya, maroela and guavas, it worked; the sead eaters come to the feeders near the pond, but, how do I get the robins, tchagras and flycatchers? I failed with mealworms twice....is there anything else I can do exept mealworms?

What I've tried to do is attract insects by providing suitable habitat (log piles, stone piles, brush piles and a pond) and finding out which plants are beneficial to my local insect population, & putting some in.

It takes a while for these measures to pay off, but it's a cheap, low maintenance solution in the long run.


Adrian

[jcwings]

Try water. Not just a bath, but dripping, trickling, running water etc. This works for all types of birds.

[Jane Turner]

Try water. Not just a bath, but dripping, trickling, running water etc. This works for all types of birds.

I agree - I have a 60ft artificial stream. That and allow plenty of wilderness areas and never ever use pesticides.

[Alison G.]

I have a half dead willow tree that I don't prune the dead branches off of. It's filled with all kinds of birds - woodpeckers, orioles, warblers etc. eating the bugs off it. I also am putting some bushes around the bases of the little fruit bearing trees to give more cover - My local insect eaters seem to like that. As I am next to a river the water aspect is already there. And as Jane says - no pesticides. It's different but fun gardening for wildlife - Enjoy!

[sekororo]

thank you, i'll keep that dead tree in mind, i have some i thought i should take out. great idea

[kanaryman]

To attract the fruit eaters I've planted papaya, maroela and guavas, it worked; the sead eaters come to the feeders near the pond, but, how do I get the robins, tchagras and flycatchers? I failed with mealworms twice....is there anything else I can do exept mealworms?

Sekororo,
I have done this on several occasions and it works well, usually. Place in a larger type can (between 4 and 20 liters, or could be bigger) a few pieces of spoiled fruit, some old bird seed that the birds have finished with and place the bucket or can out of the rain but very availabel to a tree or clothsline (tendedero de ropa). You will want it to be where the smell will not go into your house or your nieghbor's house either as it will stink. In about a week you will notice that there are more and more flies and moths flying out of there and the birds will start setting on the wires or rope to catch them.
Do not feed the spoiled food to your birds, just the flies and moths or worms that is produced there if you are going to use it that way. It will attract especially birds like the mocking bird, yellowbellied flycatcher and if as in Mexico where I lived for forty years you have the vermillion flycatcher, you will see many of them as they are very faund of flies.
David Cummings
Kanaryman Aviaries and Research Foundation

[sekororo]

i know there are more out there than meal worms!!! thank you kanaryman I will report back in a week or two!!

[Isurus]

I agree - I have a 60ft artificial stream. That and allow plenty of wilderness areas and never ever use pesticides.

60 foot artificial stream on one side, wader flats on the other! I'm starting to understand why your garden list is so impressive Jane. Seriously though I'm intrigued by the logistics of this one. Is it lined or concrete? Is it (roughly) horseshoe shaped or are you pumping back a full sixty feet? intrigued water gardeners want to know

[sekororo]

Listen To This!!! For Some Reason I Got Up Early This Morning Just Before Sunrise While The Daylight Switch Light Behind The House Was Still On. Paradise Flycatcher, Black Eyed Bulbul, Fork Tail Drongo And Brown Hooded Kingfisher Were Cathing Insects Attracted To The Light!!!! I Never Thought Of A Light As A Way To Attract Insect Eating Birds.

[KCFoggin]

I'd like to see more pristine lawns dotted with some beneficial crab grasses and weeds of varying heights. I, too, have been amazed at the amount of bugs the solar lights bring in during the evening and early morning hours.

[Jane Turner]

60 foot artificial stream on one side, wader flats on the other! I'm starting to understand why your garden list is so impressive Jane. Seriously though I'm intrigued by the logistics of this one. Is it lined or concrete? Is it (roughly) horseshoe shaped or are you pumping back a full sixty feet? intrigued water gardeners want to know

I have a pond liner the size of several tennis courts, a pond that is quite small and a "dirty water" pump which feeds back into a small "marsh" and forwards ito the stream. This meanders about and is lined with 2 tons of pea gravel. I'll go and take some pics of it!

[sekororo]

don't you get tons of mosquitos during summer with all that water around?

[Jane Turner]

don't you get tons of mosquitos during summer with all that water around?

The sticklebacks (small fish) in the pond deal with the mossie larvae - and since its flowing water there are not too many to start with.

[sekororo]

you are inspiring me. I am already planning what I can do in my garden with water. My garden is new, the size of a football field and completely wild.

[Alison G.]

Our property had been abandoned for a few years before we moved in. Best thing that could have happened. I mowed a few foot paths thru the overgrown field and watched for a year to see what would grow. I added new plants here and there and learned (eventually) what would work in my "wild" environment. It's 12 years later and I have over 100 species of birds alone I've seen from the house. I love gardening this way, and if you have the space to do it, I really recommend it. Best of luck!

[sekororo]

Our property had been abandoned for a few years before we moved in. Best thing that could have happened. I mowed a few foot paths thru the overgrown field and watched for a year to see what would grow. I added new plants here and there and learned (eventually) what would work in my "wild" environment. It's 12 years later and I have over 100 species of birds alone I've seen from the house. I love gardening this way, and if you have the space to do it, I really recommend it. Best of luck!

Thank you for the encouragement. I'm weighing the wild garden option carefully. We have a lot of snakes, black and green mamba, in the area and with two small children running around I don't know if I should or should not. Maybe I will leave some spots wild and keep the rest trimmed very short.