Basic bird feeding questions

[Stacey]

Hi! My name's Stacey and this is my first visit to this forum (though I know I'll be a regular now!)

I'm new to feeding birds. Today I bought three feeders: two hoppers and a suet feeder. I positioned them from brackets so they hang down from chains in front of my parlor windows.

They came prefilled with mixed birdseed, but I plan to fill them with black oil sunflowers later (when the mixed seed runs out), or put millet in one and sunflowers in the other (plus the suet of course). Am I doing well so far?

I have a few basic questions which I hope you'll have the patience to answer!

#1 Do birds feed more often during certain times of the day?

#2 Will the noise inside the house scare the birds away, or will they eventually get used to it? I have a dog who likes to look out the windows, and I think he might bark at the birds (but I'm not sure). I also have a noisy husband and two teenage kids.

#3 How long does it usually take for the birds to find the feeders?

#4 I don't have oudoor wiring, so I won't be able to provide a heated birdbath this winter. Will they still come?

I really appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks in advance!

[KCFoggin]

Hi Stacey! A very warm welcome to you on behalf of all the Moderators and Admin here at Bird Forum. I think you will become addicted quickly. :)

It sounds like you are off to a great start with your feeders. How close are the feeders to your windows? If they are too close, they may be a bit startled by any fast movement they see. I have a couple of feeders in front of my kitchen window and the feeders are behind some huge hanging ferns to give them some feeling of seclusion and it seems to work well as I am filling the feeders twice a day. I pretty much get to watch them all morning long when I am home as the windows face east and the sun reflects off the window so they don't see me behind the glass.

Don't be disappointed if it takes a couple of weeks for the birds to find the feeders although with your cold winters, I would think they will appreciate the added food source you will be providing.

Birds tend to feed early in the morning and then feverishly a couple of hours before darkness falls.

Even if you don't have a heated birdbath, remember to keep the water fresh as the birds will want fresh water even in the coldest of winters. I swear, my birdbaths get more activity in the winter. Especially with the chicadees.

I don't know too many birds that don't enjoy BOSS. I also use Sunflower hearts and safflower. I have to keep an eye on the sunflower hearts as if they get wet, they will spoil or clump inside the feeder. I had that problem in the beginning when I had few birds but now it doesn't get a chance as it is emptied quickly.

I'm sure there will be many other suggestions for you and please feel free with any other questions you might have. Again, welcome.

[birdman]

HEATED Birdbath!?!?!?!

My God, the birds in Michigan get all the mod cons!!!

Hi Stacey,

Welcome aboard.

I won't do the official bit, as KC already has, but... have fun!!!

(Do they get a jacuzzi???)

[Stacey]

hehe birdman. No - I meant just heated enough to keep it thawed!

KC Foggin I guess the hangers are approximately 1 foot from my windows. Would putting houseplants in front of the windows help?

If the birdbath freezes, it's not any good is it? Maybe there's some sort of battery-operated or solar heater available?

How far from the food should the bird bath be? Also - I've got 2 cats so I need to find a way to keep them out of the bird bath.

We're avid gardeners, and luckily for us the area in front of these windows doesn't have a garden yet, so we get to start out from scratch! We're going to plant some annuals this year then gradually switch to perennials. Any suggestions as to plant colors and height to attract the birds? I'm thinking that I'll put in plants that attract a lot of insects for the birdies to eat.

Thanks for your friendly help! I can't wait for the birds to start coming! But you know - I don't think I'll be able to refill twice a day. I hope that won't discourage them too much.

[KCFoggin]

Hi again Stacey. I definitely think some hanging plants in the window would help a lot.

I would keep the birdbath away from the feeders for a number of reasons. One is that the bath will get messy and if you are having a lot of activity at the feeders I doubt the bath would be used all that much. I know, I learned the hard way and had to move a concrete feeder. Very heavy. :) If you have a spot under a tree, that might be a good spot. The one I have under the tree gets the most use. Please do keep the cats away from the birds. The birds will love you for it.

Your thoughts about plants attracting insects is a great idea. I have a butterfly bush, that is still blooming profusely and smells heavenly and it attracts not only the hummers but some warblers as well. Sounds like you are off to a great start and look forward to hearing about the first birds to your feeders. Mine were house finches.

[Stacey]

Well - it's 8:00 am. I've been sitting in front of the window for 1 hour and no birds yet. . . . . . . . . patience . . . . . . . . . ! Good thing I can see the windows from here.

My husband is going to put a bird feeder outside our bedroom window on the 2nd floor. Silly question - but since food is naturally not available that high, do you think the birds will even look up there?

As for situating the bird bath - is 6 feet away from the feeders too close?

Aha - looks like the birds are awake! I saw some flying around. But there's a cat coming into our yard. Now he's eating catnip in our garden. Well - I guess that if we want birds we need to get rid of the catnip! Oh - this is so fun!

My husband is scoping out the back yard. Report - two morning doves in the back garden. Two blue jays in the back garden. No birds at the feeders yet.

[Stacey]

oooo oooo oooo ooo ooo we have birds!!!! I don't know what kind they are but they're cute little birds!!!!!!!!! Three of them!!!!!! Oo oo oo oo oo They're little and have black heads and black throats and they're so adorable!!!

[KCFoggin]

LOL. Do you have a bird guide Stacey? Sounds like you might have chicadees. In the absence of a bird guide you might try www.enature.com to compare what you have at the feeders.

[KCFoggin]

This is a photo of our Carolina Chicadee. Don't believe you get the Carolina but I don't have my guide handy at the moment.

[pduxon]

Originally posted by Stacey
Silly question - but since food is naturally not available that high, do you think the birds will even look up there?

As you have discovered Birds can find food anywhere :t:

I sometimes wonder what the Blue Tits & House Sparrows ate before I came along.

[John N]

Hi Stacey,welcome to BirdForum and indeed to the wonderful world of feeding the Birds. Enjoy yourself. John. :t:

[annika1970]

Hi Stacey,
I'm from Michigan as well. I live in the Auburn Hills area; where are you? Chickadees are one of my favorite birds. There's a park I like to go to in the winter because the Chickadees will feed from your hand. I'm hoping to try that at my house this winter since this will be my first winter feeding birds in the yard.
Shannon

[Stacey]

Yes! They were chickadees!

Annika, I live in the upper penninsula, in a little town near Escanaba. I'm sure we still have some of the same birds, though.

I don't have a guide yet - but my husband has disappeared and I think he might be surprising me with one for an early birthday present!

Thanks for the welcome, everybody! This is so fun, I'm sorry I didn't start sooner. I'll bet in the winter we'll have tons and tons of them. The snow gets so deep up here that it must be very difficult to find food naturally.

Now I'm starting to wonder about putting up some bird houses. I was thinking about putting them on our house, since the house should be warmer than the trees. I wonder if that would work?

I could even put up little mirrors so I could see the birds from inside our house!

How long of all of you been feeding birds? Do you all have birdhouses where you can see them while you're eating breakfast?

[IanF]

Hi Stacey,

Over this side of the Pond I feed the birds throughout the Summer which means we have birds in the garden all year round. We find the birds visit several times through the day starting just after dawn. You can sometimes see them all waiting in the surrounding trees and bushes ready to descend on the feeders. every few hours they return en masse to the feeders. I suspect they do the rounds feeding from neighbours tables too.

We have bird boxes left up throughout the year. In Spring we have Geat tit amnd Blue Tits using them for breeding. In Winter they using them each night for roosting. A Great Tit is using one at the moment. Ours are on a north-east facing house wall. They get the sun in the morning but by afternoon the sun has gone off them so they don't get overheated. Using the house wall certainly works fine for us, but perhaps trees or large shrubs would be more natural for the birds. We have woven reed 'bird pockets' at various places around the garden, but I must admit that I have yet to see the birds using them.

The feeding station for the birds can be seen from the house but the nest boxes can't be seen from inside the house. However we have an inexpensive B&W board camera in one of them so we can watch the roosting and nesting birds.

As regards length of time feeding the birds, that is around 14 year now in this house.

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Originally posted by Stacey
Yes! They were chickadees!

How long of all of you been feeding birds? Do you all have birdhouses where you can see them while you're eating breakfast?

I have been feeding birds for longer than I can remember!! We have various hanging feeders, plus a huge triple tube feeder that we can see when we are eating our meals. This is squirrel proof and so is the bird table that is quite near the dining room window.

We have two nesting boxes that have been used by bluetits for many years (I think bluetits are a bit like your chickadees). Two years ago we put a colour camera in one of the boxes, and it was so successful that we put a camera in the second one too - you can read all about it on our website. At this very moment, my husband is fiddling around with one of the boxes (in the study just near me), making minor adjustments and looking at the effects on his computer.

It is a quiet time for birds here at the moment, but as the weather gets colder, they'll soon be back!

[Stacey]

Hi Ian! Thanks for the info!

I would put my bird boxes in trees, but my cats are excellent hunters. I have to be crafty about keeping them away from the birds! It's good to know that the birds are using the ones you have on your house.

It's also good to know they feed all day. I haven't seen any at these feeders since this mornign, but I think once they tell all their little friends we should have lots of them.

Is that what they do, by the way? Communicate somehow to other birds? I mean - now that I've had a few should I be getting a lot more of them soon?

What kind of camera are you talking about? Is it a video camera? That would be really neat.

KC, I tried that link and I like it. I added it to my list of favorites. Thanks!

[IanF]

Hi Stacey,

I'm sure that word does get around the bird community as to where the food is. We had a Coal Tit visiting throughout the Summer but now there are several of them each day. It could of course just be the time of year that birds start returning to the garden for easy pickings.

The camera is a video camera, mounted on a piece of circuit board about 2"x2". I have it connected up to the TV and video unit and my computer hard drive so I can take snap shots.

[Stacey]

Elizabeth, we must have been typing our posts at exactly the same time. I didn't see yours when I answered the last one.

I want to get one of those triple-tube feeders. The hospital I work in is right on a lake, and has a big patio outside for the patients. We have one of those big tube feeders out by the patio, and get lots and lots of finches at it.

Those cameras sound so neat. Are they expensive? The wiring must be complicated.

I just got my windows sparkling clean, and when we get more birds I'm going to mount my camera on the tripod and get lots of good photos. I can't wait!

[IanF]

Hi Stacey,

Actually the cameras are very simple affairs which come with a wiring kit. You simply fit the camera in place in a bird box and plug in the wires to it at one end and a wall socket and a TV/Video or computer TV card at the other. I suppose a little DIY experience is handy for fitting it in the roof of a bird box and focusing it, but it was all fairly straight forward.

This is the sort of thing available over here board camera (http://www.henrys.demon.co.uk/cctv/3046.htm) which I know are available far cheaper than this in the States even as ready made kits. Ready assembled nestboxes with cameras are available over here but they are quite expensive to buy.

[Stacey]

Thanks, Ian! I think I might be looking into that in the spring when we get nesting boxes up. That would be so entertaining - and so much more "clean" than daytime television! hehe

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Originally posted by Stacey
Elizabeth, we must have been typing our posts at exactly the same time. I didn't see yours when I answered the last one.

Those cameras sound so neat. Are they expensive? The wiring must be complicated.

We bought the complete kit - box + camera + wiring. You can read all the details on our website.

[Stacey]

Elizabeth, I started at the beginning and watched the birds build their nests, and now I'm at the part where the first 2 eggs have hatched.

It's so interesting! It's wonderful that you post it, too, so everybody can see what it's like. Thank you.

[Elizabeth Bigg]

I'm glad you like it Stacey - we had great fun doing it, but the "empty nest syndrome" when it was all over was quite sad.

Because it had taken up so much of our time - thousands of pictures to view each day, select the best ones, prepare for putting onto the site, and then adding the text was pretty time-consuming, there was quite a "hole" in our lives for a while when the chicks had flown.

[Stacey]

Do you plan to do it again next year, Elizabeth?

Also - what happens when the birds fledge? Do the parents continue to care for them for a little while?

Do the parent birds then leave the nest as well? Are nests just for raising babies? Where do the birds sleep if they're not in their nests?

I hope you don't mind all the questions.

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Stacey - I don't mind at all! Yes, we hope to continue next year, and my husband is already planning for it. We hope that it might be possible to have some video clips as well. Last year you could look at a frequently refreshing webcam image, choosing which one of the two boxes you looked at. For a while we (this is the Royal "we" - Malcolm does all the photographic stuff) had a camcorder on a tripod in the dining room, and this was focussed either on the bird table, or on the mealworm feeder on the window, so you had a third choice.

The parents continue for quite a few days to feed the chicks - we could see them in the shrubs at the bottom of the garden, waiting for mealworms to be delivered from the feeder we had down there. Towards the end of this year's story, you will find a photo called "Fluffy and her chicks" - this feeder is right outside the kitchen window, and we continued to see them feeding together there for some time.

Yes they all leave the nest for good, though occasionally for a short while an adult might return for a quick look round. We presume the birds roost in the trees and hedges - itt seems such a waste of a nice cosy box! One of our friends (whose company supplies the image-detecting software) already has a bluetit roosting in his box, and I know several other people find this, but not so far, for us.

On our links page, you will see quite a few other sites with camera equipped nestboxes, and you might find Vickie's interesting - she lists places all over the world where there are webcams, quite a few in the US.

[Geraldine]

Hi Stacey,
Just found this very interesting thread. I don't put bird food or bird houses in my back garden because of all the cats that are about. We have a big bay tree which birds nest in, and I spend so much time once the birds start learning to fly, rescuing the fledgelings from cat attacks. Even keep an unplanted hanging basket on the back wall that can be converted quickly into a temporary nest to pop a baby bird in away from cats. What advise can people give me on this, as I hate the stress of it, but not as much as the baby birds do! Please don't give any advise involving unkindness to cats, as I love them too, and they are only being cats.
I limit my attempts to attract birds to my front garden, where there are hardly ever any cat visitors.
I've raised this point because years ago I spent lots of time encouraging birds to my back garden, and had to watch as they nested and all the babies (bluetits) were killed. It was horrible.

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Geraldine - do you have cats of your own, or are these neighbour's cats? I know some people find these electronic cat scarers very useful, but we found it didn't bother a visiting siamese in our garden at all.

[Stacey]

Well - the birds came at 8:30 yesterday morning. It's 9:00 and still none yet! here birdee birdee birdee!

When I came downstairs my cat was sitting in front of the windows, tail twitching. Maybe they came earlly this morning and he scared them away. Little fart.

So I have an idea - I can cover the bottom sections of the windows, so the birds can't see the cat and the cat can't see the birds. Any suggestions on how to do it aesthetically?

I was thinking maybe rice paper, or some of that spray stuff that looks like frost (but I wouldn't want to do that until winter).

Elizabeth I've really been enjoying your links!

[Stacey]

OK - I think I fixed the cat in the window problem.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid83/p808bd320a2e9d24737b8cd46db6b854f/fad8f17d.jpg
window before

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid83/pf20428f305184baad0f27910007b9532/fad8f178.jpg
window after

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Stacey - the second picture was VERY tiny, but I removed the .thumb.jpg from the end of the URL, and was able to see what you had done. Might cat attempt to tear it down?

[Stacey]

I wonder why it was so tiny? Hmmm.

I think the cat might try something like that - but we'll see! If he does I'll have to come up with something else.

I'll go try to make the image bigger now. Thanks for responding!

[Geraldine]

Hi Stacy,
Great idea. Also the cat will probably give up on that window if he can't see out. Hope your birds have arrived by now.
Hi Elizabeth,
No I haven't got cats, they give me asthma, but I love them. The neighbours have lots. I'll investigate the electronic scarer. Thanks.

[pduxon]

did the birds turn up today?

and for the benefit of Auntie Elizabeth, I'm making a cuppa.

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Originally posted by pduxon


and for the benefit of Auntie Elizabeth, I'm making a cuppa.

I'll never speak to you again if you call me Auntie - not even my nephews and nieces call me that, nor their children. If you can't stick with plain "Elizabeth" - you may call me madam!!! ;) ;)

[Stacey]

Today I'm at work, and I had to leave at 5:30 am so I don't know if we had any birds. But yesterday all I had was the same blue jay coming back over and over again. It wasn't very blue, though - it was more grey. Maybe it was a female?

Anyways - hopefully I'll be able to see some birds tomorrow before I leave for work (don't leave until 9:30 tomorrow!). I'll be keeping my fingers crossed!

How about you all? Have you had lots of them? Tell me all about how many birds you've had so at least I'll have birds by proxy!

Stacey

[Stacey]

Well everybody - I know you're all poised on the edge of your seats, in suspense. Do I have birds yet today??

But first - a question. I have black oil sunflower seeds that I bought last year and kept in lidded plastic containers. They look and smell fine, but are they? Will the birds eat them?

And now the answer to the question which I know you've all been waiting for. Drumroll, please . . . . . . . . no birds at my feeders.

On the other hand, I do have lots of little juncos all over the ground. But it's hard for me to see the birds on the ground because of the stuff I put up on the windows! I guess you can't have the best of both worlds. I don't know what the little guys are eating - they're not around my feeders eating spilled seed, they're hopping around my patio and sidewalk. Maybe they're eating sand or gravel.

I'll be waiting for 20 more minutes, then I have to go to work (it's 9:05 am). Talk to you later!

[Susan C]

Stacey - I just found this website, it may have some good information for you as well.
Check out:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/index.html

From another new birder!
- Susan

[Mike D]

Hi Stacey,
You have just begun the journey of a lifetime! I first took an interest in birds over 40 years ago and it has brought me so much pleasure down the years.
Whatever you do with regard to the bath/drinker do not be tempted to add anything to it to stop it freezing, unless you intend taking up taxidermy!
Birds prefer to have a morning wash and brush up, so you should get out before dawn and chip out the ice, replacing it with tepid clean water. Also, just as the light starts to fade they need a cup of bedtime drink! As for the position of the feeders, can't say I know your little chickadee, but the photo looks a lot like our titmice, and they will find food anywhere. Just be patient.
I wish you many hours of happy surfing on the Forums pages. You will find as I have that there are a lot of clever and helpful folk out there. No question is ever put to ridicule and there are no prima donnas. So ask away!

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Originally posted by Mike D
Hi Stacey,

Birds prefer to have a morning wash and brush up, so you should get out before dawn and chip out the ice, replacing it with tepid clean water.

Mike - I thought I was pretty soft about my birds - but "BEFORE DAWN"!!!! Of course dawn can be pretty late in some places, at this time of year, but.................................

[Stacey]

Thank you for the link, Susan. I'll try it out as soon as I finish typing this message.

Mike! heheheheh Me up before dawn!!!!! heheheheheh I think I'd rather have the yard wired for electricity and just put in a pond heater. But you did emphasize the importance of the bird bath very well. Now I know why they call them "bird brains" though - getting wet in subzero weather.

I'm sitting here in front of the windows again waiting for the birds. Keep your fingers crossed!!!!

[Stacey]

Grrrrrrr. Not one single bird today! Not a single one! Yesterday I put some of those old black oil sunflower seeds in with the seed mix whiach came with the feeders.

I'm going to dump it all out and put in fresh BOSS. But why aren't they coming to my suet?

Well - winter's on the way.

[Stacey]

OK. Yesterday I bought a new 50-lb bag of BOSS, replaced all the seed in my feeders, and I'm "patiently" waiting in front of the windows again.

So - I wrote a little song and I can sing it to the tune of "Four and Twent Blackbirds" while I sit and watch for birdies.

My feeders sit alone now
no birds before my eyes.
I offer the best seed in town
Where are the little guys?

While the leaves are falling,
the birds prefer the weeds
but someday soon the snow will come
and birds will eat my seeds!

hehehehehehehhehehe I crack myself up.

[birdman]

Nice One!
:t:

[pduxon]

Originally posted by Stacey
My feeders sit alone now
no birds before my eyes.
I offer the best seed in town
Where are the little guys?

While the leaves are falling,
the birds prefer the weeds
but someday soon the snow will come
and birds will eat my seeds!

hehehehehehehhehehe I crack myself up.

I like that. The back garden feeder here doesn't get touched much, but the little devils ransack the ones at the front. They seem to have a peanut fetish at the moment.

[Stacey]

thankyou thankyouverymuch

going to get the peanuts!

[pduxon]

Just how much are you spending on bird food at the mo!!

Mine like the peanuts that are in special peanut feeder. Oh and you need specialist bird peanuts, not sure what the difference is.

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Originally posted by pduxon
Just how much are you spending on bird food at the mo!!

Mine like the peanuts that are in special peanut feeder. Oh and you need specialist bird peanuts, not sure what the difference is.

Is is recommended that people only buy peanuts guaranteed "Safe Nuts", ie tested for nil aflotoxin contamination. Naturally these cost more - and I can only get them by mail order (I choose the 25kg sack, which lasts for ages). Aflotoxins can kill birds apparently (check on RSPB site for more info).

[Tammie]

Hi Stacey, hope you don't mind my jumping in here. I don't know if this will make you feel better or not but here goes. I had tons of birds at my feeders last week.... this week, I can pretty much count them on one hand! Once the snow flies, it will be a totally different story. You'll probably have all kinds then! I don't know about your area, but we had a dusting of snow this morning so it's not that far off. Have faith!! You built it.... they will come!! ;)

[pduxon]

Originally posted by Elizabeth Bigg
Is is recommended that people only buy peanuts guaranteed "Safe Nuts", ie tested for nil aflotoxin contamination. Naturally these cost more - and I can only get them by mail order (I choose the 25kg sack, which lasts for ages). Aflotoxins can kill birds apparently (check on RSPB site for more info).

Some branches of Tesco and Sainsbury's do them. Not that that helps Stacey!!

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Originally posted by pduxon
Some branches of Tesco and Sainsbury's do them. Not that that helps Stacey!!

We don't have a Tesco near here, but I was in Sainsbury's a couple of hours ago. Must compare costs - but I bought 25 kg only a month or so ago. They don't go as quickly as the black sunflower seeds.

[joser]

Hi stacey. Thought Id just mention, though your poem was brill!! I find that too that the birds will be queing at my feeders one day and the next my feeders lie dormant. Dont lose your enthusiasm though, the birds will eventually get it!

[Stacey]

Chickadees!!!!!!!!!!!!! Three of them!!!

Thanks for the reassurance Tammie! Snow shouldn't be long here either. I'm in the Upper Penninsula. Ooooo - 3 more chickadees! We had snow either last week or the week before, but of course it melted immediately.

Another Chickadee.

pduxon, I'm not really going to get peanuts. My husband would kill me if I got more bird food right now. But so far I've only spent $10 for a 50-lb bag of black oil sunflower seeds. Plus the seed that came with my feeders. Another Chickadee.

Another one. Another one! Ooooo - you know, I think they liked my song. That must have been it. Another one.

OK - time for another song - again to the tune of "Four and twenty blackbirds".

I have chickadeee heees
I have chickadees
I have chickadeee heees
I have chickadees

I have chickadeee hees
I have chickadees
I I I I I I I have chi ii iii ckadees!

[Stacey]

Thanks for the compliment, Joser4! I think the new one is even better though (heheheheheheh)

[joser]

Yeah! Most deffinately!! Just pure genius!!

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Originally posted by Stacey
Chickadees!!!!!!!!!!!!! Three of them!!!

............pduxon, I'm not really going to get peanuts. My husband would kill me if I got more bird food right now. But so far I've only spent $10 for a 50-lb bag of black oil sunflower seeds. Plus the seed that came with my feeders. .......................



Stacey - that's incredibly cheap by our standards. I've just bought 12½ kg (approx 27.56lb) for £11 at my local pet shop, therfore no carriage charge.

If I bought the equivalent of 50lb at your rate, it would have cost £19.95 - equivalent to 34.47$. More than 3 times as much!!!!!!!!!

Of course you bought a larger quantity, but it would only have made a small difference.

PS How about putting a year's supply of bird food on your Christmas list?

[Stacey]

Elizabeth - the feed store was having a sale. But even when it's not on sale, the bird seed is probably only about $15-20 for 50 lbs. Don't you have sunflower farms in England?

I wonder if the cost of living is higher in England?

The chickadees are still coming! They're just so cute.

Good idea - I think a year's supply of bird food would be a great Christmas gift!

[Tammie]

Wow, I thought seed here was expensive! Stacey, you've got me beat! $20 American is pretty much equal to $40 Canadian (what you're paying) but I pay about $21 to $30 CDN for a fifty pound bag of seed.
Jeez, I feel better now! ;) Congratulations on the chickadees! Aren't they wonderful little birds? Here's hoping all their friends are on their way to your place too!!
Good songs too..... I think you missed your calling in life! ;)

[TimF]

Hi all

Buying in Bulk (25 kilo sacks) from seed merchants is a real money saver.

I get mixed wild bird seed for £7.40 + vat for 25kg sacks.

House Sparrows
Blue, Coal and Great Tit
Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Chaffinch
Robin and Collared Dove

All seem to love it and feed in turn (except the boisterous sparrows!) all day every day.

Cheers

[Stacey]

Just thought I'd update everybody on the progress of the bird feeding. I'm still getting a few chickadees, and Saturday I saw another bird that wasn't a chickadee or a bluejay at my feeder. I still don't know what it was because it was hanging upside down from the other side of the feeder and all I saw was it's head peaking out from the bottom. It had a long, skinny beek and it's throat was white or light grey. I also saw another bird on my vine - which I'm going to look up right now.

But I've only used up a total of about 1-2 cups of food, in all 3 feeders. They'd better start eating! I have 50 lbs of BOSS to get rid of !

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Originally posted by Stacey
Elizabeth - the feed store was having a sale. But even when it's not on sale, the bird seed is probably only about $15-20 for 50 lbs. Don't you have sunflower farms in England?

I wonder if the cost of living is higher in England?

The chickadees are still coming! They're just so cute.

Good idea - I think a year's supply of bird food would be a great Christmas gift!

Stacey - there is an ad in our RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) magazine for "home grown" sunflower seeds, but I've never seen a sunflower farm myself. I bought a sack a few days ago as I mentioned (sorry I did not answer right away), but I've just been to check it - no mention of where they came from, but I have emailed the supplier, and hope to find out. Incidentaly, it was not a 12½kg sack, but a 15kg - so not quite so expensive as I thought - my price comparisons will be all wrong!!

[pduxon]

Originally posted by Stacey
Just thought I'd update everybody on the progress of the bird feeding. I'm still getting a few chickadees

I was wondering how you were getting on, blue jays looks ever so cute. What chickadee are you getting?!

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Originally posted by Elizabeth Bigg
Stacey - there is an ad in our RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) magazine for "home grown" sunflower seeds, but I've never seen a sunflower farm myself. I bought a sack a few days ago as I mentioned (sorry I did not answer right away), but I've just been to check it - no mention of where they came from, but I have emailed the supplier, and hope to find out. Incidentaly, it was not a 12½kg sack, but a 15kg - so not quite so expensive as I thought - my price comparisons will be all wrong!!

Stacey - I have already received an answer from my black sunflower seed supplier:


Our Black Sunflower Seeds come from France. We would love to
source English product but a) their outer skins are thicker b) total
production in this country is insufficient to meet demand c) Price, it
seems crazy but it is cheaper to import than buy home grown!


I was delighted with such a speedy response, and I hope this will answer your question.

[IanF]

Even up here we have several farms with sunflowers growing. We tend to buy in bulk too, through a local seed merchant, though we find the birds much prefer sunflower hearts to anything else. It certainly does away with any messy husks or sprouting weeds. Ours originate in North Dakota USA and cost £26.00 for 25kgs.

[Susan C]

Hi Stacey - I bought a 50lb bag of black oil sunflower seeds at the local farmer's co-op store for $12.00 CDN. It should last me about a month at least at the rate I'm going. I think that's pretty good, although I haven't comparison shopped yet.

[christineredgate]

Stacey,welcome to BF.Your little birds must think they have died and gone to heaven,absolute luxury, bless them.
Before we moved to a house without a proper garden I was an avid bird feeder,and I used to put floating balls in the large bird baths to stop them from freezing over,as sometimes the ice would be too thick for a kettle de frost job..
I can see you are going to have many happy hours watching your birds.
K.C.I do love your Chicadee.Would you say it was perhaps a cousin to our Coal tit.
Christine.

[Stacey]

Susan - $12.00 Canadian is like $6.00 American, isn't it??? Wow are your seeds cheap!

Pduxon - we get black-capped chickadees. Do you have bluejays in England? I'd rather not have them - they're terribly mean and they scare all the little birds from the feeders.

You know - I thought the climate in England was pretty much the same as here. Maybe not? Just wondering why the sunflowers aren't grown as much there. Do you have sunflowers in your gardens?

[pduxon]

Originally posted by Stacey
Pduxon - we get black-capped chickadees. Do you have bluejays in England? I'd rather not have them - they're terribly mean and they scare all the little birds from the feeders.


Bluejays aren't found over here. Your little Chickadees are like the Tits we get over here. If you've seen Elizabeth's site then you'll have seen the little Blue Tits.

[Stacey]

We don't have titmice all the way up here, but they do have them just a few hundred miles further South.

I identified a new bird at my feeder today! I was very happy. It was a white-breasted nuthatch.

Now I'm trying to figure out what another bird was, but I can't find it in my Michigan field guide. It wasn't feeding at my feeder - it was up on the telephone wire. There were 2 of them, actually. It looked like a brown thrasher, but had a shorter tail. Same bill and coloring and markings. Any ideas?

[Stacey]

Well - it's nice and cold today and we have lots and lots of little birds! They've been feeding all day, not just during the morning. Poor little guys out there in the cold. That must be terribly uncomfortable for them.

[Jayanem]

Hi,
We've been feeding goldfinches for years here in our backyard (Long Island, NY). This year... NO GOLDFINCHES!! What's going on? Anyone??