For anyone considering setting up bird feeders on their balcony, please read this warning.
About a month ago I became interested in setting up some bird feeders on my apartment balcony. I live on the third floor, have a 30 foot balcony with two mature sycamore trees about 30 feet away. The branches come within 10 feet of the balcony. There's no road or sidewalk as I'm on the back side of the building. It seemed perfect.
It turned out to be too perfect. For the first two weeks, birds visited sporatically and it took 10 days for them to empty the first feeder I put up (a Droll Yankees Squirrel Buster with Cardinal Ring loaded with sunflower chips). At the end of the second week I added a suet feeder and a little window tray so I could see some of them up close. At the end of the third week I added a Droll Yankees Squirrel Buster finch feeder. The feeders were now being emptied in 3 days on average.
In the past week my balcony has become overwhelmed with birds and squirrels. Just yesterday I had 8 morning doves, 2 squirrels (eating scraps), and about 20 or 30 other birds (finches, juncos, sparrows, cardinals, chickadees, starlings, titmice, nut hatches, and a woodpecker) all squabbling for a turn at the feeders. The balcony is covered with poop and there are thistle hulls, bits of peanuts and sunflower seeds all over the place.
I looked at my neighbors balconies and got very concerned. The birds are making a mess everywhere. So unfortunately, I have decided to shut this down before it gets out of control. I doubt my neighbors will appreciate the mess if they use their balconies (right now none are).
It was fun when it first got started but I think an apartment balcony is not a good place for a bird feeder, even if it hangs over the side. Birds will perch on anything close by while waiting their turn and the mess grows very rapidly.
About a month ago I became interested in setting up some bird feeders on my apartment balcony. I live on the third floor, have a 30 foot balcony with two mature sycamore trees about 30 feet away. The branches come within 10 feet of the balcony. There's no road or sidewalk as I'm on the back side of the building. It seemed perfect.
It turned out to be too perfect. For the first two weeks, birds visited sporatically and it took 10 days for them to empty the first feeder I put up (a Droll Yankees Squirrel Buster with Cardinal Ring loaded with sunflower chips). At the end of the second week I added a suet feeder and a little window tray so I could see some of them up close. At the end of the third week I added a Droll Yankees Squirrel Buster finch feeder. The feeders were now being emptied in 3 days on average.
In the past week my balcony has become overwhelmed with birds and squirrels. Just yesterday I had 8 morning doves, 2 squirrels (eating scraps), and about 20 or 30 other birds (finches, juncos, sparrows, cardinals, chickadees, starlings, titmice, nut hatches, and a woodpecker) all squabbling for a turn at the feeders. The balcony is covered with poop and there are thistle hulls, bits of peanuts and sunflower seeds all over the place.
I looked at my neighbors balconies and got very concerned. The birds are making a mess everywhere. So unfortunately, I have decided to shut this down before it gets out of control. I doubt my neighbors will appreciate the mess if they use their balconies (right now none are).
It was fun when it first got started but I think an apartment balcony is not a good place for a bird feeder, even if it hangs over the side. Birds will perch on anything close by while waiting their turn and the mess grows very rapidly.