Flickers (1 Viewer)

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BlueJaybob

Well-known member

• Mar 15, 2005

• #1

In Colorado here there alot of flickers that come by each day to eat the suet. I whould like to build a nesting box for them but dont realy know how to make one. I am not sure what kind of flickers they are but I think they are red-shafted flickers but not positive. Well i guess my qustions are:


1. Any idea what kind of flickers they are?

2. How do i build a nesting box for them

3. What plants/food should i provide to attract them.

4. And do flickers even breed here

Thanks

 

Katy Penland

Well-known member

• Mar 15, 2005

• #2

1. You could get both red- and yellow-shafted depending on where you are in CO.

2. Can't help you there. Have you tried Google?

3. 40% of flickers' diet is ants. The rest are other ground- and tree-dwelling bugs, seeds but especially unshelled, roasted (but not salted) peanuts, and suet when provided. Our red-shafteds love crunchy peanut butter smeared on the bark of trees as a treat.

4. They may. I'm in northeast Arizona, and we have at least one breeding pair of red-shafted each year and I'm sure this is the case in CO as well. Most flickers, though, breed farther north during the summer.

I would urge you to invest in a good field guide, such as the Sibley Guide to Birds -- the big book -- or both the Eastern and Western versions that are both smaller. The "big book" combines both Eastern and Western North American species. In CO, again depending on where you are, you can get birds from both regions.

 

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BlueJaybob

Well-known member

• Mar 15, 2005

• #3

I have tried google and i did not find anthing. So about there diet I have some freazed crickets and some raw peanuts that i feed the jays but the jays are gone for this time of the year, could i feed them this on my deck???

Thanks

 

Andrew Rowlands

Well-known member

• Mar 15, 2005

• #4

BlueJaybob said:

2. How do i build a nesting box for them

Click to expand...

Another "Welcome to Birdforum"!

Try >THIS LINK< Bob.

Andy.

 

Katy Penland

Well-known member

• Mar 15, 2005

• #5

BlueJaybob said:

I have tried google and i did not find anthing. So about there diet I have some freazed crickets and some raw peanuts that i feed the jays but the jays are gone for this time of the year, could i feed them this on my deck???
Thanks

Click to expand...

Which jays are gone? Both the Steller's and Western Scrubs are year-round residents in Colorado. Also, a strong word of caution about feeding raw peanuts to any birds: They can contain a fungus that produces a toxin highly dangerous to birds. Always use roasted (but unsalted) peanuts. Sorry, I don't know anything about frozen crickets, but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to try offering some.

 

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BlueJaybob

Well-known member

• Mar 15, 2005

• #6

flickers

I have only seen blue jays in Colorado and some gray jays up in the mountains but no scrub jays at all. I meant that i have roasted peanuts that arent salted. So i guess i will feed the flickers peanuts thanks. Oh and the crickets.

Thanks

 

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Lady19thC

Well-known member

• Mar 15, 2005

• #7

Feed them suet! They love suet, when they can't find bugs, but if insects are available, you pretty much can't compete with that!

 

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BlueJaybob

Well-known member

• Mar 16, 2005

• #8

I do feed them suet. I am going to make a box for them and i did find intructions on how to make one. I whould like to have a camera to watch them and i want to keep the prices low, any ideas???

 

Last edited: Mar 16, 2005

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BlueJaybob

Well-known member

• Mar 18, 2005

• #9

I havent seen the flickers in a while exept two of them that come bye every day or so. were could they have gone???

 

greenbill

Member

• Mar 18, 2005

• #10

BlueJaybob said:

I havent seen the flickers in a while exept two of them that come bye every day or so. were could they have gone???

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Here in south-central PA, I haven't seen a flicker in over ten years (not that I've really been looking that hard). But, when I was younger and lived with my parents, we used to have flickers around our feeders and around our house all of the time. I'd always find flicker feathers laying around on the ground. I built a flicker house and mounted it at my parents house this winter. Hopefully, they will re-populate the area!