First feeder - too much sun? (1 Viewer)

I just got a seed feeder on a post but a problem in my backyard is that there is almost no shade during the day. I'm in the deep southern US and it has been very hot this summer. Is it a problem to have the feeder in direct sunlight? I'm sure it will get quit hot during the day but will that bother the birds? What about a bird bath? We have a small one by our back door but the birds never use it. I was thinking of putting it out in the yard but it would get quite hot as well.

Thanks,

Bruce

Bruce, do you have any shrubs in the garden? My birdbath is close to shrubs, and it's busy all the time. Having said that, I don't have a cat problem.

I suspect the birdbath is situated too close to human movement for the birds. Place the birdbath away from your backdoor.

Provide a parasol for the birds...

As for the seed feeder, I'll wait for someone else to answer, but will suggest that you don't put out a hummer feeder. These really need to be in the shade down south.

helenol said:

Bruce, do you have any shrubs in the garden? My birdbath is close to shrubs, and it's busy all the time. Having said that, I don't have a cat problem.

I suspect the birdbath is situated too close to human movement for the birds. Place the birdbath away from your backdoor.

Provide a parasol for the birds...

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No shrubs, no trees, nada. It's great for our vegetable garden but I may have to do something on the other side of the yard to create some shade. I moved the bath out there so I'll see what happens. The weather should start to cool off soon anyway B

Bruce

Bruce B said:

No shrubs, no trees, nada. It's great for our vegetable garden but I may have to do something on the other side of the yard to create some shade. I moved the bath out there so I'll see what happens. The weather should start to cool off soon anyway B

Bruce

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You could always go and buy one of those huge artificial plants/trees and stick it in your garden - with the feeder hanging from one of the plastic or whatever they are made of branches

Dave B Smith said:

As for the seed feeder, I'll wait for someone else to answer, but will suggest that you don't put out a hummer feeder. These really need to be in the shade down south.

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We actually have a hummer feeder but it's close to the house and gets some shade. I'm planning to hang some more soon but I'll keep them on the carport. We won't be able to watch them from inside the house but we do like to sit outside a lot (when it's not "feels like 105f" weather).

Cheers,

Bruce

helenol said:

You could always go and buy one of those huge artificial plants/trees and stick it in your garden - with the feeder hanging from one of the plastic or whatever they are made of branches

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I think I'll put a real tree or some shrubbery over there. Maybe I'll create a miniature bird sanctuary in one corner. I have the feeder and the bath out in the sun for now so I'll see if anything happens. I guess the birds would mostly feed in the morning and late afternoons, so maybe the feeder won't be too hot. I just hope the seeds don't get cooked too much. I filled it with black oil sunflower seeds for now. I don't know if I should have gone for a mix though. I'm going to put so more feeders out soon anyway.

Bruce

I don't know that the heat alone would harm the seeds as long as they're being consumed fairly quickly -- so the oils in them don't go rancid or any moisture that gets trapped doesn't cause mold. I'd be a little more worried about how hot the perches get where the birds' feet would go, especially if the feeder is made of metal. But maybe I worry too much?

Black-oil sunflower seeds in the shell are a good basic seed to offer (although the sunflower hearts are popular, too), as is a "wild bird mix" that will appeal to the larger-beaked as well as the smaller finch-type birds. Lots of smaller birds like niger seed as well. I'm sure you'll find your birds will have preferences, as mine did, and you'll be changing your feed accordingly. We are slaves to our feathered friends!

I'll second Dave's caution about hummer feeders and heat. Bacteria builds up in them really quickly. I take mine down and thoroughly clean and sterilize them once a week, in addition to cleaning them every time I have to refill (which is once a day), and we're only getting temps into the 80s this summer. You might have to sterilize yours every day with the scorching days you're having. Yowza, 105?! Where's my fan...?

Helen's suggestion of moving the bath away from the door and hopefully near shrubbery is right on. Birds like to perch and preen after a good bath, so anything that provides them some cover afterward is great. However, like the hummingbird feeders, your birdbath can get full of bacteria really quickly in temps like that unless you have water constantly running through it or you can exchange the water in it throughout the day.

It sounds like you're really having fun turning your yard into a mini-oasis for the birds, which they'll love! Are you keeping a yard list yet? What species have you seen so far?

Katy Penland said:

Yowza, 105?! Where's my fan...?

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And that's not a "dry heat" either We've been getting highs in the mid 90's but the "feels like" temp is often around 105.

I have pretty much got the okay from my wife to plant some trees or shrubs or something so that should help.

I'm not into listing yet but I can recognize some birds. We get a lot of Northern Mockingbirds around here. In fact, the last few years we've had some babies in our yard. My wife knew that we should just leave them alone so I took some good pictures of them and let them be. We also have a lot of mourning doves in the area and plenty of blackbirds. I saw a woodpecker a day or so ago and there are some others around but I haven't learned them all yet. My Sibleys guide should be here in a few days though.

Thanks for the tips. I'll keep the bath fresh and whatnot and plan a little bird garden for that part of the yard.

Bruce

Let us know how you get on Bruce.

Regards

I'm not sure if I put these in the right place but here are some photos of one of last year's baby mockingbirds.

http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=12946

Whoa, just fledged, too, from the looks of it! Very cute photos, Bruce! And as far as I can see, you did fine with their placement in the gallery.

Oh, meant to say that when I'd asked you about keeping a list, I just meant a yard list. I'm not a "lister" per se myself, even after several years of birding -- don't have a clue how many "life birds" I've seen or from what countries -- but I do keep a yard log so I'll know how many different species we've had, when, etc. It's been rather an eye-opener insofar as migration is concerned, and has turned up a few unusual birds for our state that I otherwise wouldn't have been aware of. Some of them have ended up being records which, to me, means that the information will be added to the scientific database of knowledge about bird movements in this area. A kind of "side perk" to what is otherwise just a thoroughly enjoyable hobby.

I will have been here in AZ three years on Sept. 13, and to date we've had 103 different species in the yard, which I think is pretty cool considering we're not directly in a flyway, get no waterbirds at all, and are at 7,000 ft.! Hmmmm, maybe it means I'm just spending too much time looking at birds...

I guess a yard log would be a good idea. I am looking forward to seeing what comes through here as winter approaches. I guess it's time to whip up a spreadsheet