GoldFinch2689
Member
Can anyone give me any tips on attracting these big woodpeckers to my feeders? Thanks in advance.
Good Birding,
Chris
Good Birding,
Chris
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Attracting Red-bellied woodpeckers? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter GoldFinch2689
- Start date
mkdon
Well-known member
I live in south central PA with a deciduous forest behind my house. Habitat is crucial. If you have the required trees with some dead or dying trees mixed in you are off to a good start. Suet would be the next step. This year I got it at the grocery store (real fat from the butcher) and they went for that. However, it can't be used in the warmer weather. Then switch to the store bought kind. I also have a peanut feeder that they frequent. I have almost never seen them at the sunflower seed feeder. I say go for the peanut feeder and the suet. I am told that they will go to oranges in spring and summer, but I have never seen it. Good luck.
Doug Lloyd
Well-known member
Chris try a mixture of lard and crunchy peanutbutter, cornmeal,flour and sugar.
Melt 1 pound of lard on very low heat, Add 2 cups of peanutbutter and blend into the lard and add a cup or so of cornmeal to thicken, add about a half cup of flower and a big tablespoon of sugar. Mix it throughly. Should be a bit thicker than cake dough. If to thin just add a tad more cornmeal or flower. In winter I also add black oilers. Allow to cool and I store mine in a coffee can in the fridge. Once cold its consistency should be about like putty.
Now what the heck do ya do with it.
I have what I call my magic tree and my magic log.
My magic tree is about a 12 foot section of a dead spruce tree about 4 inches thick that I left a few limbs on and drilled 1 1/2 inch holes about an inch and a half deep. I stood the pole up in a 5 gallon bucket and surrounded the pole with rocks. Fill the holes with the mixture. Make sure some of the holes are close to the limbs so perching birds can also get to it. If starlings or grackles get to be a problem just don't fill the holes at the perches. The magic log is another 10 foot piece of dead spruce that I used the chain saw to cut a groove an inch wide and deep down the length about 3 feet. I use black oilers to fill part of the groove and the rest is the mixture. This one could be placed at ground level or as I have done suspended a few feet off the ground. Darn Cats. Once your wood peckers find these trees they will keep you buisy filling the holes.
Hope this Helps
If this doesnt make sense let me know and I will send you pictures
Doug
Melt 1 pound of lard on very low heat, Add 2 cups of peanutbutter and blend into the lard and add a cup or so of cornmeal to thicken, add about a half cup of flower and a big tablespoon of sugar. Mix it throughly. Should be a bit thicker than cake dough. If to thin just add a tad more cornmeal or flower. In winter I also add black oilers. Allow to cool and I store mine in a coffee can in the fridge. Once cold its consistency should be about like putty.
Now what the heck do ya do with it.
I have what I call my magic tree and my magic log.
My magic tree is about a 12 foot section of a dead spruce tree about 4 inches thick that I left a few limbs on and drilled 1 1/2 inch holes about an inch and a half deep. I stood the pole up in a 5 gallon bucket and surrounded the pole with rocks. Fill the holes with the mixture. Make sure some of the holes are close to the limbs so perching birds can also get to it. If starlings or grackles get to be a problem just don't fill the holes at the perches. The magic log is another 10 foot piece of dead spruce that I used the chain saw to cut a groove an inch wide and deep down the length about 3 feet. I use black oilers to fill part of the groove and the rest is the mixture. This one could be placed at ground level or as I have done suspended a few feet off the ground. Darn Cats. Once your wood peckers find these trees they will keep you buisy filling the holes.
Hope this Helps
If this doesnt make sense let me know and I will send you pictures
Doug
GoldFinch2689
Member
Doug,
I kinda get what you are saying but if you wouldn't mind sending me some pictures that would be great!! Thanks for all your help. Take care.
Good Birding,
Chris
I kinda get what you are saying but if you wouldn't mind sending me some pictures that would be great!! Thanks for all your help. Take care.
Good Birding,
Chris
SunnyJon
Member
As you see in my avatar I get Downy woodpeckers at my sunflower seed feeder! I've never seen a red bellied one here. As to the lard thing it may work but be careful because fat goes rancid and can harm the birds-unprocessed suet is a better food source but if you have that many takers it could get expensive!! Doug- try adding rolled oats to themixture too! In the winter time I hang a deer ribcage up & am always amazed at how soon the whole thing is demolished ! I get them from hunters I know cuz they just throw it away anyway!!
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