How do I get the birds to find a newly placed feeder (1 Viewer)

[Engineeringtech]

I have poor eyesight and only a couple windows which can be used to observe a bird feeder. And as selfish as it may seem, I don't want to feed my bird friends unless I can enjoy seeing them. Three days ago I suspended a tube feeder with small feeding ports from a hook at the ceiling of the covered front porch. While only a few feet from the door, it is high enough that I think birds will feel safe. And the front door is only rarely used. I filled the feeder with Nyjer seed. The seed was stored inside and is dry. I hoped for some Chickadees, but have yet to see any birds of any species at it... What do I do to get the birds to notice the tube feeder?

A couple more questions please... A few months ago, I hung a hopper feeder off a shepherd's hook mounted to my rear deck. There are suet cages on both ends of the hopper feeder. This contraption is within sight of the kitchen window and about 8 feet away. An inverted dome over the feeder keeps most of the seed dry. But some snow and water does occasionally get into the two trays. Although I saw a fair number of titmice, chickadees and cardinals standing on the perches and eating the seed, I haven't seen any on the perches in two weeks. I've seen a couple woodpeckers and a blue jay attack the suet, but never the seed. They are big enough that they have trouble clutching the cages and getting at the suet. How often should I take the feeder down and clean out the snow and wet seed? I know I can't keep the trays perfectly dry. I don't want the birds to get sick, but I am on a limited budget. I can't afford to change the seed every day. And how do I make the suet feeders more friendly to the jays and woodpeckers?

Thank you for your time and suggestions.

 

[PYRTLE]

The species that feed on Niger seed can take some time to investigate and start to feed ; occassionally not at all. And the likely visitors will be shy to start with, flushing at any movement near the windows. There was a suggestion years ago, that the colour yellow on the feeders may attract goldfinches and siskin......not sure if this has ever been proven. Probably better to suspend it from a suitable tree, which also offers them some protection and nearby perches.

You do need to keep the food from spoiling, otherwise there is a real danger of the birds becoming unwell. There are various threads and discussions here on BF regarding routine cleaning and maintenance. A mild homemade cleaning solution will suffice.
Woodpeckers are regularly attracted to suet blocks, cakes and balls but will also enjoy unsalted peanuts and dense peanut butter. The suet feeders are designed for birds to cling to and feed at their leisure.....putting them on a table or open, they will soon disappear by the larger, greedily species - jays, corvids and mammals.

Good luck.

 

[Engineeringtech]

I don't set the suet on a table. The suet cages (one on either end of the bird feeder) offer no perches to the bigger birds. So I find that the bluejays and woodpeckers (which are bigger birds) have to contort their bodies to hold onto the cage and feed. I like the bluejays. The bluejays rarely come and they wait patiently on the porch while smaller birds feed. No kidding... And they get frustrated when they can't hold onto the feeder or the suet holders.

 

[Engineeringtech]

I don't know much about birds and I'm going to ask a dumb question here. I live in central NY state. Gets down into the teens here during the winter. What birds are still resident that will be able to access nyjer seed from one of these tube feeders with the tiny port holes? My tube feeder has been hanging for three weeks and I haven't seen a single visitor. It is partially covered by the roof, and the feeding ports are very small. So I doubt the nyjer seed has gotten wet. But perhaps it has gotten moist from the humidity. This particular feeder is hard to access and open to check. Should I be dumping it out every week and putting in fresh seed even though no birds have come?

 

[PYRTLE]

I don't know much about birds and I'm going to ask a dumb question here. I live in central NY state. Gets down into the teens here during the winter. What birds are still resident that will be able to access nyjer seed from one of these tube feeders with the tiny port holes? My tube feeder has been hanging for three weeks and I haven't seen a single visitor. It is partially covered by the roof, and the feeding ports are very small. So I doubt the nyjer seed has gotten wet. But perhaps it has gotten moist from the humidity. This particular feeder is hard to access and open to check. Should I be dumping it out every week and putting in fresh seed even though no birds have come?

Comparing to the UK, I'm guessing that the species that may come to Niger seed feeders would be American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin and Redpoll...... their thin fine bills and dietary preferences attracting them to this type of feeder. These species are quite shy to start with and flush easily. Chickadees wouldn't use them, preferring sunflower and or peanuts, suet fat blocks / balls.
Your local birdwatching group will be able to advise you on the winter status of these birds whilst you should be able to find a more comprehensive list for your residential state. As mentioned in other threads on BF it can take time for this type of feeder and food to be discovered, if at all.
I would try a well made refillable Safflower / Sunflower tube feeder nearby to bring in other birds and thereby luring in other birds.
If this doesn't work then you may need to consider resting.
Good luck.

Addendum : perhaps also House and Purple Finch too.

 

[KenM]

Comparing to the UK, I'm guessing that the species that may come to Niger seed feeders would be American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin and Redpoll...... their thin fine bills and dietary preferences attracting them to this type of feeder. These species are quite shy to start with and flush easily. Chickadees wouldn't use them, preferring sunflower and or peanuts, suet fat blocks / balls.

FWIW Pat, my Niger feeders are more often used by Coal, Blue and Great Tits than the Goldfinches. 😮

 

[PYRTLE]

FWIW Pat, my Niger feeders are more often used by Coal, Blue and Great Tits than the Goldfinches. 😮

That is interesting Ken, I stand corrected.
Never had them feeding, just exploring so gave up with Niger seed.

 

[KenM]

That is interesting, I stand corrected. Never had them feeding, just exploring.

I should have added, particularly when the Parakeets, Nuthatches or GSW land on the peanut feeder.👍

 

[MikeInPA]

FWIW Pat, my Niger feeders are more often used by Coal, Blue and Great Tits than the Goldfinches. 😮

Erm.... ummmm.....Ken.... the OP lives in New York State......I'm not sure exactly but I don't think they get Coal, Blue and Great Tit's in NY.

 

[KenM]

Erm.... ummmm.....Ken.... the OP lives in New York State......I'm not sure exactly but I don't think they get Coal, Blue and Great Tit's in NY.

No but, they get Chickadees Mike.👍😊

 

[MikeInPA]

I wish we had Long-tailed Tits. I do miss them. 😟

 

[Andy Lakin]

Personally I would scrap the niger feeder for now and use sunflower hearts to get the birds to come in initially. You could reintroduce the niger feeder later or place it near the other feeder. Do people get lots of seedlings with niger seed. In Britain I find the hunches are very fickle regarding coming to feeders when there is plenty of natural food about.

 

[KenM]

I wish we had Long-tailed Tits. I do miss them. 😟

One for you Mike 👍

 

[MikeInPA]

Thanks Ken👍

 

[Engineeringtech]

Thank you all for the advice. Since I haven't seen any birds whatsoever at the tube feeder since I hung it, I decided to take it down. Otherwise I might be tempted to leave the Nyjer in it too long and it will spoil.

Regarding my hopper feeder in the back yard... I haven't seen any finches, titmice or nuthatches in months, and never any of the other species you all mentioned. It attracted some chickadees as recently as two weeks ago, but they have disappeared. The only bird still using the feeder was a downy attracted to the suet cages I mounted on the ends of the feeder. We've had heavy heavy rain / sleet the past two days, and I hadn't cleaned the hopper in a while so I brought it in for a thorough cleaning. Good thing. I'd forgotten I put a couple cups of Nyje in it prior to the addition of black oil sunflower/safflower/cranberry mix. Even though the feeder sits comfortably under a large plastic squirrel baffle, protected from the rain, the Nyjer seed had sucked up a lot of moisture and become a sticky paste at the bottom of the hopper. The other seed looked ok, but I tossed it all for fear that it would sicken the birds. I wiped down the hopper feeder inside and out with isopropyl alcohol. I'm 69 and in poor health. I can't get out in that freezing rain and snow every day. So I think until better weather comes, I'll just hang a wire suet cage with a suet brick. Of course I know it can get rancid too. How often should I check it, and how can I tell if it is time to toss it?