PNW Birdpeeps
New member
Hello everyone - This is our first "real" post here, not counting the "Hello My Name Is ____" post in the Hello forum LOL
We have a couple of feeders hung over our backyard from cables, and can pull them back in to our elevated deck on pulleys to refill, clean, etc. We decided to hang 'em high for several reasons - 1) To avoid the mess on our deck and deck railing (lots and lots of seed n bird poo!) 2) To be able to see them from inside the house (vs. than if we had hung them in stakes in the ground in the yard below, or from the various trees in the back yard) and 3) To prevent squirrels/raccoons from raiding the feeders and keeping them from becoming cat-feeding stations!
The cable/pully system works famously, and we love it. Keeps all the mess out in the yard, where ground feeders can benefit from the seed that the Stellar's Jays copiously throw out looking for their favorite bits, and keeps everything at a level that we can watch from almost anywhere in the house or on the deck or in the yard.
The feeders hang about 15' from the ground, and while the main open-style feeder attracts loads of the aforementioned Jays, Black-cap and Chestnut-back Chickadees, Blackheaded and Evening Grosbeaks, several different flavors of Sparrows, Downey/Hairy Woodpeckers, Mountain Thrushes, and the occasional Spotted Towhee, the goldfinch feeder hanging about 6' away gets largely ignored. Last year we let it hang there for a week or two, knowing that it takes a while for the goldies to notice it, and they finally did, 3 of them coming for a few days in a row. They'd land and peck a few seeds out, futz around a while then depart. We never saw them after the first few days they showed up.
What could be wrong? Is it the seed? It's Wagner's Nyjer, pretty good stuff. Maybe the height of the feeder above the ground? As you can see from the pictures, we've loads of natural cover and perching available (there is also a large cherry tree just out of the frame to the right side). Appreciate any insights! Thanks
We have a couple of feeders hung over our backyard from cables, and can pull them back in to our elevated deck on pulleys to refill, clean, etc. We decided to hang 'em high for several reasons - 1) To avoid the mess on our deck and deck railing (lots and lots of seed n bird poo!) 2) To be able to see them from inside the house (vs. than if we had hung them in stakes in the ground in the yard below, or from the various trees in the back yard) and 3) To prevent squirrels/raccoons from raiding the feeders and keeping them from becoming cat-feeding stations!
The cable/pully system works famously, and we love it. Keeps all the mess out in the yard, where ground feeders can benefit from the seed that the Stellar's Jays copiously throw out looking for their favorite bits, and keeps everything at a level that we can watch from almost anywhere in the house or on the deck or in the yard.
The feeders hang about 15' from the ground, and while the main open-style feeder attracts loads of the aforementioned Jays, Black-cap and Chestnut-back Chickadees, Blackheaded and Evening Grosbeaks, several different flavors of Sparrows, Downey/Hairy Woodpeckers, Mountain Thrushes, and the occasional Spotted Towhee, the goldfinch feeder hanging about 6' away gets largely ignored. Last year we let it hang there for a week or two, knowing that it takes a while for the goldies to notice it, and they finally did, 3 of them coming for a few days in a row. They'd land and peck a few seeds out, futz around a while then depart. We never saw them after the first few days they showed up.
What could be wrong? Is it the seed? It's Wagner's Nyjer, pretty good stuff. Maybe the height of the feeder above the ground? As you can see from the pictures, we've loads of natural cover and perching available (there is also a large cherry tree just out of the frame to the right side). Appreciate any insights! Thanks
