Gugny Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 5 hours ago, T&C said: If it was me I'd be moving those baskets out back somewhere's. I'm an animal lover but there comes a point where there is a line in the sand. Its not like you are killing them... just a simple relocation. Take tennis or badmitton gear when you move them... if you do. I took them down tonight. One nest was empty. That one went into the garbage. The other one had an egg in it, but I think it's an old egg. I left it out, but not hanging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snafu Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 17 hours ago, Gugny said: I've actually got a problem with juncos this year. I mentioned it earlier in the thread, but they've nested in both of my hanging baskets. So I've got two dead hanging baskets hanging in my porch. Sure the neighbors are loving that as they walk by, LOL. But they are MEAN bastards. I can't use my porch. They attack. And now they seem to have nested in the back, where I do my grilling. I haven't been attacked out back, yet - but I'm sure it's just a matter of time. Hang out on your porch wearing this... 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted August 17, 2020 Share Posted August 17, 2020 Got one of these and put it in the feeder. Lubed up the hook so squirrels would stay away. My God, the birds love this stuff. Especially nuthatches and chickadees. I think the nuthatches that were born in the birdhouse came by yesterday. Must have had 6-8 nuthatches after putting this food out. A couple of them went to the house, looked in, but didn't enter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T&C Posted August 17, 2020 Share Posted August 17, 2020 2 hours ago, Gugny said: Got one of these and put it in the feeder. Lubed up the hook so squirrels would stay away. My God, the birds love this stuff. Especially nuthatches and chickadees. I think the nuthatches that were born in the birdhouse came by yesterday. Must have had 6-8 nuthatches after putting this food out. A couple of them went to the house, looked in, but didn't enter. Those are the ones with the hole in the middle? I see those around but it seems like the same stuff the no melt peanut suet's are made of. $3 something as opposed to $1 something kind of adds up after awhile with a large volume of visitors. Good on lubing up the hook... I've been doing that too and they really don't even try anymore. I figure I'm saving $40 a month just for a dollar tree jar of vaseline. I do have an out post for the squirrels though... one of the regular greasy nut suet's in a cage. Keeps them with a snack and keeps them greasy lol. Funny as ***** watching them work that thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irv Posted August 17, 2020 Share Posted August 17, 2020 This guy has been hammering my suet cakes 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punching Bag Posted August 17, 2020 Share Posted August 17, 2020 Beautiful blue jay. It looks like the baby one we found and raised. My wife taught it to hunt by breaking grasshopper legs and having Jay Jay hop on ground to her to get grasshopper. For a couple a months after he was able to fly he would fly around our house and stay at night on desk. He eventually paired off with a female one and when we went on vacation he left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irv Posted August 17, 2020 Share Posted August 17, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, T&C said: Those are the ones with the hole in the middle? I see those around but it seems like the same stuff the no melt peanut suet's are made of. $3 something as opposed to $1 something kind of adds up after awhile with a large volume of visitors. Good on lubing up the hook... I've been doing that too and they really don't even try anymore. I figure I'm saving $40 a month just for a dollar tree jar of vaseline. I do have an out post for the squirrels though... one of the regular greasy nut suet's in a cage. Keeps them with a snack and keeps them greasy lol. Funny as ***** watching them work that thing. I just buy the cheapest ones. Usually buy a whole sleeve that has 12 in it. Try to stay in the $1.50 each range. Three bucks would be a little much for me unless thy last really long. It does not seem to matter what flavor from my experience. Edited August 17, 2020 by Irv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T&C Posted August 17, 2020 Share Posted August 17, 2020 41 minutes ago, Irv said: I just buy the cheapest ones. Usually buy a whole sleeve that has 12 in it. Try to stay in the $1.50 each range. Three bucks would be a little much for me unless thy last really long. It does not seem to matter what flavor from my experience. It depends on where you live I suppose. The non no melt suets down here in Florida are garbage, even in the "winter". The one Gugny bought was for a specific feeder where it slides down over a metal prong in the middle. I did forget to mention I bought a killer sunflower seed feeder... I'll get a pic of it up in a bit. Around 5 buck at walmart. I'm glad I'm done with traditional feeders... the birds are liking my new wave of feeding. Good to see other bird enthusiasts here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgewaycynic2013 Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Although tree rats drive most of us bird feeding types crazy, please consider using a cooking spray on a feeder pole as opposed to petroleum jelly, especially with colder weather coming. Petroleum jelly can get onto the squirrels' fur, and cause them to freeze in winter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irv Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 (edited) This guy has been hitting the suet cake. I think this is a Grackle. Picture came out pretty cool. Almost looks photoshopped. Edited August 19, 2020 by Irv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 On 8/17/2020 at 8:12 PM, Ridgewaycynic2013 said: Although tree rats drive most of us bird feeding types crazy, please consider using a cooking spray on a feeder pole as opposed to petroleum jelly, especially with colder weather coming. Petroleum jelly can get onto the squirrels' fur, and cause them to freeze in winter. Squirrels should dance on their own poles, then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4_kidd_4 Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 Big ol’ Blue Heron out by the retention pond at my office today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 1 hour ago, Irv said: This guy has been hitting the suet cake. I think this is a Grackle. Picture came out pretty cool. Almost looks photoshopped. You probably mentioned it earlier but I missed it. What kind of setup do you have to take these pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greybeard Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 1 hour ago, Irv said: This guy has been hitting the suet cake. I think this is a Grackle. Picture came out pretty cool. Almost looks photoshopped. What did you use for the pic and how close were you? The Grackles in my area are much darker and have an iridescent blue on them. Very nice pic. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T&C Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 1 hour ago, Greybeard said: What did you use for the pic and how close were you? The Grackles in my area are much darker and have an iridescent blue on them. Very nice pic. Same here on the color, and they seem to always come around in a pack of 10-12 or so. Beautiful birds when the sun is shining. And yeah, that is a nice pic for sure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irv Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 2 hours ago, shrader said: You probably mentioned it earlier but I missed it. What kind of setup do you have to take these pictures? Nothing complicated. This is my kitchen window. As you can see the suet cake it hanging outside the window from my gutter. If I see a bird I like out there, I walk up to the window and the bird usually flies away. I then set my iPhone 7 on the top part of the frame of the bottom window and zoom in on the suet cake. I then stand to the side and wait for the bird to come back. When the bird comes back I can usually snap off 5-6 pics until he figures out I am standing to the side. The distance between the suet holder and where my camera sits is only 11". It looks closer with the zoom. And before you ask - yes I am working from home and I do need to get a life. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irv Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 This guy was feasting today. Looks like a woodpecker. Not too sure what kind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irv Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 This guy showed up two minutes later. Yes. I still need to get a life. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US Egg Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 The heron that hangs out in the creek behind my house is a carnivore. Two days ago it ventured up into my yard, snared a rabbit then stabbed it to death. It was patrolling this morning again in the yard. Never did I think they were so aggressive. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T&C Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 16 minutes ago, Irv said: This guy was feasting today. Looks like a woodpecker. Not too sure what kind. Doesn't strike me as a woodpecker... but it could be. The only ones I have around here are the red head and pileated. 7 minutes ago, Irv said: This guy showed up two minutes later. Yes. I still need to get a life. Its all good... birds are relaxing to watch. That's a beauty there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irv Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 On 8/17/2020 at 3:37 PM, Limeaid said: Beautiful blue jay. It looks like the baby one we found and raised. My wife taught it to hunt by breaking grasshopper legs and having Jay Jay hop on ground to her to get grasshopper. For a couple a months after he was able to fly he would fly around our house and stay at night on desk. He eventually paired off with a female one and when we went on vacation he left. You’re cool on this thread but viscous on all others. I don’t get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoTier Posted August 25, 2020 Author Share Posted August 25, 2020 On 8/21/2020 at 1:41 PM, Irv said: This guy was feasting today. Looks like a woodpecker. Not too sure what kind. I venture that he's an immature starling. If his head was noticeably brown, then he might be a cowbird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 On 8/21/2020 at 1:52 PM, Irv said: This guy showed up two minutes later. Yes. I still need to get a life. That picture makes it look like you lured that one in with a steak. If you keep doing that I'll show up outside your window. These pictures are making me very seriously consider putting a feeder outside my home office window. A couple neighbors are drawing a ton of hummingbirds so that may be a good option. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoTier Posted August 25, 2020 Author Share Posted August 25, 2020 This summer gardening and backyard bird watching have been my main activities. My covered back porch overlooks the brick patio which is surrounded by flower beds on four sides, all of which contain at least some flowers that attract birds and various pollinators. There's a choke cherry tree along the south side of the yard that provides some shade, lots of fruit in season, and overhangs my garden pond which sits in the long flower bed that runs the entire length of the yard. The pond has a waterfall and I have two bird baths. I hang three bird feeders in the summer, two with sunflower seeds and one with peanuts for the bluejays. I can sit for hours watching the birds -- and butterflies -- like I'm doing now. Some birds I only see when the right flowers are in bloom. The hummers come when the scarlet bee balm, hostas, honeysuckle and trumpet vine bloom. I've never had much luck attracting goldfinches even with niger seed except during spring migration when they feast on sunflower seed for a few days than move on. They do return, however, when my sunflower plants' heads mature. They prefer their sunflower seed "au naturel" apparently. When the choke cherry fruits are ripe, I'll see a dozen or so birds of various sizes and species in it, including some unusual visitors like gray catbirds and cedar waxwings. It usually takes them about 3 days to strip the poor tree bare. There's a lot more activity at the bird baths and waterfall right now since it didn't rain here for three weeks (we finally got about a half inch overnight in some thunderstorms). The sparrows and cardinals use the bird baths but the bluejays and robins prefer the waterfall. There are also lots of young birds that have just fledged, so they literally "flock" to the feeders in groups. I've had two new sightings this past week -- an immature black headed grosbeak and a rose-breasted nuthatch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punching Bag Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 1 hour ago, shrader said: That picture makes it look like you lured that one in with a steak. If you keep doing that I'll show up outside your window. These pictures are making me very seriously consider putting a feeder outside my home office window. A couple neighbors are drawing a ton of hummingbirds so that may be a good option. If you do that put some metal screen by window so birds know window is there. That is what happened to hummingbird I found at office and brought home to rehab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irv Posted September 2, 2020 Share Posted September 2, 2020 This guy was below the feeder today. Not birding but cool anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoTier Posted September 18, 2020 Author Share Posted September 18, 2020 Yesterday I had a hairy woodpecker visit my long wire tube feeder filled with sunflower seeds. Hairy woodpeckers look to be larger versions of downy woodpeckers, but are much less common. The chickadees and the gold and house finches are seriously into the sunflower seeds that are ripening up near the feeders. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punching Bag Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 There has been a lot of tree work (mostly cutting down) in area as part of watershed work. They are spending a lot of time on this watershed. Once they appeared to have installed a long path on it and we thought "Oh might be nice to walk the dog there" and they then tore it up and did other work. One of large trees across the road has had most of the branches cut off but tree appears to be still alive. At the top of the trees is a large nest and my wife spotted hawks in it. There were at least 4 and none of them were fledglings but two may be juvenile. It may be why they did not completely cut the tree but find it that they did not wait until hawks left. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 On 8/19/2020 at 12:39 PM, Irv said: This guy has been hitting the suet cake. I think this is a Grackle. Picture came out pretty cool. Almost looks photoshopped. Looks like Mr. Carson, the Butler on Downton Abbey. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irv Posted September 19, 2020 Share Posted September 19, 2020 I took the pic. Bird probably weighs 2 ounces, and sadly, as a man, I am frightened by it. 16 hours ago, Nanker said: Looks like Mr. Carson, the Butler on Downton Abbey. I took the pic. Bird probably weighs 2 ounces, and sadly, as a man, I am frightened by it. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoTier Posted September 21, 2020 Author Share Posted September 21, 2020 On 9/18/2020 at 5:46 PM, Nanker said: Looks like Mr. Carson, the Butler on Downton Abbey. He actually looks pretty intimidating in that shot, and I suppose he is to smaller birds. Good shot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 This is what one of my bird feeders looks like. I put the peanut butter flavored suet (non-sticky) in the little suet holders, but I break them so they don't go above the top of the cage. The other night, I was enjoying a beverage on my deck. It was very dark. I heard this, "clank ... clank ... clank ..." over and over, coming from near my shed. Not gonna lie .. I was a little scared. Well, that's where this bird feeder is. Suddenly, I see this enormous doe walk around the front of the shed and go into my neighbor's yard. I checked the feeder the next morning and the suet cakes were still intact. She must have been licking them, lol. Nature is great stuff. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punching Bag Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 (edited) We had a regular night time visitor so upon recommendation we bought a trap and baited it with peanut butter expecting to catch a racoon or possum. We did not put it away at day and we heard something in trap next day. It was a cardinal who wandered into trap and was heavy enough to trigger trap. Edited September 22, 2020 by Limeaid 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted September 22, 2020 Share Posted September 22, 2020 Has Wallace Wimple checked in yet? He keeps a very extensive Bird Book: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted September 22, 2020 Share Posted September 22, 2020 I think you're only suppose to give them suet in winter. ?? What are you trying to do @Gugny...Give them diabetes? 😉 😜 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greybeard Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 My son sent me this link. Looks like a possibility for next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irv Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 This guy was on my new, double suet cake holder today. Not too sure what kind it is. Yes. I still need to get a life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasons1992 Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 On 9/20/2020 at 11:00 PM, Nanker said: Series, great. Movie, AWFUL. My favorite bird: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T&C Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 21 hours ago, Irv said: This guy was on my new, double suet cake holder today. Not too sure what kind it is. Yes. I still need to get a life. Look like a Tufted Titmouse. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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