Summer Bird Feeding

 

Carolina chickadee

Most people don't feed birds (other than hummingbirds) in the summer, but I do. I get it. There is plenty of food available for the birds in the summer and quality bird food isn't cheap. But it's not about the birds, it's about me. I enjoy seeing the birds and having some food available brings the birds to me.

I do reduce the amount of food I provide. In the winter, I have 6 - 10 feeders out, depending upon the weather. In the summer, it's 2 - 4. 

To the left, you can see a Carolina chickadee at one of the feeders. If I have to choose just one feeder, it would be black oil sunflower in a wire tube feeder like this. Black oil sunflower is less expensive than most feed mixes and is enjoyed by almost all songbirds. In addition to chickadees, this feeder attracts cardinals, blue jays, house finches, common grackles, as well as house sparrows and starlings. I don't get many starlings, so it isn't a big deal for me. This feeder also attracts squirrels. You can see the feeders is bent up. That is courtesy of the squirrels. But the squirrels are fun also, and they aren't stealing food out of the birds' mouths, so it's all good.  I fill this feeder once a day in the summer. When its gone for the day, it's gone. The little moochers can go forage after that.

Peanuts for woodpeckers

My other favorite feeder is a heavier metal feeder that I fill with shelled peanuts. The chickadees also like this one, but I have it out mainly for the woodpeckers. I have downy woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers, and occasionally, ladder-backed woodpeckers that visit the feeder every day. Blue jays, wrens, and starlings also are fond of this feeder. Shelled peanuts are expensive, but I use much less of this feed. What you see remaining in this feeder will last at least a week. Probably two. The squirrels don't bother this feeder--no idea why as they do like peanuts. Perhaps it's because this feeder is harder to get the peanuts out of and the feeder is much sturdier, making it harder to get open to pillage as they do the sunflower feeder.

I do throw a handful or two of mixed seed on the ground, more because it is amusing to watch the dogs go crazy than the birds it attracts (My husband calls this me "feeding the chickens" because of the way they go nuts.) Ground feeding does attract doves and great-tailed grackles and occasionally, a robin. The blue jays and cardinals also find this easier than pulling the sunflower seeds through wire mesh.

With temperatures holding around 100 degrees for weeks now, water is much more important than food. We'll talk about that another time

Good birding!

Just Stop It, Already!

I know I say this about this time every winter, but to the birds: stop it already!

For the last week, my resident male cardinal and numerous Eurasian collared doves have been singing their mating calls. It's only early January, guys! Give it a rest!

Of course, if this summer is like last (and the weather people say it will be) then the best chance of raising a brood is before the heat hits. Last year I remember one or more 100-degree days in April.

Good birding!

Project Feederwatch Season

Today marks the first day of the Project Feederwatch (PFW) season. I made sure my feeders were full yesterday. I feed all year around, but, once PFW season starts, I make sure whatever feeders are up are full. At the beginning of the season, I only have a few up; by mid-winter, I will be running around 10.

Anyway, I was laying in bed this morning enjoying a few minutes of quiet before the animals figured out I was awake (how do they know?) and started making their wishes known and hoping that the first birds of the season would not be house sparrows. We have a lot of house sparrows around our house, but I can count them any day.

The first trip this morning yielded no birds at all. Later, when I was getting ready to head out to Wild Bird Rescue, there were three birds at the feeders. One female cardinal at the black oil sunflower and two house sparrows at the millet. The cardinal made me feel better about the house sparrows. We're off to a good start!

Good birding!