Yep, especially these guys:
Painted Buntings are the most colorful birds...too bad they fly back to Central America every year!
Posted on 02/12/2005 9:27:14 AM PST by sweetliberty
With Spring just around the corner, at least here in the southeast, it's time to think about spending more time outdoors and making our yards and porches more pleasant places to be. FReepers have such a wide variety of interests and talents, I thought it might be fun and educational to do a thread for bird and garden enthusiasts. I see a fair amount of discussion on some of the threads about gardening and landscaping, but not too much that is specific to gardening for the birds.
I've pretty much always had a bird feeder or two around, and that number has grown since I moved into a place last summer that has a big yard. I have a fair variety of birds and I have begun to think about developing it specifically to attract more species, not only for the enjoyment of watching the birds, but also to control natural pests that are prevalent in this part of the country, without resorting to pesticides. I know that the right combination of flora can discourage certain pests and also attract birds that will help keep the pest population down. I would love to hear from FReepers who are experienced at creating such a balance. I think it would also be fun to have a place to share our experiences as we develop them. I know there's lots of links out there with useful information and I make use of them from time to time, but it's just not the same as having discussions on a forum where we have experts on everything. And I don't know of any place else on the web so animated by wit, along with wisdom, on just about any topic.
I just noticed several people asking to be put on your ping list. If you do make a ping list please put me on it:) Great thread, thanks.
Becky
The feed is laced with knockout drops.
I have very strange and bloody hobbies.
You might have to plant two. The gentleman who built the house planted a male & female so close together it almost looks like one tree instead of two.
You might could find a self-polinating type, though. They seem to have them for just about every other kind of fruit bearing tree.
Not sure about Purple Martins, but we've put up a couple of bat houses.
I know bats aren't nearly as attractive as the birds, but the little buggers have decimated our mosquito population!
Plus their flying skills are just amazing to watch. :)
Sometimes it takes a season or two for the hummers to realize you've put a 'rest-stop' on their migratory path.
The scouts come first, and if your feeders aren't out, the rest of the birds will pass you by.
Almost any red, yellow or orange tubular shaped flower will attract them, just make sure they're planted in an open area so they can be seen from the air.
BTW, did you know hummers can see a feeder from over 2 miles up? They actually can see into the ultraviolet range & have excellent hearing, but practically NO sense of smell!
I lived in New Mexico for several years and had so many I was going through a gallon of sugar water a week.
They wouldn't even wait for the feeder to be hung up! As soon as I walked out the door, they would try to feed while I was carrying it - like being buzzed by a swarm of giant mosquitoes!
Mostly we had black chins and rufous, with a few ruby-throats and calliopes in the mix.
I did try to count them once. They would line up on the fence behind the feeder - I usually gave up when I got to 75 or so.
Thanks. I was trying to locate the feeder in a way they could see it. I put ribbons on it etc. This will be the third year I'm trying to attract them. That is so good to know that they can see it from such a distance. I'm not giving up on them.
The place my daughter used to go to camp had hummingbirds that were real thick like that. They had a bunch of feeders andf if you went out and stood among the feeders and stayed very still with a finger extended, you could even get one to light on your finger. That was way cool!
Yep, especially these guys:
Painted Buntings are the most colorful birds...too bad they fly back to Central America every year!
Here is a list of FR links that have lots of info on using html, including posting images.
I'm so technilogically challenged, I could NEVER manage to post a picture 'till I went to tinypic.com.
Just hit the Browse button to find the pic in your computer that you want to post, then click the host it button. (I believe it's the second line that starts with a < img src....)
Tinypic.com auto shrinks anything that's too big, and it's free!
The Painted Bunting is very pretty and colorful, like most South American birds. That kind of coloring blends in the jungle, but not too well in most of the climate zones here. I think it's coloring would make it very vulnerable to predators. I don't recall ever seeing one in the wild.
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You'll really have to come up and visit when the weather gets warmer.
You're probably right. Nesting here after the leaves have fallen would be rather hazardous to their health.
Before we moved here a couple of years ago, my husband had built a 3 tiered pond. We had a whole flock of painted buntings, at first I thought someones pet birds had escaped!
We have plans for a pond here too - specifically designed with a shallow center section for a circulating 'birdbath'.
Oh yeah, and my weird, seed eating Robin. I'm sure I missed a few.
When do you start putting out the Hummingbird feeders? I haven't put them out here yet, but I'm sure it would be much earlier than in Colorado.
That is my plan as well. I do not do bugs, but I am leery of using chemicals because I don't want to hurt the birds...or butterflies. I'm a little afraid of weedkillers for the same reason.
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