Creating A Bird Sanctuary In Your Yard

March 5, 2005 | sweetliberty

[MamaTexan]

Did you get a lot of Yard work done? :)

Some, but not as much as I wanted to. (Do we ever? LOL)

Thanks! I'd like to get a really good picture of the woodpecker, but whenever I go out the front door, he takes off. The only reason I got that picture is I snuck around the end of the house and snapped pictures furiously ....and sure enough, he spotted me & was gone.

I think my next strategy will be just to take the screen out of the kitchen window and just 'lay in wait' as it were.

(Hey...at least its closer to the coffee pot. LOL!)

I'm guessing the female is nesting, haven't seen her in a while.

Like I told Dysart, I think I'll set up a platform feeder for the bigger birds.....soon as I find a place for it. :)

[GodBlessUSA]

Hi SweetLiberty!
Yes, I agree. The Jays really do love those peanuts. It's just getting light and I put some out because there is one Jay here already. :) They were here in a group the other day. The way they kept going back and forth in a group screaming was hysterical.

I have so many gold finches now, I have to put up another feeder. I have two large one's up. It's fun. They are so beautiful. I'll get a picture of them eating later. ;)

I hope you had a good weekend!

[sweetliberty]

Place your platform away from anything the squirrels can jump from (I believe it is 12 feet on the sides and 6 feet high, although mine isn't quite that high), and put a baffle on the pole. If you have raccoons, use the kind that prevents both squirrels and racoons. I haven't had any problems (well, except when I placed the shepherd's crook too close to the platform) since I set it up. Not with the squirrels anyway. What I invested in the set up, I have surely saved in food.

Make sure you get the kind that has the lift out screens to allow for easier cleaning, and I have found the tall pole (they come in several heights) allows a lot more flexibility for the baffles and for hanging additional feeder devices. Here are a couple of pictures of my set up. You can see where I have the extra feeder hanging (I use this for sunflower seeds), then the peanut feeder and the little blue thing is a mealworm feeder, although you can use it for bits of fruit or whatever. The baffle is a pretty simple one, but effective.

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On the subject of squirrels, I watched one very carefully yesterday slide himself down the Yankee Flipper. He must have gotten a good grip on the perch because I'm sure he circled the thing before being flung off, then he just sat there on the ground looking very confused. I couldn't stop laughing.

[sweetliberty]

Yes, Grackles are a major pain. Again, I imagine I provide amusement for the neighbors with my noisemaking and other attempts at running them off. Grackles are truly the "weeds" of the bird kingdom. Why are they protected? It sure isn't because of their dwindling numbers.

[sweetliberty]

"I think my next strategy will be just to take the screen out of the kitchen window and just 'lay in wait' as it were."

I have thought of that too, but with the wide variety of insects and spiders (many that bite and sting), I thought better of it.

[sweetliberty]

I had a busy weekend. Got some yard work done. Not nearly enough though.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Wow when it rains is pours:)

I went out to turn a horse out in my back pasture, and there was a pileated woodpecker pecking around on some dead trees there. I watched him for quite awhile not more then 20 ft from me.

Then as I came back into the house I had a female hummer at my feeder

Becky

[MamaTexan]

ROFL!

Sometimes I wonder if the birds are just a bit sharper than we give them credit for.

Almost every time I go outside (without the camera, of course), the woodpecker is hanging upside down on the finch feeder in full view and there's at least 2 other birds in the yard I've been trying to get pictures of! When I do have it, there's not a bird to be seen. :)

[MamaTexan]

I'm sure he circled the thing before being flung off, then he just sat there on the ground looking very confused. I couldn't stop laughing.

LOL! Squirrels can be SO funny. Probably a good part of the reason we put up with the silly little tree rats! :)

Went to the store today and got some seed, and found a seed block called a Woodpecker Bar. Anyone ever heard of/used these?

I also asked the kid in the store if they'd removed all the beaks from this Woodpecker Bar, and he just looked at me...didn't say a WORD!!!

How RUDE!! LOL!

[GodBlessUSA]

The squirrels really like that block, ;) That's funny, you said that LOL! and he didn't even smile. Too bad he's a stuffed shirt. :)

[GodBlessUSA]

That's great. Your pileated is still around. It would be neat if you get to see some juveniles around eventually! Good to hear your Hummer is around too. Do you think you have a pair possibly. You saw female and male at the feeder, correct? :)

[GodBlessUSA]

Here's a shot I got of the Goldies a few minutes ago. I hope they stick around.

By the way, Sweetliberty, your so lucky. I haven't seen the Nuthatches since March. :)

[MamaTexan]

WOW!

That's amazing!

Do they stay until it turns cold, or do they keep moving?

[GodBlessUSA]

I'm fortunate, I have them here year round. In the winter, I have four feeders up. The population goes through spurts though. Sometimes I only have a few at a time. Other times there are some waiting on line. LOL! :)

[A CA Guy]

I've got a family using my bowl light kit from my fan as their home.
They are cute, I will let them grow and fly off, but come summer, I will figure a way to keep them out of the light for the summer.

[GodBlessUSA]

Birds are very creative and funny where they put their nests. :)

I saw a Carolina Wren looking in one of my houses today. I hope they take it. I have had some birds nest around here but they never use the houses. The housing market is slow going around here.

[A CA Guy]

Where they nested makes great sense.

It's under a covered outdoor patio. The ceiling has been enclosed and insulated, so there is no heat reflected down.

The bowl from the light kit looks like a large nets to begin with, so they made themselves right at home.

I'm glad I put a second source of light out there though.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

That is a beautiful picture:)

Yes, I think I do have a pair, I have now seen a male and a female hummer

Becky

[GodBlessUSA]

They are so smart. It won't be long and until you get your light back. :) I had Robins in a trellis last year. It's fun watching them go through it all. Boy, the parents sure work hard don't they!

[GodBlessUSA]

Thanks, Becky!
Wow, that's great a couple! Maybe you will soon have a family of Hummers fighting over the feeder. :)