Winter's Birds Return
Forum Archives
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Sep-25-2004 at 12:05pm
It amazes me that the birds that keep me entertained from now until spring return to my garden on cue with the Autumnal Equinox. How do they know?
I have spotted Dark-eyes Juncos and Black-capped Chickadees these past few days. The Bushtits can't be far behind. I can sit for hours and watch them flit around, gently bending over the stems of my past-prime cosmos and black-eyed Susans, as they nibble at the seedheads. I love these little birds!
Garden Spider
Location: Washington, Puget Sound Corridor
Posted: Sep-25-2004 at 3:17pm
I love to watch the birds, too. When we rented a little house in Seatac, it was close to a greenbelt (Des Moines Watershed), and was overgrown with Magnolias, Rhodies and a large tree in front. The back had 2 small apple trees and a huge black locust. I began feeding the birds and squirrels, and before long, we had house finches, pine siskins, juncoes, chickadees, band-tailed pigeons, red-shafted flickers, Stellar's jays, varied thrushes, as well as the usual sparrows, starlings, robins, and crows.
We called the pine siskins "The Breakfast Club", because they were first at the thistle feeder early in the morning. They kept us entertained for hours. The band-tailed pigeons, varied thrushes, flickers, and Stellar's jays liked the same foods the squirrels did--corn and peanuts--and it was fun watching them all crowd around the feeder.
The squirrels tried to keep the birds from feeding, so the jays got good at spotting an opening, rushing in, grabbing peanuts and swallowing them whole, shell and all. The flickers, having built-in jackhammers, just walked right up and helped themselves. Any squirrel rash enough to try to chase a flicker away was put in its place with a well-amed peck on the head. The pigeons collected in the "infield" and ate what the squreels scattered and other birds dropped.
Barb
bakingbarb
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Oct-26-2004 at 7:49pm
We do not seem to have much variety in birds in our yard yet. It does not seem to have been a birdey yard in the recent past though. So far I have seen pigeons and crows (or are they ravens?), Stellar's Jay, Juncos and then chickadees, sparrows and squirels. We did have a hummer in summer but I did not get to see her much (too much work I guess).
The bird feeders just ran out and we need more seed. There are four feeders so they all can eat. Oh and the crows love the bird bath, they put bread in it and then take turns slurping it up from the sides of their beaks. I do hope we get more birds though.
~BakingBarb
Verena
Location: Oregon, Willamette Valley
Posted: Oct-27-2004 at 9:14am
I could easily go broke trying to keep up with the amount the birds can consume in bird seed, so I started planting more natural feeding stations: small islands of sunflowers, drifts of Cosmos, Coreopsis, etc. But you don't need big plantings (I live in a rural area); just a couple of sunflowers result in entertaining viewing as the birds hang on the seed heads. There is a huge "messy" Pyracantha that I've wanted to tackle and subdue for years, but every fall it's so loaded with berries and birds that I don't have the heart to get chop happy. Besides, anything that big and thorny should get some respect (Blackberries: Don't read this).
DebbieTT
Location: Washington, Kitsap Peninsula
Posted: Dec-08-2004 at 5:21pm
I think natural vegetation is a good way to go. I know what you mean about going broke. I remember as few weeks ago one woman was buying a 25 lb. bag of seed. I believe she said it won't last more than a month? Did I hear that right?
Originally posted by Verena
"Besides, anything that big and thorny should get some respect (Blackberries: Don't read this)."
LOL! I think they certainly demand respect, I know to tackle them haphazardly means I end up torn and bloody.
Garden Spider
Location: Washington, Puget Sound Corridor
Posted: Dec-08-2004 at 7:58pm
Originally posted by DebbieTT
I think natural vegetation is a good way to go. I know what you mean about going broke. I remember as few weeks ago one woman was buying a 25 lb. bag of seed. I believe she said it won't last more than a month? Did I hear that right?
I can believe it. I used to buy 50 lb bags of sunflower seed and Niger thistle every 2 or 3 months. Plus corn and peanuts.
It was worth it, though. We'd sit in the family room and watch the birds and squirrels for hours. It was more entertaining than TV.
Susie
Location: Washington, Southwestern
Posted: Dec-08-2004 at 8:57pm
This time of year we get a big flock of pine siskins, at least 60 of them. They fly in and land on the feeders, the clematis trellises, and the ground. They don't stay for long, but we're easily going through a 25 pound bag of sunflower seeds every few weeks this time of year keeping up with them and the rest of the seed eaters.
I put out a lot of suet feeders. My favorite suet eaters are the piliated (sp?) woodpeckers. This year I've spotted two at one time, one on the double suet cake feeder that is especially for them, and one on a dead tree down next to the creek. They are one of the least fearful birds we have, allowing me to get within a few yards from them and talking to them as they eat. I love how they announce their commings and goings. You sure know when their around.
My least favorite suet eaters are the starlings. I'm not sure why I don't like them. They eat a ton of suet, but the pine siskins eat a ton of sunflower seeds and I don't mind them. Their not native, but neither are most of us for that matter, or the orphaned infant opossums that I take in and raise each year, and that doesn't bother me. Maybe their just a bit vulger, but I'm not sure why. Anyone else have an opinion about starlings?
JeanneK
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Dec-09-2004 at 8:44am
I don't like starlings because they are bullies and can take over the habitat and housing of other birds, particularly the natives.
Jeanne
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Dec-09-2004 at 9:15am
Ditto what Jeanne said. Starlings are opportunistic and adaptable to development, which gives them an additional edge when it comes to habitat competition.
An upside-down suet feeder supposedly deters starlings. The ones I've seen have a roof and just under the roof is the suet cage. Birds have to hang upside-down to feed (no access from above or sides). Starlings can't feed this way. It also makes it difficult for flickers to feed (large birds have more difficulty) so that's a downside of this feeder. My neighbor swears by her upside-down feeder, btw.
I've heard of another suet feeder that is surrounded with a cage. Small birds are able to get through the holes. The shape of the holes allowed flickers to get their head through to feed but starlings couldn't fit (their heads and/or bodies are different shapes).
I've got the upside-down suet feeder on my Santa list. If I can find a local source for the caged feeder, I'll get one, too, so I can feed the flickers.
btw, do you know the story behind the starling "invasion?"
You can read it at the site, History of Starlings in America. The site also talks about their don't-play-well-with-others behavior.
Garden Spider
Location: Washington, Puget Sound Corridor
Posted: Dec-10-2004 at 1:55pm
Lisa, I made my own upside-down suet feeder, when I saw the price of the ones for sale. I took an ordinary suet cage, and a short length of split firewood, round on top, flat on the bottom. I fastened the cage flat to the flat side of the firewood, making sure the door to the cage opened downward, so that I could slide a cake of suet in. I used large staples--the kind you hammer, not from a staple gun--to fasten the cage to the wood. To hang it, I hammered another staple on top, and a short chain--I think I used the chain that was originally on the suet feeder.
If I had it to do over, I would use a larger piece of firewood. I very carefully cut the piece to fit the suet cage, with just a little overhang. I think now I'd have more overhang on all sides, to protect it from rain.
And I learned that starlings WILL hang upside down to get suet. They don't like to, but they really like suet, and they will. I think more overhang would discourage this.
Flickers don't mind hanging upside down--I'd see them hanging from the eaves of the house, searching for food. And they easily fed at the upside-down suet feeder, though it was too short for them.
Barb
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Dec-10-2004 at 5:04pm
Great tip, Barb, thanks for sharing. We've got all kinds of scrap wood, left over from various projects, and I've got 2 suet cages. I think you just gave my husband a weekend project. I'll protect you - I won't name names.
Trish
Location: Washington, Southwestern
Posted: Dec-22-2004 at 1:26am
Great idea, Barb. I think one of my suet feeders will undergo a conversion soon. Starlings aren't my problem. My boorish guests are Stellar Jays, who will also hang upside down for suet. I wish they weren't so aggressive.
This time of year, I get flocks of Evening Grosbeaks, who gobble down 12 lbs of black oil sunflower seed in one sitting. When there's "too many hogs at the trough," I wait to refill the feeder until another day. Besides, grosbeaks are sloppy eaters. There's plenty of seed below the feeders for towhees and mourning doves.
Garden Spider
Location: Washington, Puget Sound Corridor
Posted: Dec-22-2004 at 6:25am
Trish, Evening Grosbeaks are so lovely . . . I remember they came to Oregon State University every year to feed on the elm seeds. I haven't ever been able to attract them to my feeders, though.
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton