Please feed the birds! They have young ones and are hungry and tired. IF you love birds enter here..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PSA: safflower is healthier (less fatty) than sunflower seeds.

If you pay a little extra for the shelled seeds, they don't get all over your porch or lawn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh this is pretty amazing.. I was looking for some food with more sunflowers to attract more Cardinals and I found this - price is unbeatable. This brand cost a tone everywhere else:

A buck a pound, can't beat this..unless you can, do let me know.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O2T24OA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work with an ornithologist. You should NOT be feeding birds right now.

I don’t think so.

https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/feeding-your-backyard-birds

I don't think so either.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/analysis-do-bird-feeders-help-or-hurt-birds/
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/heres-what-to-feed-your-summer-bird-feeder-visitors/
(Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had bluebird fledglings leave our box yesterday morning! Mom and Dad used seed from our feeders for the babies, which surprised me. This year I put out Coles Hot Meats. The squirrels won’t eat them because of the hot pepper, but we get tons of songbirds!

Bluebirds! Do you live close-in to the city, or out in the country? I'd love to put a box out, but I'm not sure bluebirds want to come to my place in suburban Maryland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you keep rats away?

You can't really, though they are more interested in restaurants. Most people are more likely to get field mice anyway.

You can get seed catchers/trays that hang under your feeder and catch the hulled seeds. You toss the seeds in your trash every once in a while. The squirrels don't seem interested because it just contains the shells after the birds have taken the seed meat out.

https://www.amazon.com/Songbird-Essentials-SEIA30034-Seed-Hoop/dp/B0029W7RYY/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2W20O2HEV2LTJ&dchild=1&keywords=bird+feeder+tray+seed+catcher&qid=1591759293&sprefix=bird+feeder+tray%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-5

[Anonymous]

Am I missing something? We had a mild winter (and pretty much for the last few years) and there are a ton of berries (wild blueberries, raspberries, grapes, etc) and a ton of bugs and worms.

I'll feed birds in the winter, but I'm not convinced it's needed during such a plentiful time....plus the whole food chain thing, you know, not letting 1 particular species population grow too much too fast.

I'm more enamored with the hawks and owls anyway. Their food sources are more limited and compete with fox and outdoor cats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had bluebird fledglings leave our box yesterday morning! Mom and Dad used seed from our feeders for the babies, which surprised me. This year I put out Coles Hot Meats. The squirrels won’t eat them because of the hot pepper, but we get tons of songbirds!

Bluebirds! Do you live close-in to the city, or out in the country? I'd love to put a box out, but I'm not sure bluebirds want to come to my place in suburban Maryland.

We live in suburban VA, not far from a relatively bustling Main Street. You have to be ready to destroy house sparrow nests, as they are invasive and compete for the bluebird boxes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should not use pesticides or herbicides and you should leave/put all your leaves into your gardens. Keeping a good cover over your garden soil encourages worms and things which feed the birds as well as helping your garden to grow well and be healthy.

This. And plant native species which attract insects, which in turn will attract more birds. And stop using leaf blowers.

[Anonymous]

Don't have cats in your house. Keep the birds safe.

Feed the hummingbird and change the water every 2-3 days scrubbing the feeder well. Mold kills them.

Feed the birds only a little bit at a time and place the feeders away from each other so that the birds do not catch infection from each other. Keep the feeders clean. Let them be empty for 2-3 days before refilling. Change their location frequently.

Most important...they need water source and the water should be cleaned very often. I am changing water at least 2-4 times a day because they poop in it too and that can spread germs to other birds.

SOCIAL DISTANCING.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two questions:

How do you keep mosquitos from lying eggs in your birdbath?

Does anyone know what the cute black and grey birds at my feeder are called? It is a very sharply delineated pattern—looks like they are wearing little formal wear or something.

Maybe gray catbirds?

So cute!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you keep rats away?

You can't really, though they are more interested in restaurants. Most people are more likely to get field mice anyway.

You can get seed catchers/trays that hang under your feeder and catch the hulled seeds. You toss the seeds in your trash every once in a while. The squirrels don't seem interested because it just contains the shells after the birds have taken the seed meat out.

https://www.amazon.com/Songbird-Essentials-SEIA30034-Seed-Hoop/dp/B0029W7RYY/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2W20O2HEV2LTJ&dchild=1&keywords=bird+feeder+tray+seed+catcher&qid=1591759293&sprefix=bird+feeder+tray%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-5

Neat trick! Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Did someone mention planting purple coneflowers (a k a echinacea) to attract Orioles?

And don't spray for insects. That's bird food right there. Don't keep a pristine manicured lawn. Leave the dead heads of flowers on the plants so birds can eat the natural seeds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had bluebird fledglings leave our box yesterday morning! Mom and Dad used seed from our feeders for the babies, which surprised me. This year I put out Coles Hot Meats. The squirrels won’t eat them because of the hot pepper, but we get tons of songbirds!

Bluebirds! Do you live close-in to the city, or out in the country? I'd love to put a box out, but I'm not sure bluebirds want to come to my place in suburban Maryland.

They are everywhere, if you put enough sunflower seeds they will come. It might take few weeks but once the first one will find it he will bring friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had bluebird fledglings leave our box yesterday morning! Mom and Dad used seed from our feeders for the babies, which surprised me. This year I put out Coles Hot Meats. The squirrels won’t eat them because of the hot pepper, but we get tons of songbirds!

Bluebirds! Do you live close-in to the city, or out in the country? I'd love to put a box out, but I'm not sure bluebirds want to come to my place in suburban Maryland.

Oh they are GORGEOUS!..
Make me hum... … Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly …

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't have cats in your house. Keep the birds safe.

Feed the hummingbird and change the water every 2-3 days scrubbing the feeder well. Mold kills them.

Feed the birds only a little bit at a time and place the feeders away from each other so that the birds do not catch infection from each other. Keep the feeders clean. Let them be empty for 2-3 days before refilling. Change their location frequently.

Most important...they need water source and the water should be cleaned very often. I am changing water at least 2-4 times a day because they poop in it too and that can spread germs to other birds.

SOCIAL DISTANCING.

Cats needs homes too
All people I know who own cats, never let them outside aside form getting out on the porch and enjoying morning coffee or other brief time together to breath fresh air. This is different from letting a cat go into the woods and come back with poor bird or mouse. This does not need to happen.
If you care about your cat you would never let hiim out alone as not only he can hurt wildlife but also he can get hurt by a car, by a dog, by poisonous plants he can chew on, by snakes, spiders .. foxes, and he can be also grabbed and carried away by big birds of pray.

Thank you for tips on the humming birds. They are gorgeous and magical and indeed lot of work but well worth it if one has tme.
Normal bird feeding can be much less demanding especially if you have two bird feeders and use one at the time so the other can
get dry and disinfected by sun and air when empty.