How To Make A Pine Cone Bird Feeder
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Here is a great idea for some family fun. Find some pine cones and make some pine cone bird feeders. You and your kids will have a great time making them together.
Birds Striking Our Glass Door
We have recently had several birds fly from our feeders into our sliding glass door that goes from our dining room to the backyard. We have not had this happen before so have begun to do some research to determine why. Modern homes and office buildings today are often built using insulated and reflective glass. These windows may look great and be very pleasing for humans, but they are lethal to your feathered friends. Birds cannot distinguish the difference between the real sky and the reflection of the sky in a window. Especially during the migration season, millions of birds throughout North America fly into windows and are seriously injured or killed each year. Migration isn’t the only time that birds have window collisions. Birds may also hit your windows or glass doors during the breeding season and even during the winter.
During the breeding season male woodpeckers, mockingbirds and cardinals may see their own reflections in the window or car mirror and want to “fight” it. They will stop banging your window or door glass as the breeding season comes to an end.
In our case living in the Pacific Northwest our backyard is in shade most of the time. Linda was having trouble growing some of her plants in her Serenity Garden. To solve this problem we had to remove several trees. The new sunlight in Linda’s Serenity Garden was great for the plants, but was now causing a reflection off the back sliding glass door.
How can we reduce the reflection on our glass door? Life-size, animate “scare birds” such as plastic owls or falcons do not work. Even owl or falcon silhouettes attached to windows with suction cups are not very effective deterrents. Window or door screens and bird netting are effective in breaking up the reflection of large glass windows and doors. Our problem is we have a sliding glass door and only one half of the door glass is covered by the screen. The half not covered is where the birds fly into. Planting trees or high bushes or shrubs to block the sunlight from reflecting in the glass door was not an option, since we had just removed trees to allow sunlight into the yard.
The solution was to move the feeders closer to the house. Now the birds do not get up to flight speed before they fly into the window. Since moving the feeder we did see one bird fly into the glass door, then after striking it, turn sideways and fly away. If you have space moving the feeders a considerable distance away from your home is another option.
Bird Information and Facts | Comment (1)Where Do I Put My Bird Feeder?
When you first begin to feed the birds in your backyard it is hard to resist just tossing the bird food out the backdoor onto the ground. It’s healthier for the birds to get their “hand-outs” at a bird feeder, off the ground. Food that sits on the ground for even a short time is exposed to potential contamination by dampness, mold, bacteria, animal droppings, lawn fertilizers and pesticides.
When it comes to buying a bird feeder, there are hundreds to choose from, so how do you make “the right choice?” “What is a good bird feeder?”
First, where do you want to watch your backyard friends? Do you want to watch them from a window, a sliding glass door, a deck or patio? Pick an area with easy access and in view site of where you are planning to view your feathered friends. When the weather is bad and the birds are the most vulnerable, you may be reluctant to fill a feeder that isn’t in a convenient spot with access.
Also remember the mess factor. Pick a location in your backyard where discarded seed hulls and bird droppings will not be a problem to clean up.
If you have squirrels in your neighborhood, then it is a safe bet that squirrels will take over your bird feeder unless you take precautions. Squirrels love sunflower seeds and peanuts as much if not more than acorns. When squirrels take over a bird feeder they scare all the birds away! Squirrels have been known to chew right through plastic and wooden bird feeders to get at the bird seed.
A squirrel-proof bird feeder in the long run is a good investment. An alternative is to mount a bird feeder on a pole with a squirrel baffle or guard. Squirrels are incredibly agile, and any bird feeder hanging from a tree, with or without a squirrel baffle or guard, is likely to become a squirrel feeder.
At our website we offer several very good, quality “Squirrel Buster” bird feeders. These feeders have a spring mechanism in them that is triggered by the weight of a squirrel. The squirrels weight on the feeder makes the tube slide down and close off all of the feeding ports. These feeders also prevent larger birds from taking over a feeder and chasing the smaller birds away, as the weight of the larger birds will also close the feeding ports.
Your bird feeder should be located at least 10 feet from any tree branch, stump, fence or any other object that a squirrel could use to jump from onto your bird feeder. If you are pole mounting the bird feeder, include a squirrel baffle or guard. If you are using a hanging feeder make sure that it also is protected by a squirrel baffle or guard.
Fall is the peak season to attract the widest variety and volume of birds. Any time is the right time to start your new hobby, however. Our website will give you the best feeders for all the right reasons and at the best prices.
Bird Feeders | Comment (1)Bay Leafs Prevent Mealmoths?
I have a birding friend who puts bay leaves in storage containors of bird seed. He is orginally from the southern part of the country where he says the use of bay leafs to keep bugs out of food storage containers is a common pratice. He recently had an infestation of mealmoths in his bird seed. He put puts bay leafs in a mesh sack on the top of his bird seed inside the sealed container. He says since he started to use the bay leafs he has not had anymore problems with mouths in his bird seed. Has only anyone else ever tried this or heard of this before? I sure would like to know if this really works or is a old wise tale?
Got Suet?
Hi-Engery Suet Cake
Suet is a high energy formulation of animal fat and other ingredients to attract insect eating birds. Suet is a quick source of heat and energy for birds, who’s metabolisms are set on fast forward. It traditionally has been used as a good substitute for the insects that birds usually feed upon but are not plentiful in cold weather. Suet can be presented all year long . The suet we offer is specially designed for year round feeding.
BIRDS THAT ARE ATTRACTED TO SUET
Offering suet in a wire suet cage feeder is a low-maintenance bird feeder. You refill only once every week or so, you
- Roofed Suet Cage
never need to scrub the feeder, and you can leave it in your yard year round. Presenting suet in your backyard will also attract a greater variety of birds for your enjoyment. Some of the backyard birds that enjoy suet include Woodpeckers, Flickers, Chickadees, Bluebirds, Mockingbirds, Warblers, Kinglets, Titmice,
Nuthatches Bluejays, Robins, Starlings and Wrens.
A reward for putting out suet is that birds that visit your suet feeder will eat insects that are in your lawn and garden during the spring and summer months. The suet feeder also brings a bigger variety of birds for you to enjoy in your backyard for you to enjoy.
Bird Feeders, Bird Information and Facts | Comment (0)