Our Bird Buffet

The other day I started to add up the number of bird feeders and other paraphernalia we had in the backyard and I said to Shari, "Uh, maybe we've gotten a little carried away." But there's no dearth of birds here and the feeders are active and we have a lot of windows to look out and it's endless entertainment (or aggravation, not sure which) for the cat as she watches the birds from the windowsill, so if we have gone overboard I'm okay with it.

Here, clockwise around the property, is our current set-up. Clicking on a photo will give you a larger version, or possibly even a slideshow, depending on how Google is configured when you click.

 Ceramic Bird House

A neighbor gave us this ceramic bottle. It is supposed to modeled on the kind of bird houses the original settlers would put up, recycling their bottles and flasks. I doubt we'll get any occupants, but it looks interesting sticking out of the tree this way.






Squirrel Head Feeder

In case you missed the post the day we put this up, the idea of this feeder is to amuse us while the squirrels scavenge for nuts stuck to peanut butter inside.
How to Humiliate a Squirrel







Safflower Seeds and Finch Sock

About the only feeder the squirrels can get on is this big old platform feeder, so I fill it with safflower seeds. Supposedly, squirrels don't like safflower seeds. The birds love them, it is very popular, particularly with titmice, chickadees and cardinals. The problem is that the squirrels don't know they don't like safflower seeds so they climb on it anyway, making a mess until they realize that this stuff tastes like crap. So the baffle overhead has Tanglefoot on the red duct tape. Once squirrels get the sticky goo on their feet as they're trying to balance on the baffle, they lose interest in the food below.

That sock has black thistle seed in it. Goldfinches and House Finches are the primary customers, though sometimes a chickadee or junco will try it out. This one needs to be replaced.

Squirrel Busters

Do you detect an obsession with squirrels so far? The one on the right is the original small one I bought to test out the product. The larger one holds a ton a seed. It is heavy that there are some tree limbs that won't support it. These feeders are filled with the standard mix--millet, corn, sunflower seeds. Now that the warm weather is here, some of the bigger birds like Brown-headed Cowbirds and Common Grackles make quick work of these. Their strategy is to throw as much on the ground as they can for their compatriots. Meanwhile, the Mourning Doves hang around beneath, letting the other birds do all the work for them.

Lint

I got this idea from my neighbor. Now that nest building season is here, why not recycle the dryer lint? I was skeptical about the idea, but the stuff wasn't clipped to the bush for 5 minutes before I saw a chickadee picking at it. I don't know how this is going to hold up in the rain.





Bird Bath

Nothing fancy; an old meatloaf pan with a brick to both hold it down and for birds to perch on. The only problem with this is that if don't empty it everyday and put in fresh water, I'm going to have a mosquito incubation pan.






Suet Cage and Hummingbird Feeder

Standard advice is not to leave suet out in the warm weather, but this kind doesn't melt and it attracts woodpeckers all year round. The hummingbird feeder is filled with Shari's standard recipe. She actually had to go out to buy sugar for the solution. It is the only thing we use sugar for. Buying that red liquid at the pet store is a waste of money, plus the dye they put in it is not good for the hummers. The red tape is coated in Tanglefoot to discourage ants attracted to the sweet liquid and dumb squirrels who like to get a hold of the feeder and guzzle the sugar water down like moonshine from a jug.




Squirrel Chair

Okay, yes, I'm obsessed with squirrels! They're a nuisance, but nuisances have to live too. So I provide this comfy chair for them to sit in while they gnaw away at this log of compressed corn. But do they appreciate all I do for them? No they do not appreciate all I do for them, ungrateful little pointy-eared bastards.













Our Newest and Oldest Feeders

Shari couldn't help herself the other day at Lowe's. She's always admired this feeder, which works on the same principle as the Squirrel Busters, but is obviously fancier in terms of decoration. The stained glass feeder behind it used to hang in her backyard on Staten Island. It stayed in storage for about 6 years and we discovered it while unpacking a box of miscellaneous stuff when we moved here.









Bluebird Box

This is a replacement of the one we put up last year.  It is made of cedar, so we hope it lasts longer than the cheapie we put up originally. That was a semi-success. House Wrens, not bluebirds, built a nest in it. However, it doesn't seem that they laid eggs in the nest. I understand that wrens will build a couple of nests. Maybe one nest is supposed to be a decoy. In any event, we're trying again. Our neighbor also put a box in his backyard. I've read that it takes two bluebird boxes in the vicinity for a successful nesting, so that might increase our odds.

Hummingbird Feeder & Yet Another Squirrel Buster

These are in the spot where the pine tree that was destroyed by the snowstorm a week after Sandy once stood. The hummer feeder is overly fancy I think (guess who bought it), while the squirrel buster is filled with a finch mix. The selling point for the hummer is that it only has one spout. We're not exactly a hummer hot spot here; if we get two at a time it's a lot, so all those extra phony flowers on the feeders are pretty much superfluous. The glass is red. The liquid is clear. 

Another Fancy Hummingbird Feeder.

Well the hummers will certainly have their choice of feeders. Pete Bacinski says you have to attract the hummers early or you aren't going to get them until possibly the end of the summer when they start to migrate south. I haven't seen any hummers reported in the county yet so I don't think any have passed up the Great Hummingbird Array we've established.

This one is an "antique" hummingbird feeder. The company says it has been in business since 1958, so we're really stretching the meaning of the word "antique."

Window Bird House

We found this on our doorstep one morning. An anonymous gift, though I'm pretty certain I know who left it--Thanks!  This birdhouse attaches to the window with suction cup and as in the theater, the fourth wall has been removed. Actually, it has been replace with clear Plexiglass. The idea is to have a bird nest while you watch without all the bother of setting up a birdcam. Plus, think how much fun Peeve will have if we get a tenant. Hours of close observation. 

And finally...

We stuck this pole next to the kitchen door when part of pine tree collapsed around it. It occurred to us that having the hummingbird feeder close to the door would be attractive, so we've left it there. That's the fourth hummer feeder--we should get a hummingbird just by accident with all those. What I'd really like to attract is something rare like a rufous, or Allen's, or Anna's Except I don't think the neighbors would take kindly to hordes of birders descending on our lawn to see the rarity. I'll worry about that if it happens. 

So that's the current set up, always subject to change and addition. If I thought there were orioles around I'd set up a fruit feeder too, but orioles are hard to come by in the Pine Barrens.