It’s For The Birds
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How much birdseed are you buying a week? That seems to be a great question among birdwatchers I hear talking lately. I have gone through almost 40 pounds since Wednesday.
It’s amazing, very cold, and an entertaining hobby. I have not had a starling at my feeder all week. I have lots of varieties, finches, Cardinals, Juncos, Blue Jays, Meadow Larks, White-Throated Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, Red-bellied woodpeckers, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, and other sparrows I am sure. I have two heated waterers and two feeders, one corn feeder, and 5 suet feeders.
It seems like there is always high stakes for a seat the bird feeder. No matter what you offer, seed, suet, corn or other feed you will see birds squabbling over squatting rights. Naturally, the most desirable foods will attract more competition. They will shoulder each other aside, push and shove or threaten to peck one another, and defend their perch vigorously.
Less aggressive or smaller birds general yield quickly to backyard bullies, those at my house being starlings and Blue Jays. I think the Jays are in first place here.
I think that adding the second feeder for me helped because it shares the love a little and like I said I have not had any Starlings this week. I am hoping they are staying in the shop or moving on to another homestead. I don’t want you to know what I really think.
I have a couple of tube feeders and guarded ones that I don’t have up due to the severe wind. I doesn’t prove out when the wind blows all the seeds out. I need more protection for something like that. I stick to the basic gravity/ tray feeders.
I feed shelled corn, and ear corn on a feeder and the Jays really go for that. I cannot deter them as I consider them feeder birds.
One thing I have been doing is throwing out old bread crumbs (dried) and other left overs and that pretty well takes care of the Starlings. They are dumpster birds. They will eat just about anything. Jays, of course, are in the crow family and they are carnivores in that they will eat a small small animal like a mouse etc.
I am not enjoying this cold snap, but I am enjoying the bird feeding, and watching.
Until next time, good birdwatching