I went on a possible listing appointment this week and fell in love with the house and the amazing property. There were bird feeders everywhere and the birds were abundant. The owners introduced me to a "no waste" bird mixture that peaked my interest. I went to the nearby store they mentioned (Ace Hardware) and found bird food that met my needs. The label said it was for decks, porches, and patios and was no waste. All the seeds and nuts are shelled so there are no hulls to fall to the ground that might attract mice. I attached one of my tall step-in poles to my iron railing with two zip ties and pointed the hook toward the house. Any debris that might fall could be easily cleaned up. No birds have come yet because it has been years since I fed them. But they will eventually discover this feeding station that overlooks my catbird seat on the sofa and I might put another one closer to my kitchen window. I'll keep you posted on how long it takes for the birds to arrive. Happy Sunday. xo
10 comments:
Hi, if you tie a piece of red fabric at the top of your feeder, this will likely attract some new friends with wings!
Bird lover -- Thank you for the tip. I have had goldfinches practically all day and boy are they messy. I have already swept up enough seeds to put out in the segmented birdbath in the front yard where I often put out crumbs for the birds.
xo, Rosemary
If you turn the pole around so that the feeder hangs out over the edge Of the deck the ground feeding sparrows, juncos, White throats, etc will clean it all up for you.
Mundi -- Thanks for your interest. I had some ground feeders on my balcony floor today. I am hesitant to turn the hook around. I used to feed the birds from the balcony that way but attracted too many mice on the ground. I am trying to contain my feeding just where I can see and enjoy the birds from my living room. I am happy with the goldfinches but hope some other varieties will come to the feeder too. We shall see.
xo, Rosemary
I would love to know how successful this is, Rosemary. I hope you have better luck than I did. I had a feeder similar to this in my back yard, and it was hanging from a shepherd's hook, just like yours. Every morning when I awakened the feeder was empty. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why, until it dawned on me that rats had gotten to it. I thought I had made it rodent proof, but they manged to shimmy up the pole and get to the bird feed. Needless to say, I finally removed the feeder. I could not cope with having rodents in my yard!
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Looking forward to seeing what birds come your way. If you feed them, they will come! Sometimes I get a little "attached" to some of our birds. Right now, we have a pair of bluebirds that have set up housekeeping in an old, hollowed out redbud tree. We usually don't have bluebirds during the winter, so I'm concerned for them. They had their young in that same tree, back in the spring, so they almost feel like long-term residents, or part of our family. I might need to research to find out what to feed them.
I hope you have better luck than I did with my bird feeder, Rosemary. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why my feeder was empty of bird seed every morning, until I put two and two together and realized that rats were eating everything! Sadly, I finally gave up on feeding the birds. I simply could not have a rat cafe in my yard. If any of your readers know of a rat-proof bird feeder, I would love to know what it is.
Your "no waste" birdseed blend piqued my interest. I'll tell my hubby about that so we can feed our birds and squirrels on the deck without mess. He's been feeding them hulled peanuts but that gets expensive with the volume we use. Great tip!
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I will still have to clean my railing and Trex flooring on my balcony rather frequently to get rid of the bird poop. The birds are doing a fine job of cleaning up the bird seed that gets thrown by the birds. The mix I have in my feeder right now contains peanuts and other nuts that the goldfinch don't like and toss them out. All the birds like the sunflower kernels so that's all I am buying at the moment. I can see myself becoming one of those crazy bird ladies spending all of her disposable income on birdseed.
xo, Rosemary
...oh yes, I fear the same...being either one of those "crazy bird ladies" or "crazy cat ladies" in my old age...LOL!!
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