Local News

Tips Around The Bird Feeder
By Douglas H. Domedion

Red-breasted nuthatch with sunflower seed.

Last week’s column covered the basics of one of the more popular winter hobbies - wild-bird feeding. Not only is a bird feeder in your backyard a real center of entertainment, but it also gives you a close view of nature and a better understanding of it. Then there is always that element of excitement when a rare or unknown bird shows up. I can still remember the first winter we spent in our present home; about a dozen evening grosbeaks showed up (birds I had never seen before). We were busy settling into our new home and my photographing skills were not as fine tuned as they are today, so each year the hope is some will spend a few days at my feeder again. Maybe this year!

Bluebirds have been a favorite subject matter at camp, but of course the habitat surrounding our home (woods) is not their cup of tea, so I was quite excited one morning recently when a beautiful male was spotted sitting near my feeder. I have had indigo buntings at the feeder (three last year), but never a bluebird, so instead of grabbing my camera I called to my wife upstairs to come see him. Unfortunately he didn’t remain long enough for her to see him and he never returned. I couldn’t believe how excited this bird made me even though I’m use to photographing bluebirds at close ranges. But that’s what happens to you when you have a feeder near your house!

There are some things that have helped me around a feeder and maybe they can help your enjoyment of your bird feeder too.

First is the modification of the tube feeder mentioned in last week’s column. Many sunflower seeds are accidentally dropped to the ground by feeding birds and if they are not eaten by ground-feeding birds right away they get wet and then moldy. To catch these seeds I have fastened a platform to the bottom of the feeder. A circular piece of hardware cloth (1/4 inch) 15 to 20 inches in diameter can be used. Using a pair of pliers the edges can be turned up somewhat to prevent the seeds from blowing off. This mesh not only catches those falling seeds, but also allows air to flow around the seeds so they don’t mold before being consumed. Any empty shells left on the mesh can be removed when you fill the feeder.

Squirrels can be a real problem at a feeder and they can be very entertaining too, but you must keep them off the feeder. A predator guard is a must if the feeder is on a pole or hanging. What I do is provide some other choices for them away from the feeder too. A corn cob is one way to keep them busy and their minds off the bird feeder. By fastening a hose clamp on the end of a long piece of wire a corn cob can be placed in the clamp and tightened up, which prevents the squirrel from running off with the corn. This wire is then tied to a branch so the corn is hanging about 3 to 3 1/2 feet off the ground. It can also be fastened to the middle of another wire running horizontally between two trees. They will provide much entertainment for you as they jump up to or climb down the wire to get at the corn cob which they have to remain at to eat.

Another squirrel “toy” is what I call a “squirrel twirler.” It is basically like a large airplane propeller fastened to a tree and has a piece of fine steel cable and the hose clamp tied to one end of it and balanced so the corn is always up in the air and the empty end of the “propeller” is near the ground. The whole rig swings when the squirrel climbs up the “propeller” to get at the corn and of course he gets flung all around while trying to get a couple of kernels off the cob. If you are interest in making one of these up give me a call for more instructions on how to build one.

Blue jays are beautiful, but they can really make a mess kicking sunflower seeds out of a feeder. At home I only get a few and have a “toy” for them too, but at camp I get a groups of them and they get to be a problem. To solve the problem I make a cage of chicken wire around the outside of the feeder leaving enough room for the smaller birds to work around the inside of it to feed. You have to have a top and bottom on it too. Some of the blue jays figure out how to squeeze through the wire, but it discourages most of them so they feed on the seeds that have fallen on the ground.

Suet, gotten at the meat market, is a big attraction for woodpeckers, chickadees, and nuthatches. Simply put it in a cage made from that hardware cloth (1/2 to 3/4 inch works good) and hang it up from a tree branch high enough that a dog or raccoon can not get to it. You can also put it in one of those plastic net bags that your frozen turkey comes in and hang it.

It is tempting to put old bread out for the birds, but don’t do it. It offers them no nourishment and it only attracts undesirable birds like house sparrows and starlings.

If you have any questions about any of these suggestions give me a call (585-798-4022) or e-mail me at wooduck2020@yahoo.coms. And Merry Christmas to all!

View more local news in Lake Country