Jessica, thanks for the reply! we have 1 upsidedown suet (starlings think it's a little more work but still eat it) and also a large "paddle" suet feeder for the big woodpeckers (with a garbage can lid on top (starlings don't hesitate) a split seed feeder with oil sunflower on one side and a mixed seed with no corn in the other, another seed feeder with shell-less seed and it has a weight bar set on light (for the little guys) and finally a thisel feeder for the gold finches (the only feeder not being used by the starlings.
These bad boys are so aggressive the nice guys are giving up! We can try the caged suet for the little ones, and change to safflower too. Honestly, it's just driving me nutty! Have thought of getting out the ol' bb gun but I can't pump it, maybe thats a good thing!

We have a large feeder with black oiled sunflower seed, a hummingbird feeder and a suet feeder. Being in the country we get an awesome assortment of colorful songbirds as well as the occasional "rare bird sighting" The other day there was a bald eagle in a pine tree by the pond we watched from our front porch. In addition to songbirds we have many different types of woodpeckers, turkeys, owls, crows, hawks, geese and a resident Great Blue Heron, but by far my favorite backyard bird is my Mockingbird. There's nothing more joyous than a Mockingbird in full song. I do enjoy my simple pleasures!

Here's a good link on minimizing the starling issue: http://springfieldil.wbu.com/content/show/76860

Recently we wrote a blog on how to attract birds to any backyard space using different types of water features. http://www.anandalandscapes.com/blog/attracting-birds-water-features

Jessica, thanks for the link, we'll try some of those ideas.

We have a bird feeder and 6 houses placed around the house. The feeder is in one of the trees where we host squirrels [even with the squirrel proof feeder], sparrow and cow birds. We have 2 pair of doves that eat the seed that has fallen on the ground.

Ten days ago one of the birdhouses that was still in the trees was raided by a racoon, and the babies eaten!! We promptly moved the houses under the eves of our house to thwart further attacks. He was back the next night, and I watched him check everything out, and leave. I don't know if he's been back.

We also have a hawk that will sit on the fence from time to time hoping to grab a sparrow. If we spot him, we shoo him away.

We love watching the birds, especially when they have babies that are chirping away waiting to be fed.

Absolutely! We have a few of them since we have a lot of trees in the yard. It makes the landscape more cheerful and just fun to be outside!

We only have one Hummingbird feeder at this time. I'd really like to get a water feature to help out our parched feathered friends in the AZ heat, but need to do my homework first.

We do but it seems it is more of a squirrel feeder at times.

I put up a hummingbird feeder last week and still haven't seen one. What else will attract them? Should it be in shade?

Try it in the shade and make sure the sugar water stays fresh and doesn't start to ferment.

You have to catch the hummingbirds early in the season. Put your feeders out just before their migration is due to hit your area. You can hang red ribbons to get their attention and attract them. Also, research which plants they like and plant those. After the first year, if you get hummingbirds, they should return each year. Don't give up and put your feeders out early.

We've got one big bird of paradise plant in our yard that works probably as well as any bird feeder, but I'd love to put up more for the hummingbirds.

Nessiew,

What seed are you feeding? I think starlings don't like black oil sunflower. Also try using one of the caged feeders for a while.


I have four bird feeders up from November Through March. I live in CT and have had bears rip my feeders down in the summer including pulling a hummingbird feeder off my kitchen window! Now I have to content myself to the bluebirds nesting in a house on my side lawn.

Hummers are attracted to the red because they know that the red flowers have the best nectar.sugar water 3:1 ration. No dye. Clean out weekly. put vaseline on hanger to stop the bugs from getting into it. Place in shade so the sugar water doesn't spoil.
I recommend www.birdsandblooms.com

Wow, cabingirl how beautiful are the birds you have. What kind of food do they eat? I don't think I have these kind of birds around where I live but I am just curious.

We do have hummings birds but they would never eat at the same time even though there are 4 spot on the feeder, they fight. I am curious Emily when you said that there were 6 or 7 hummings birds. Where they eating at the same time?

We have 2 other bird feeder and a suet. We often have cardinals and goldfinches but all the other are pretty usual. However last winter we had a very large woodpecker. His tail is hidden behind the bird feeder. It measures about 16 in. tall. They say it is the largest one found in Canada. We also had a owl.

That's a Pileated Woodpecker, we have those also. Hummingbirds are also known as "Teeny Meanies", they are not inclined to share!
msboc, are the bears out in the daytime? We have to take all of our feeders in at night, but they're safe during the day. We feed only black-oiled sunflower seeds, they attract the greatest number of colorful songbirds. I have to have two hummingbird feeders, one for hummingbirds and one for woodpeckers, they love sugar water and will empty a feeder in no time.

No, my dogs are bird eaters.

We re-started feeding the birds a few years ago. It can be a mess, but we like the variety of birds. They range in size from hummingbirds to northern flickers.

Two important things to have in addition to food are water and cover. The plants near the feeders are excellent cover for the birds to hide in and evade prey. Cats don't seem to be an issue in our yard, but they can also use the cover for ambush, so we have some thorny plants near the feeders. Water is often more important than food especially in the heat of summer. Keeping the water clean and full is just part of the daily routine.

The squirrels have been a nuisance eating the seed, so we get a worm and insect blend of suet and seed cake. It doesn't stop the squirrels, but it slows them down. At $18 each the seed cakes would be gone in two days without some inconvenience. We also have a family of Cooper's hawks that hunt the forest. It's just part of the cycle...

We live on the edge of a forested area, so the birds have lots to eat. The feeders are just a weigh station for us to get them nearer to us.

You have a beautiful landscape moongyspy. It must be nice to sit there and appreciate nature!

Bluenan, Do you have those Plilaeted woodpeckers often? I saw it only once. However, the other they I saw one that looks just like that big one but was a third of the size. Could it be only a baby or is it another breed?

Bluenan,

My feeders are Birders Choice. ( I'll try to post a picture tomorrow if you don't know what they look like.). They're cylindrical feeders that sit atop a pole. I don't want to jinx myself, but they've been totally squirrel proof for years. ( I've had to make one modification to keep the deer from emptying them.) Bottom line, there's no easy way to bring them in at night. They're simply too heavy and would spill when filled with seed.

I was told that the bear could smell the sugar water from miles away, but I gather from what you wrote that you don't worry about your hummingbird feeders attracting the bear. I sure miss my hummers.

msboc,
We have Pileated woodpeckers that fly across our property from one wooded area to another, announcing themselves as they go. Occasionally we get one on the bird feeder or in a tree next to the house and that's always a treat. One year we had a pair that we saw quite often. In eastern Missouri we also have Red-headed woodpeckers, Red-bellied, Hairy, Downy and Flickers. None have the red crest of the Pileated, but you may be seeing a Red-headed or Hairy woodpecker. The Hairy looks like a larger version of the Downy. If you are out west you may have woodpeckers that I'm not familiar with. By the time a baby bird leaves the nest they are very close in size to their parents, so you would not be seeing a baby that was 1/3 the size. I recommend getting a field guide to bird identification, bird watching is a great hobby.
Fortunately we don't have to worry about bears, but raccoons are another matter!

Msboc, we seem to be over the worst at this point! We went thru a crazy spring with huge numbers of grackles and starlings, who brought their babies too! For some reason we don't have as many now, maybe a neighbor is serving something better:)
The 3 families of bluejays seem to dislike them and really give them a hard time so I think that helps. We are using oiled sunflowers and a good seed mix, a caged suet for the little ones, a oriole feeder with grapes and grape jelly (everybody including catbirds is loving that) 2 hummer feeders because they hate to share, and a large paddle suet feeder for 6-7 different woodpeckers including a pair of pileated woodpeckers. They really appreciate the paddle for their tails. They are so beautiful to watch coming in to feed, sooo bashful! They are on a schedule, morning, noon and night, we try to keep the dogs on the deck those times so they don't get startled. We have so enjoyed watching all the parents bring the babies in to learn how to feed, what a challenge for them! We ended up with a raccoon, after several nights of feeders on the ground, we've finally found the right spots so he can't reach them and he's moved on to better hunting grounds. I am recently retired, this is my first summer at home in a new house in the middle of 5 acres of woods, I can't belive how much I enjoy just watching birds:)

We have a hummingbird feeder on our kitchen window ledge. Love to watch them. It doesn't have to be filled very often.

Belle Chaise, try to put clean sugar water in your feeder every couple of days even if it's not empty or it will ferment.

I have wondered about fermentation. Thanks for the information. I have seen some hummingbirds early in the morning and the nectar goes down too quickly for evaporation so they must be feeding. Yea!

FYI, it aslo helps to only fill about 1/4 full, and change it every other day especially in hot weather...I have to throw out too much if its completely full.

Tried having a feeder close to the house and I ended up with large raccoons close to breaking my feeder. So I moved a different feeder to the very back of our property on a ravine high on a thin branch for finches which come daily and use the bird bath I also put out for them. I hear the hummers nearby so will put out a feeder for them as well. Love seeing the birds!

Raccoons should only come out at night. Try taking any feeder, seed or otherwise, close to the house in at night. Just stick it in the garage, that's what we have to do.

Outside my large kitchen window my husband keeps 5 feeders and birdbath fully stocked at all times in my shade garden. He started right about the time our triplets grandchildren where born ( now 11!) and they and our subsequent 3 grandchildren really enjoy the bird watching and bird talks with "Papa". We have bird books so whenever we see a new bird or one not known, the grandchildren have to get the book and find it! We have regular visitors : cardinals , finches of every variety, chickadees, nut hatches, orioles , hummingbirds, snow birds, woodpeckers, etc.. One granddaughter fell so " in love" with " the adorable" squirrell that showed up this winter that Papa had to add a corn squirrel feeder too! Grandfathers are dads with no rules! He would not have fed squirrels 15 years ago! LOL. :)

Baffles not only serve bird feeders well, they can literally be life-savers when used with birdhouses that are occupied with nests/babies. Use them with garden poles, 4x4 posts, even hanging birdhouses. An 18" diameter cone, or 24" cylinder is usually enough to thwart raccoons. http://www.thebirdhousechick.com/squirrel_baffles

I live in the southwest desert and my yard looks like Hitchcock with so many birds. There are a lot of ravens out here. I have 2 bird baths, one hanging feeder, and I put a lot on the ground. I am in the process of adding more and want to do houses as well. We have a lot of big blue jays, along with hundreds of doves and quail who are ground feeders. A lot of the little birds I do not know the name of but I see new ones all the time and love to sit and watch them. I sometimes use binoculars to see detail. We have a roadrunner who hangs out to try to get small birds and I shoo her off when I see her but she is not easily intimidated. I wish she would stick to scorpions and spiders. I have very few squirrels but a lot of chipmunks and rabbits (hundreds). I feed them as well because I like to watch them. We have deer and I've even seen a few wild pigs and one fox. My cats have a "catio" so they get a show all day long but can't get to anything. Oh, also I have seen a lot of hummingbirds but need to get feeders for them soon. They are so colorful and fast I love to watch them.

Hi Belahn,

Wow... sounds like you've got a wildlife paradise in action, would love to sit and watch all the species you mention as well!

Are you looking for a feeder that would keep large birds out? If so, anything with an adjustable dome or cage around it will deny access to larger or bully birds.

Hummingbirds? They absolutely rock, and so inexpensive to feed them as you can make your own nectar. It's simply plain table sugar and water. 1 Cup sugar to 4 cups water. We boil one cup of water just to dissolve the sugar. Add 3 cups cold and the solution is ready with no cooling time. Store unused nectar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Native plantings are always a great option as well. Any nectar-producing flowers that are native to your area will serve not only hummingbirds, but bees and butterflies as well. These pollinators are very beneficial to the landscape.

We have many blown glass hummingbird feeders from which to choose. We prefer the glass ones as they're easier to clean, never yellow or fade, and last pretty much last a lifetime!

Here's a suet feeder that would keep out larger birds, the caged style to which we refer above. These feeders are available for seed or peanuts as well.

Just ping us back with any questions at all~

The photos!!

We had an older squirrel proof feeder that began being emptied every night. So we purchased a new squirrel proof feeder and are having the same difficulty. There is snow on the ground and there are no footprints leading from below and there is not a way an animal other than a bird could get to it from above. One section of the new feeder is not empty and visiting squirrels do not bother it during the day which leads me to believe it is not them. Any ideas?

Hmmm? Are you sure that a squirrel isn't launching "sideways" from something to gain access from above? We've found that nothing really deters the critters but a squirrel baffle that's installed correctly. Whether hanging or pole-mounted, baffles deter squirrels. Most caged feeders and the Sky Cafe do work 99% of the time!

For anyone looking to indulge in a bird feeder I highly recommend you read this article first http://www.everythingbirdwatching.com/best-bird-feeder/ . Inside you will find 5 things you will want to know before buying a bird feeder for the first time :)

A baffle... it's so simple! Feeder placement and a proper squirrel baffle does the trick EVERY time. Amazing when folks claim that baffles don't work- it's only because they are not set up correctly. Squirrel-proof feeders...eh? Some are definitely better than others, but you can not beat a good squirrel baffle regardless if hanging or pole-mounted feeder... we promise!

Is there an appropriate baffle for a large tray feeder? From our experience, they attract the most variety of birds, red-bellied wood peckers, cardinals, blue jays, grosbeaks, etc. Is there a baffle that will allow all the birds to still access the food easily? It's a large square tray feeder on a shepard's hook on an upper deck.

Thank you.

I had a customer a while back she had feeders all over the place, her husband was really into them. I returned a few years later to do some work at her house, I learned that her husband passed away and all the feeders were gone...

So I asked her what happened to them so she said besides all the nuisance that they cause to the surrounding area, she said the waste has to be constantly cleaned to prevent contamination and prevent birds getting infected with few deadly diseases which affect birds that always use feeders.

Clean feeding! No-waste mixes and sunflower hearts are a good start, seed trays below feeders also help. But yes she has a valid point: an unnatural population of birds constantly around feeders is prime pickings for air-born and respiratory disease among the birds. Thus the importance of maintaining clean feeders.

Poly-lumber and vinyl bird feeders help reduce the spread of disease because mold and bacteria can not settle into cracks as with wooden feeders. But for the most part, it only takes one new visitor (infected bird) for disease to spread.

Hi Wendy,

Tray Feeders definitely see the most species! There are effective baffles for a large seed tray hanging from shepherd's hook, but since your hook is on a deck rail... it gives squirrels a launching point :(

The whole idea of a baffle being effective is that the squirrel can not bypass it via launching point. There must not be any object (s) from which they could jump in order to gain feeder access.

Some are like uber-squirrel too, they leap tall buildings in a single bound!!

Lol, so true. Guess we'll just have to like those little critters.

Thank you.

Birds Choice - Green Solutions provide the widest line of bird feeders, bird houses and anything your backyard needs to provide birds with a great Haven! Don't forget to provide the cotton nesting balls for nesting season. Purple Martin houses with Telescoping poles provide one very unique birds around.

I don't.

Bird feeders bring nothing but crap all over the place not to mention bacteria.

If anyone is planning on having one put it as far as possible away from the outdoor spaces where you spend quality time with family and friends or where your kids play.

I always love cylindrical bird feeders for their space saving features. Unlike birdhouses or massive square sizes, tube feeders like this Droll Yankee are perfect for my small flower and bees garden. I love that the tube in wire mesh can hold up to at least a pound of peanuts that woodpeckers can enjoy easily. On other days, I can also put sunflower seeds to attract finches or chickadees.

@Steve Earsom - Be vigilant re House Finch eye disease...it can be transmitted through the use of tube feeders. Infected bird uses feeding port and leaves bacteria, next feeding bird can contract disease. Sadly, had to cease using all my Droll Yankee feeders for two years.

https://feederwatch.org/learn/house-finch-eye-disease/

There are many options for bird feeders, with lots of cleaning to prevent contamination. Everyone is working to get rid of the disease.