-About My Feeders And Birdbath -

I've had a number of different bird feeders over the past several years. These are the feeders I now have in my backyard, and why I have them. The above feeder, is a counter-balance bird feeder filled with Black Oil Sunflower Seed. I originally had a platform feeder. The problem with a platform feeder is that they attract big messy birds like pigeons. There's something wrong with a feeder that allows birds to eat and poop in the same place. This counter-balance feeder attracts a variety of birds (Like this male Cardinal) but closes up when squirrels try to get at the seed.

This feeder takes a little bit of explaining. This is a tube feeder surrounded by a squirrel proof cage. It is filled with shelled sunflower seeds. It has a plastic dome that protects the seed from rain. I duct-taped twine to the dome. The twine is attached about every 4 inches. The reason I did this, is that House Sparrows were taking over the feeder. The hanging twine does not stop House Sparrows from using this feeder completely. It does however, discourage them from using this feeder. The House Sparrows seem very uncomfortable trying to penetrate this string barrier. Now that the House Sparrows have lost their dominance over this feeder, the number of Tufted Titmice, Downy Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatches, Black-Capped Chickadees, and American goldfinches have increased significantly. These birds don't seem to be bothered by the hanging twine. The idea for hanging strings, came from a product called the Magic Halo. I've only tried this with tube feeders. You may have to experiment, in order to get the best results. The feeder on the left, is a metal Nyjer feeder. It has a metal screen type design. I used to have a plastic feeder. The seed ended up wet, clumped up, and moldy. I don't have those problems with this particular feeder. Below the two feeders is a squirrel baffle. If you use these according to directions, you will not have a squirrel problem. I had painted it with silver paint in order to camouflage the bird poop that ends up on it. Looks like it's time for a new paint job.

This is a shelled peanut feeder with a Northern Flicker attached to it. These feeders attract some of the same birds that suet feeders do. The advantage is, that peanuts do not melt like suet does, and the screen design slows the rate at which birds can eat the peanuts. A dome over the top is a must for this feeder. Otherwise, the peanuts will spoil in no time. Let's take a break to sing the National Anthem. Put your right hand over your heart.

A birdbath with dripping water is a good solution if you don't have the time or money to set up a backyard pond. I hung a watering can from a tree by a bungee cord. I removed the spout, and replaced it with a plastic spout from a dish washing detergent bottle. If I set it to a slow drip, it will last 24 hours off of one fill. Birds go crazy over the sound of dripping water!

So those are my four feeders and birdbath. I bought my feeders from Birds Unlimited. They charge good money for their feeders, but I think they are worth it in the long run. I used home made solutions for the dripper and the House Sparrow problem.

That's about all I have for tonight. I'll look forward to doing some birding, and posting my results this weekend!