We put two birdfeeders in the back yard this year. It’s been fun and relaxing watching the various birds outside the kitchen window, especially the colorful cardinals. We are kind of new to this, though, and I’m noticing a shift in attitudes that’s come about as a direct result of the feeders. It seems we (especially Mrs. Cardigan, but me as well) are gradually feeling more and more responsible for the birds’ welfare. As in feelings of guilt set in when the feeders are discovered empty. Thoughts of ‘my god, how long have these feeders been empty and are birds now suffering because of our negligence?’
Do birds become ‘dependent’ on bird feeders or possibly even put off migrating because they think they’ve got a dependable food source? Seems like it could be pulling the rug out from under the poor birds if the feeders are allowed to go empty.
Due to the shifting polar vortex, temperatures are currently in the single digits around here. We noticed a number of birds during the last week were flying up to the feeders and not eating. Like they would fly up to the feeder then fly back to the fence and maybe a while later fly back up to the feeder. The feeders got filled last weekend and weren’t empty, but I checked what was going on with the feeders yesterday and discovered the seed had frozen and the birds couldn’t eat it. I promptly chipped it loose in the tray, but it snowed more and I think the same thing is happening today. Does anyone else have experience dealing with this issue?
We put out a suet feeder for when it’s freezing weather. The juncos do a team effort; one will land on the feeder and peck at it furiously, while the others run around on the deck underneath it and eat the fallout. I’ll have to check the seed feeder today to see if it’s frozen. I wouldn’t worry too much about your feeder being empty. Birds find other sources, as a LOT of people put out feeders. I keep a close eye on the hummingbird feeder, as the birds are tiny and fragile, and they stick around throughout the winter here. For prolonged cold spells, I wrap a dish towel around the nectar tube to keep it from freezing. We have scrub jays nesting in the nearby cedar trees, so I’ve started putting out raw peanuts in the shell for them. Of course, that attracts squirrels, so there’s a dance out there to see who gets what.
We put out a suet feeder too. Mostly in hopes of attracting cedar waxwings (cool looking birds if ever there were, but none have ever stopped by). For some reason the birds ignored the suet during the summer and we ended up throwing out a suet block that got moldy. Maybe it’s a different ballgame in the winter and perhaps I should refill the suet feeder now.
I totally understand where you’re coming from. I agree that once you start putting out food, especially in the winter, you’re kind of responsible for keeping it going. In my neighbourhood there are just too many cats running loose to put up bird feeders except I do put up hummingbird feeders on the porch. The dog is pretty good at barking at any cats that try to go up to the porch. It’s getting down to freezing right now so I keep one feeder inside and one outside and switch them out every couple of hours so there’s always food for the hummers.
There was ice in the hummer feeder this morning; while I was changing out the nectar, she came by looking for breakfast, but the new nectar was still too warm for my glass feed tube (I broke one last year by putting hot liquid in). She’ll be back. I buy sunflower seed by the 25 pound bag, so I’m doing my duty!
Never had that particular problem, but would switching to a different feed make a difference? Say, sunflower seeds, if you’re using millet now?
Birds survived for thousands of years without human intervention- don’t think one should feel too guilty about it. … Hypocritically, this household takes the cause of Helping Carolina Wrens Make it Through the Winter very seriously- with generous application of wet cat food, freeze-dried mealworms, and peanuts. The single resident wren seems appreciative, and is seen daily.
This is how I feel too. This year I started out resenting it because there are more bully blue jays who were plowing through the food, but I started putting more on the ground for them so the feeders have lasted longer.
This is me too. I love the jays but they are gluttons. Now they seem to have cleared out so I’m a bit more vigilant. If I could only discourage those rotten squirrels.
I purchased a special $30 ‘squirrel proof’ feeder and hung it from an old clothesline pole. I watched those crazy critters jump off a nearby tree ~15’ away trying to land on the feeder. They spent all afternoon and probably crashed and burned a 100 times. Next morning I find the little bastards not only connected on one jump but were able to circumvent the weight activated squirrel-proofing device by chewing a big hole near the bottom of the feeding aperture causing all the seed to fall on the ground. The feeder was completely empty.
I figure it’s better to bribe them and give them their own corn so maybe they’ll leave the bird seed alone.
Recently at a craft show I saw a squirrel feeder that had two “seats” on opposite sides of a wooden dowel upon which you could impale an ear of corn. It was like a little squirrel diner. But I’m not made of money so I opted for the $5 squirt gun;) (Don’t worry, no squirrels are ever harmed unless you count nearly killing themselves laughing at me).
Years ago I had daily battles with trying to keep squirrels off the feeder. I’d even trained my dog to sneak quietly to the back door and then I’d open it quickly for her to explode out and chase them all away.
I got a baffler, hung plastic bags around the base of the feeder, greased up the pole with Vaseline but nothing worked. Eventually I decided to give up and somehow I convinced myself that that meant I won.
Shortly after I was telling my mother-in-law how I won the battle with the squirrels because she also had the same battle. When I told her I won by giving up she just sort of looked at me like :dubious:
I guess the little bastards had caused me to go temporarily insane
It’s been a long time since my ornithology course, but my understanding is that at least some species will indeed delay/forego migration if there’s a food source available. You’re right to feel responsible for them if you’ve lured them into sticking around by putting up a feeder.
This feeder is squirrel proof. Guaranteed, but not cheap. The perch is spring-loaded and adjustable for larger birds like cardinals. Anything heavier on the perch, like a squirrel, closes the feed ports. Hanging down from above doesn’t work for them, either, as the top is sloped and the feeder is long. Occasionally, a squirrel will leap onto the feeder and knock a seed loose, but they lose interest pretty quickly. The top has a positive twist-lock, so it can’t be pried open by the little bastards.
I can’t find the cite, but a study on urban chickadees from the 1970s found that less than 20% of their diet was human-provided. Some people suggest filling your feeder more irregularly, so the birds don’t come to rely on it too heavily.
We’re lucky with the squirrels in that the feeders are in an open area and there’s nowhere to jump on them from. The baffles we have work well – I don’t think the squirrels even try anymore.
The fun part is when the snow piles up around the birdie area and the little red squirrels develop a tunnel system. A head pops out of one hole, disappears and pops out somewhere else in the snowbank.
I’ve read that based on the kind of food they get during different parts of the year can cause them to breed too early in the winter before spring and they lose their chicks. I’d check and see if you can find a winter food mix that won’t bring them into breeding condition too early.
Update: birds LOVE suet feeders in the winter. They’ve been going at it hammer and tongs ever since we put one out. Lots of rewarding sightings (but still no cedar waxwings)
