Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Wild bird feeding this winter ?

I put up a new feeder and can’t get one fuggin bird in.

Add feed.

I have 2 feeders out. Feed Black oil sunflower seeds. Have mostly Cardinals. Saw Carolina Wrens and a woodpecker on it today. See Chickadees and Titmice often too.

The wife throws out some chicken scratch every morning in 2 places on the place.

They seem to like it birds of all kinds show up and most times it is all gone by the next morning she feeds.

My cardinals want nothing to do with the feeders, preferring to scavenge from the ground.

Cardinals were a favorite pet bird, until they outlawed it.

Seed prices have gone nuts. Walmart has 40lb of sunflower seeds for $30 and that's $10 cheaper than anyplace else I've found. Last spring they were $20.
We haven't had much snow this winter and there aren't that many birds. 95% of them are sparrows, juncos, and house finches. There's a covey of a dozen quail that makes the rounds of the neighborhood. They should come back through in a week or so.

Cracked corn is cheap.

Feeders front and back. Chickadees, juncos, goldfinches, nuthatches, doves, cardinals, bluejays, downy, hairy, and red bellied woodpeckers, titmice, chipping sparrows, white crowned sparrows, english sparrows, house finches, redbreasted grosbeaks, redwing blackbirds, starlings, cowbirds, fox squirrels, red squirrels, turkeys occasionally, and every so often a hungry coopers hawk. Orioles, wrens and hummingbirds in the summer.

Probably 200 lbs since the beginning of November. Songbird mix, black oil seed, niger, shelled peanuts, seed logs, and suet cakes. Grape jelly for the orioles and sugar solution for the hummers.

Red squirrels get live trapped and dropped off on the other side of the Shiawassee River. Cowbirds discouraged.....

Birds have been a great distraction from the pandemic

Yes, cracked corn is cheaper than most feed, suit low cost also.

I don’t consider myself an expert, but I can identify most common birds. Years ago I would consult the bird book if I saw a new type.

When out deer hunting my good luck signal is when I hear a nuthatch. I must of had good luck years ago. Now when I hear the tweet of a nuthatch, I get ready for the 8 pointer to amble by.

I buy a 20 lb. bag of bird seed about every other week.

Sprinkle it under my Dogwood tree.

Mtn. Quail, Doves, and lots of song birds.

I put out feed every morning. It's just about time for me to go feed them now.


Virgil B.

I just got back in from refilling the sewit feeders. My late wife got me interested in bird watching.

Jim

Last night's storm dropped another 4-5" of snow

Probably close to 36" on the ground now

Looks like another 40# bag being ordered...Walmart is $35 order & free shipping

I've been feeding the little buggers right along. We have a healthy population of eurasian doves and sparrows with just enough pheasants and cardinals to make it interesting. The rabbits and deer come every night and clean up as well. Tough winter, I don't mind helping them out some.

Yep, plus red squirrels. Fugging red squirrels.

Yes I feed them and now one of my daughters feeds them too, after I gave her a feeder mounted on a pole. Also gave her a bluebird house and put it up. Within a week she had a bluebird living in it. Cool birds.

Ya seed went from 17 to 30 bucks here for sunflowers. Try to limit what the varmints get. Put up the blocker cone thing on the poles and that snap together duct work to keep the raccoons from climbing the poles. Had one smart squirrel that kept getting up there. Finally watched him jump from a nearby table over the shield and onto the pole. Moved the table back 6 inches a day for a couple of days. Good times.

IF I were to put one up/out either the bears would destroy it or the deer would be underneath it.
Either way puts me in a lawbreaking situation should I repair/refill.

I just use cheap scratch from the Bi-Mart in the big town, thanks to LGB it's up around $16 per 50/lb now. And I put out a cup of peanuts in the shell for the jays. I skip feeding on Thurs and Sunday. Birds gotta remember to forage................or at least fly 1/4 mile to the neighbors place

NO feed overnight. I just bring a small bucket out every morning, scatter it on the ground, right on top of the snow and on the rail fence too. they usually clean it up every night. Keeps the deer from getting it.

Pennington's wild Bird feed, COOP 5 grain scratch, Coop 3 grain scratch sweetened with a little added black oil sunflower seeds.

I used to spend less to feed me that this runs each month.
It is interesting to watch the interactions.

Contrary to common lore, doves are not birds of peace, many are fighters in the public feeding area (ground under the feeder).

Heck have even had a couple of nimble hawks swoop through and grab someone to eat.