Birdfeeders

Kestrels are small falcons that feed on mice, voles, insects and beetles. They are commonly seen hovering over the grasslands along highways and can be seen swooping down on their prey from this hovering vantage point or from a high perch. While driving, watch for them perched on telephone wires which is a favorite place. They can be found in open country and in cities all over the United States. If you live near open grassland with large trees available, you might want to consider putting up a Kestrel house. These attractive birds usually nest in hollow trees but seem to take easily to an artificial Kestrel house. The house should be placed at least 20 feet off the ground, either in a tree or on the side of a building in a sheltered position. It is a good idea to put a couple of inches of wood chips in the bottom of your Kestrel house.

I just came across a recipe to help out our ground feeding birds during the cold winter months. Since they do not use our hanging suet feeders, this is a way to offer them a high calorie treat in a platform feeder. Put in a food processor, 4 cups coarse ground cornmeal (found in a farm supply store, not the fine ground from the grocery store), 1/2 pound cubed fresh suet (without any meat or blood on it), and 1 cup of peanuts and also 1 cup of raisins if you like. Pulse the processor on and off until the mixture is crumbly (only takes a few seconds). This mixture can be scattered on the ground, but on a platform feeder there is much less mess. You can just put out the amount that is eaten in a day and keep the rest in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze it for later use.

Tube feeders are a really simple way to feed lots of birds. It’s clear tube makes it easy to see when the hanging tube feeders need to be refilled, they are easy to keep clean and many species are happy to visit hanging tube feeders, especially if they are filled with black oil sunflower seeds. We have a large one hanging in our yard that is constantly being visited, especially in the winter. The one drawback of this feeder, at least in our yard, is that is regularly dominated by all the scrub-jays that hang out in our yard. Especially during the spring breeding season, the scrub-jays constantly empty our tube feeder. I have just discovered the solution. We are adding a tube feeder that is designed for clinging birds only. It doesn’t have perches, so the jays will find it quite difficult to access. Instead, it will be perfect for Chickadees, small Woodpeckers, Titmice, Nuthatches, Goldfinches and other small birds.

February is National Bird Feeding Month. It’s a good time to be sure we are all feeding our backyard birds the foods that will keep them warm and healthy. The best foods have a high fat content - black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer, peanuts and suet. The first three can all be easily offered in hanging tube feeders. Many people find squirrels to be a particular problem since they love all of these foods. Luckily, there are many styles of squirrel proof feeders available in a wide range of prices. There are those that are weight sensitive so whenever a squirrel gets aboard, the ports will close, it will twirl faster and faster until the squirrel flies off or the platform tips them off, etc. Many are surrounded by a cage to keep the squirrels out. Some people think that by offering squirrels their own feeders, they will stay away from the bird feeders. This can work to a point, but squirrel proof feeders are a much more reliable deterrent. The pictured squirrel proof feeder from Brome is actually guaranteed to keep out Red and Gray squirrels as well as large birds such as Grackles and starlings.

Once you are lucky enough to have a mated pair of Bluebirds choose your bluebird house, the female builds the nest in 4 to 5 days with very little help from the male. The female incubates the eggs with the male occasionally spending the night with her. The female lays 4 or 5 light blue eggs that hatch in 13-15 days. The male catches insects to feed the nestlings a high protein diet for their rapidly developing bones and muscles. The young will fledge in 15-20 days, but for about 2 weeks after fledging, the parents continue to feed the young while they learn to fend for themselves. This is always fun to watch. Often Bluebirds will re-nest and raise a second brood. These family units often stick together until the following spring. The key to attracting Bluebirds to nest is having plenty of nesting locations along with food and water. Many people have 3-4 bluebird houses in different locations on their property. Bluebirds prefer open areas mixed with trees. Since they naturally use tree cavities, a tree trunk is an ideal mounting place for the house. However, they also love wooden fence posts, so mounting a bluebird house on a pole 4-8 feet high in an open area can  also be quite successful. It is also a good idea to have the hole facing south or east for sun exposure if possible. If another species like a Tree Swallow insists on using the bluebird house, put another bluebird house up right next to the first one. Tree Swallows will not let another swallow nest nearby, but they will let Bluebirds occupy the neighboring house.

Bluebirds live throughout the United States. Typically, the Easter Bluebirds occur east of the Rockies and the Western and Mountain Bluebirds are found west of the Rockies. Their courtship actvities can occur as early as late February, so now is the time to get up bluebird houses. Up until about 1970, bluebird populations were declining because of lack of habitat as well as competition from non-native birds such as European Starlings. Luckily, since then there as been a great effort to put up bluebird houses in all parts of the country and the populations are again on the rise. Offering bluebird houses in your yard does more than just help this bird. It also helps our yards by providing chemical-free pest control as they eat thousands of insects including grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars and many others. Bluebirds have little fear of people and will happily move into a bird house located in a relatively open and undisturbed part of your yard.

We have had a few sunny days and I have been pushing the season and thinking about spring. However, let’s face it, it is still winter and the birds know it. For those who live in areas where it is still mostly freezing, a heated birdbath is really an essential component to a backyard bird habitat. When I heard there was snow on the ground last Friday in 49 of the 50 states, I realized I should mention this again. Not all birds eat seed, but all birds need water, so a heated birdbath will attract even species who won’t visit your bird feeders. Birds don’t have to burn as many calories drinking heated water and they can also clean their feathers. The heaters are designed to just keep the water above freezing, so are quite economical to operate. If you already have a birdbath, a heater can be purchased separately, or many birdbaths come with the heater already installed.

As I am wishing spring would come, I started looking forward to the return of lots of hummingbirds. I am always curious about the lives of these fascinating little birds, so looked up some interesting facts. I did not know that hummingbirds only exist in the Western Hemisphere - all 338 species of them. In the U.S. there are only 16 kinds, many of which only visit the extreme southwest of the country. Hummers are very loyal to feeding sites, so if you had lots of them visit your hummingbird feeders last year, chances are quite good they will return this year. If last year’s turn out was disappointing, there are things you can do to encourage more visitors. We all know how much they love red, so planting some red nectar rich flowers will certainly help. Male hummers are very territorial, so many people have found that having multiple hummingbird feeders allows more birds to feed in your yard. When we added a second hummingbird feeder to our yard, there was an immediate increase in the number of hummers we saw. The most important thing to remember is to keep all hummingbird feeders clean with fresh nectar. If a hummingbird gets a taste of fermented nectar, it will stay away from the offending feeder for a long time.

If you have squirrels in your area, you know what I mean. Squirrels can be a real pain around our bird feeders. There are many different models and types of squirrel proof bird feeders. Everyone seems to have a different favorite, depending on their yard and the behavior of their squirrels. Without some protection, squirrels will regularly empty bird feeders. After finally accepting that squirrels are not going to go away, I have adopted the idea to accept their presence and see what happens if I actually feed them. We recently nailed to a tree a squirrel box feeder. I have filled it will dried corn, peanuts and assorted other nuts. Guess what? The squirrels have been so busy with the new squirrel box feeder that they haven’t been bothering the birds any where near as much. Now, when the novelty wears off, this may change, but for now, it’s working. The added benefit is that it is fun to watch them competing over this new source of food and running up and down the tree.

As the snow storms roar through the midwest and east, offering a sheltered dining area for ground feeding birds can be very helpful. A feeding shelter can be especially useful to quail and pheasants who don’t like to venture far into the open unless absolutely necessary. The easiest shelter is a picnic table situated at least 10 feet from shrubs, brush or other hiding places. Placing a platform feeder full of seeds under the table will protect it from the snow and allow the birds some shelter while they eat. Of course, you can build a lean-to facing south to make use of any possible winter sun.The roof can be weather proof plywood or to look nice, use a thick hatch of evergreen branches. You can just scatter seed on the ground, but I find it preferable to use a platform feeder to cut down on the mess.