Bird seed bell good for birds?

18 years ago

Hello

I was wondering if the bird seed bell that I purchased is as good for my backyard birds as the black sunflowers.

Thanks to anyone who might have an answer!

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Comments (3)

lisa11310
18 years ago
My birds liked them but not as much as the squirrels did, I had 4 of them last year and all 4 ended up in a tree or on the ground. The birds didn't have a chance once the squirrels found em.
Lisa
jillmcm
18 years ago
The bells tend to have a lot of junk seeds in them that attract undesirable birds like the non-native house sparrows (or that just plain don't get eaten). They're not a good choice for backyard bird feeding, but your black oil sunflower seeds are.
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Ian, those are sapsuckers. They do not girdle the trees although it looks pretty close sometimes. They are drilling for sap, much like tapping a maple to make syrup, except the sapsuckers eat the insects that are attracted to the sap. Hummingbirds also I've heard are attracted to the sapsucker holes for the insects. It looks like it must be damaging, and it's definitely an open wound, but I've never seen a tree killed or seriously damaged by sapsuckers, and they're pretty birds. They go for the sweet-sapped trees mainly like birch and alder and aspen and maple. Are birds 'good' or 'bad' for trees?? aren't they pretty much made for each other?? Trees live in a world filled with birds, and birds live in a world filled with trees. Although trees as a whole predate birds by millions of years, trees and birds get along pretty well together, and they've lived together for much longer than we've been around. It's a myth that birdfeeders will spoil the birds so they won't eat insects. Most insect eating birds don't eat birdseed, for one thing. Conversely, birdfeeders don't attract most insect eating birds except for chickadees. Suet feeders, and birdbaths most of all, will attract more of the insect eaters. The weight of birds damaging trees? I wouldn't think so. Birds don't weigh hardly anything, their bones are hollow, and under those feathers there's hardly any bulk left, it's all fluff. And birds get off if a branch sways too much under their weight. Birds need trees, and trees need birds. I agree that the trees seem cheered by birds in them, even when the birds are eating all the flower buds so fruit won't set. That's what the finces do to my cherry trees, they gather by the dozens just as the flower buds are swelling, but who cares? finches are pretty and sing nice, and there's too many tiny little cherries on these trees anyway, they're a nuisance, might as well go to the birds as drop stones on the lawn for me to step on and the dogs to eat and plug up their guts. I read once that in Europe it's considered a good omen if a bird lights on a newly planted tree. Sounds like you have a yard full of good omens. Are you keeping a life list of the birds you see?
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You're going to have more trouble than the birds are. Birds are immune to the effects of capsaicin, unlike mammals (I figured out that the squirrel digging in my potted peppers was burying nuts in the nice soft dirt, he didn't nibble. But the turkeys were eating the peppers in the garden til I put the deer netting we'd taken down for Irene back up.). In fact, they often include dried chiles in parrot mixes. Too bad for your friend, though.
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It sounds like you should simply bite the bullet and ask a friend, relative, or neighbor to pick you up some seed the next time they go to the store. Don't be hesitant to ask for a favor....they are so easily returned in kind.
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black oil sunflower seeds will attract the most birds, but you WILL get squirrels too. You can plant native trees & shrubs instead. Do a search for native shrubs for wildlife.
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dreamweaver_
18 years ago
I have lots os Squirrels in my yard but ever since I set up two feeding stations for them in two different trees they don't bother my bird feeders. I put a mixture of Song Bird food & Squirrel food in their feeders & also have a couple of the holders that hold an ear of corn. Don't think you could put a lesser quality of food in their feeders & expect them to stay off the bird feeders if something better is offered there. It doesn't seem to take much to keep them happy & full, after all they are on the bird feeders because they are hungry just like the birds.
I was surprised, they don't eat as much as I thought they did when they were on my bird feeders all the time.

I found this recipe on the Garden & Flower Crafts Forum for making a Birdseed Wreath, plan to make some for Christmas gifts. I'm sure if you have a mold you could make any shape you'd want.
I plan to use Songbird mix [sunflower seed, shelled peanuts, Safflower seed, dried raisins & dried cherries] in the wreaths I make.

Here's the recipe if anyone is insterested, copied from this thread

Birdseed Wreath

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water
4 1/4 ounce pkgs. Knox unflavored gelatin
8 cups birdseed

Boil 1 1/2 cup water.
Empty the 4 packages of gelatin into 8 tablespoons of cold water in a large bowl.
Let the gelatin sit for 1 minute.
Add the boiling water and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until the gelatin has dissolved.
Stir 8 cups of birdseed into the gelatin, mixing thoroughly.
Let the mixture set for a few minutes, then stir again. Repeat this process a few times allowing the seed to absorb the liquid.
Spoon the mixture into a greased bundt pan and put in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

Remove the wreath from the mold by inverting the pan and tapping along the bottom. The pan may need to warm to room temperature before the wreath will come out.
Allow the wreath to dry overnight or longer if necessary.
(I found it needs to be on a cooling rack to let the air circulate.)
Use several strands of raffia to form a loop to hang the wreath.

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Bird seed bell good for birds?

Comments (3)

lisa11310

jillmcm

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