I cannot say for certain that the 7' line is sacrosanct, but it does seem to satisfy goose 'needs'. I arrived at that amount of land because what I was creating on the golf course was a 'hazzard' from which golfers could choose to possibly fashion a swing and hit an errant ball if they wished. I would not use boulders as this gives the birds a perch to land upon and then hop off into the yard. Planting shrubs/thorny roses along the inside of the fence provides comfortable nesting areas for the birds in the spring with no access to the water for the young. It would be possible to develop a perennial garden along the 100' using only plants which are cut to the ground in the fall to discourage nesting. Using plants that take up a lot of space and planting in large drifts with an eye to always having something in bloom is an interesting project. Spring bulbs to peonies to butterfly bush to the lower growing perennial sunflowers to perennial asters...these sorts of blooming progressions. The New England Forum people should be able to help you with ideas for easy care, clumping plants that are cut back in the fall. Your problem does not have easy solutions. BTW, I tried using low wire fencing instead of the fishing line idea and it did not work too well. I surmise that it is the surprise element of bumping into the unseen line that discourages the birds.

Oh My! Jan...another 'Bird Whisperer' in your family. Just to let you know, I tried. I had a fist full of sunflower hearts, offered them in out streatched hand to a group of Chickadees and...nada...nothing...they just looked at me, tapping their little toes...waiting for me to leave. You and Mike (AKA Snow White & Prince Charming) have the magic touch... I like your pictures and yes, the Flicker is a very beautiful bird. I like to see them fly into the yard. With the sun behind them, their wings take on a bright golden/mustard tone as they fly. I love the distinct markings on their backs and that touch of red on the back of their head is remarkable. I feel the same way about the Red-Bellied Woodpecker. Both have the power to stop me in my track when I see them. Today is a PFW count day for me but before I could get started I needed to top off two feeders and replenish the suet. As soon as I got back in the house from doing so, I was rewarded with the Yellow-Rumped Warbler, back for some suet. I am also seeing more House Finch and, they look healthy. Just like all of you, I am also getting an increase in bird song...I love it! I'm also noticing that birds are starting to show up in pairs. I noticed it first in the Woodpeckers...another good sign. sooey

update: cut off the legs, as previous mentioned the sparrows perch on them then fly on to the feeder. I have been driving myself crazy trying to find the right amount of wires. I used 30 gauge and thinking it is too thin as i am always untangling the wires. i do have weights on the end but might try little heavier wire and weights. For the most part it works ok to keep sparrows at bay..until the wires cross then it becomes a mob again. Very frustrating as the sparrows even if they don't feed they hang around on the ground and make a mess ...i really have hoards in my city neighbor and i may just be ready to give in to them. Most awesome thing is that the woodpeckers, cardinals, chickadees, nuthackers are wonderful to watch and do get a good amount of time on the feeders.

whenever I hear people discussing ways to discourage the sparrow I have to ask myself why? As You can easily see from my photo's when there is an abundant supply of food the birds will all mingle well. From my observation it is only when the food is in short supply that they really begin to be territorial. The question then becomes, why is the seed in short supply? No doubt the answer here is simple economics. People don't care to spend a lot of money on expensive birdseed, only to have it consumed by the less desirable birds and they don't get to see the species they are really interested in. From my experience the solution here is to shop around for your wild bird seed. By example, we have a local store that caters specifically to feeding and attracting wild birds. They sell a general mix of wild bird seed for $15 for a 20lb bag. On the other hand, Walmart has 20lb bags of the same seed for $10, however at Walmart it is a seasonal item and by now you probably can't find it. How would you like to find a year around source that has a better selection at prices far below the average retail store prices? In almost every community there is a store that specializes in selling feed, grain and hay for horses or farm animals. When my sister goes to the feed mill to buy feed for her horses I tag along and buy 50# bags of premium wild bird seed (mixed seed & peanuts) for $12 plus I buy a 50# bag of black oilseed sunflower seed for another $13. I then mix the two together and I end up with a premium blend for an average of $.25/lb. If you cannot find a Feed & grain supply in your community check out TSC (Tractor Supply Co.) TSC is also a great place to find feeders of all types for prices far below what you find in the regular retail stores, but then feeders are so simple to build i don't see why anyone would pay the prices they ask in most stores. While we are on the subject of bird feed, you may be surprised at how much you throw away every month without realizing it. When you bake a ham or a roast trim off the excess fat and put that in your suet feeder, the birds love it. At my house we all love to eat acorn or butternut squash. When you hollow out the seeds put them out for the birds, here again, they love it. Making a salad? Save the carrot peelings of the birds and by all means, be sure to save your orange or grapefruit peelings. I have seen a Bluejay grab an entire half section grapefruit peel and fly it up into the pine tree. Stale popcorn, potato chips, pretzels, breakfast cereal and cookies all go over well with the birds and as silly as it may sound, even leftover porky beans, whole kernel corn or green beans will quickly disappear when the birds find them. As you can see, I have taken feeding the birds rather seriously however to tell the truth it is more an means to an end. Since I retired last June I have taken up nature photography as a hobby, and since it is a bit too cold to get out in the woods like i would like to do, this is a way i can bring nature to me while i comfortably sit in the house...LOL. Gein that the subject of this thread was how to attract cardinals I thought i might post a couple more Cardinal Picks, along with one of my favorite pics of a Bluejay.