Thanks for your comment, mbrowne. I'm sure the additional feeders are affecting their behavior as well. Last year, the two feeders were guarded fiercely from a nearby wire. With 5, I'm finding one bird only guards one or two, and allows feeding at the others. I don't know if you remember my comments about timidity earlier this year--you were surprised. Well, this new mob isn't as timid, either. They'll feed if I stand motionless a few feet away, and tolerate some movement inside the house. Also I've noticed they may turn their back on me (I guess to shut out the intrusive sight of me :) Fly off only at movement, but even then come right back. All the extra acitivity is definitely worth the little bit of extra work.

I know what a thrill it is to get a cardinal -- the farmhouse I lived in for 18 years had none when I first moved there -- I was so excited when my efforts with feeders, birdbaths, and habitat additions started paying off and the cardinals arrived! Cardinals will come to hanging feeders as long as there's an area big enough for them to land on, as indicated by pondwelr. They often can't feed from tube feeders because the perches are small for them to sit on and twist around enough to get into the ports, but if there's a tray attached to the bottom, like pondwelr has, they can sit on that and feed. Some of my tray feeders have been on posts and some have been hanging -- and sometimes I feed right on the ground or another flat surface (where I live now we have a patio surrounded by a stone wall and we put seed on the top of the stone wall). Unhulled seed is great because you don't have all the hulls all over the ground, and the birds love it (less work for them, too!). It is more expensive but that's the biggest drawback. I don't have a house sparrow or finch "problem" where I am, but in my old farmhouse I had dozens of them -- I put cracked corn and millet on the ground for them; they still ate some of the black oil but they also ate on the ground a lot and it saved me a little $. Or so I like to believe :) And the millet draws in other little sparrows that aren't as common as house sparrows, like the white-throated and white-crowned sparrows, during migration. The more activity you get, the more you'll draw in. Warning: feeding birds can be addictive! :) I'm including a link for the birding forum -- it's a great place to learn more about birds, if you're interested. Have fun! and enjoy those cardinals! Here is a link that might be useful: birding forum

The birds seem to know where the camera is - they all look in that direction most of the time. Is it chance that all three landed on the right side of the feeder? Is that more protected (shrubs, etc.)? I've never really watched the process of breaking the shell, eating the seed, and spitting out the shell pieces. It makes you really appreciate the strength of the bills. Thanks, Claire

thank you! Iôve attached a pic of the popsicle bird feeder. One of those Pinterest things. Thank you for the advice, I was thinking to change the feeder, but thought first to try and get a different seed mix. What I got supposedly does not attract doves, but they there were....bullying the poor cardinals that wanted to come. I read that somebody posted once that the doves are scared easily. Not where I live. I actually have to go out and make a scandal before they just jump on the fence and watch me from there. Iôll try changing feeders...no fun watching doves eat my seeds.