How can I attract blue birds to my yard in the winter?
hammom
13 years ago
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kendra2003
13 years agohammom
13 years agoRelated Discussions
How can I prevent 'bird perching' damage to my roses?
Comments (17)I have a courtyard garden so there is limited space to move things around, I moved the taller roses to a safer spot and provided more perching material between the feeder and fountain and that has helped. So far the only bud I've lost this year was the tallest one on my Dream Come True rose, it was about 6' high and it was the only damage done to the whole plant so I'm pretty sure that the culprit had wings. I've never seen a hawk visiting my garden, but there is a bluejay who likes to swoop in and frighten away all the smaller birds. I'm thinking that most of the breakage occurs when they are taking off to get away from the bluejay, or possibly it's the bluejay but I've never seen it perch on the roses and I have witnessed the smaller birds doing it frequently. My dog Lola is a boxer-lab mix and she hasn't shown much interest in plants, she only cares about digging for gophers and eating anything gross she can find. I haven't been able to use manure in my garden for years. On the other hand she keeps the squirrels and other critters away during the daylight hours, at night the neighborhood cats and owl take over. Thanks for your interest and help!...See MoreFeeding & attracting & photos of winter birds
Comments (15)I feed the birds all year sort of. They start with cleaning off the sunflowers that they plant the previous fall and continue to clean off the grasses, berries, and corn that I sometimes grow just for them. Of course I have water out all the time for them and a heated dish in the winter. I feed the big birds cat food with bread or cereal in it. They get any left overs when I cook a turkey or ham. I make my own concoction of peanut butter, prunes, hulled sunflower seeds, rolled oats, millet, black oil sunflower and a few other things they like to pick at. I buy millet, black oil sunflower and striped sunflower by the sack and keep it in large bins in the hall along with peanuts,hulled sunflower seeds, oats and rabbit pellets. Once in a while I will give them a treat of meal worms from the petstore or cut up fruit. And sometimes I will get a seed bell or spray millet just to watch them. I also ground up dry catfood last year and put it in the feeder. The little birds get much needed fat and protein to keep warm that way. I have the usual black and white feather dusters, the blue jays, lots of chickadees (black capped and boreal), nuthatches (red and white breasted), woodpeckers, northern flickers, juncos, finches, sparrows, the odd grosbeaks, waxwings, and redpolls and I even had a kestral last spring. Not many crows unless it is a really warm winter. My computer is in the corner of the front bedroom where there are the old corner windows. I feed the birds from about 5 feeders and baskets hanging from the big white spruce about 2 feet from the corner of the house here. I feed the rabbits under the tree and the dish feeders on the fence from big heavy ceramic dishes. It is such a routine for me to feed the birds after I feed the dogs on winter mornings. My neighbours are used to the crazy lady in her fleece pjs out feeding the birds every morning and the dogs go out and wait by the fence for the maggies to drop food for them. Quite the scene to watch! The maggies are very comical and they literally talk to me. I can't stand to see anything go hungry or be cold and the little birds seem to like to feast under the protective branches of this 50 foot spruce. My neighbour across the street says she likes to sit with her coffee in the morning and watch the bunnies and birds eating. And that reminds me: Must find a bale of hay for the bunnies. Last year I fed a cat all winter but coudln't catch her. She left me mice most mornings under the kennel....... I hope we have a mild winter or at least get some snow. It is bitterly cold without a little insulation. Ginny...See MoreAttracting birds to my yard on long island ny
Comments (2)irish rose grower---- Not sure how your post got here, but perhaps you would be interested in the feathered friends forum if you havent been there. Heres a link. Here is a link that might be useful: feathered friends...See MoreHow can I ATTRACT crows ?
Comments (45)My husband made a raised table for me. It's about three feet high (a 4 x 4 post) and the table top is about 2 x 3. My crows get dried dog food every morning and if I have meat scraps for dinner they get those late in the day. They like fish scraps, chicken hearts, peanuts, cooked spaghetti (sans the sauce), leftover fruit .. just about any scraps I have they enjoy. Be careful with chips and crackers as I have read that salt is very bad for birds ... can't place the article right now, but google it maybe. When I go out to fill my tray feeders with black oil sunflower seeds for the birds and squirrels I call for the crows and they show up and start making a lot of noise. I know many people dislike them, but they are so fascinating to watch and really are beautiful birds. I love my crows. This year I have a pair nesting in my back yard and I can watch them from inside my living room and not disturb them. They are very sweet together and make all sorts of lovely little noises to each other. I enjoy having them in my yard. The funniest thing I've seen them doing lately is following squirrels around and digging up the peanut they just buried. The squirrels are clueless. lol They had me laughing out loud watching them last week. I kept giving the squirrels peanuts just to keep the game going. Cheap entertainment for me. :)...See Morebluebars
13 years agolou_m
13 years agokendra2003
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13 years agokendra2003
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13 years agobandjzmom
13 years ago
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kendra2003