Karen Its takes some time and then location could play a part.. But increasing your hummer habitat should help ,, more feeders possibly spaced on opposite sides of the house where there might be less fighting. Then of course some good hummer plants will attract a bigger crowd too. As for the type of plants that work best for hummers is up for debate and that is best left for another thread.

You've come to the right place. I've had seven species of woodpecker in my yard, and they all love the suet log. I have a horizontal log and a vertical log. Put the log somewhere that squirrels can't get to it (like on a pole with a baffle) but near a tree so the woodpeckers feel comfortable. My woodpeckers are fairly picky and spoiled. I use Attractor peanut flavor suet. I use this year-round. It's really cute during nesting season because the parents will come fill up their beaks with suet to take back to the nest, and then the fledglings will come later. Here's what my setup looks like, and a few of my visitors: Pileated woodpecker: Northern flicker and downy: Yellow-bellied sapsucker: Red bellied woodpecker: Red-headed woodpecker (in the burr oak near the feeder): Very beat up spot on the oak tree where all the woodpeckers like to land before flying over to the feeder: And also the usual downies, hairies, plus nuthatches and chickadees. Put out your suet log, and the woodpeckers will come. -- Liz in Bloomington, MN Backyard weather and feedercam: http://www.overlookcircle.org Photo gallery: http://www.pbase.com/gymell/liz_favorites Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lizmstanley

I cannot comment on the appearance of Nuthatches in the Chicago area, but here in Youngstown, Ohio there certainly is an abundance of them. I just went out to fill my bird feeders and I observed 5 Nuthatches on the suet feeder, two on my hopper type seed feeder, two on the ground under the seed feeder and at least 3 more higher up in the Maple tree. The Nuthatches, Chicadees and Titmouse have become so accustomed to me that I can generally stand about 6ft from the hopper feeder, camera in hand, and they continue to come and go to the feeder. When he weather is milder I often set up my camera on a tripod about 10 to 20 feet from the feeder, attach a remote shutter release, then I sit motionless in a lawn chair and watch the activity, all the while tripping the shutter with the remote cord concealed in my pocket. Frequently I am buzzed by the Chicadees as they come for a closer look at what i am doing, and on one occasion I actually had a Chickadee land on the camera and sit their looking at me from about 3 feet away. On the other hand, I have yet to see the first finch appear this year.

Leslie, I find nest box traps work better in the early spring and summer; I run the bait traps durring the wnter, when I notice EHSs coming to the feeders. Of course, I safely release any native bird that wanders in. For some glorious reason I had only one male EHS this winter. I feed only black-oil sunflower seed; all the native birds love it and it's the least favorite of the EHSs. That's keeps them out of the area too. I bought my neighbor a 50# bag so she'd quit putting out the white and red millet that attracts nothing but vermin. She's delighted with all the song birds she's attracting now. There are probably dozens of native sparrows that are wonderful creatures, to be protected in every way. Like so many concerned blue bird and purple martin "landlaords", the sparrows that I trap (and the only ones that it is legal to trap) are the non-native, human-introduced, English house sparrow. Like so many introduced species, they are destroying our environment. I love the Chipping Sparrows, Song Sparrows, White-Crowned Sparrows, White-Throated Sparrows, Harris Sparrows, Lincoln Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, etc. and try to bring new birders' attention to them and all their charms and benefits. I also try to point out the fact we call EHSs "sparrows" is a misnomer. They are actually a weaver with bill designed to kill other birds, which I have seen him do far too many times. There's nothing like checking your martin colony and finding 14 hatchlings with their heads cracked open. After that, is was very easy for me to practice smart pest control. Have your Purple Martins returned yet? I'm still waiting, but I'm having to form a new colony now, so it will take more patience.