The big 'surprise' was seeing the huge black fish crows coming to the feeder! I had put some older strawberries on the platform and apparently the crows really like that. I was aiming for attracking the mockingbirds, but got crows instead! My hawks hunt daily in my yard. I have two - a sharpie and a red tail. I call them both "Hannibal Lector" for obvious reasons. Neither is scared or phased by me in the slightest and will perch a few feet away from me -- watching me - while I'm working in the yard. One literally buzzed my 68 year old mother on the patio -- literally, came inches from her face - while it was aiming for it's target, a dove. I'm trying to move away from hanging feeders on my trees. Unfortunately, between the fruit rats and the squirrels, none of the birds are getting any of the food and I don't want to encourage the rats! I witnessed a fruit rat fail at an attempt to climb the platform feeder (hooray!). I don't mind the squirresl, but, do mind the rats! I have the platform feeder in the only open area in my yard, but, it's not too far from trees and shrubs. But, too far for a squirrel to leap on it from a tree. Is that the recommended set up? Btw...good to see you posting again, MaNature! :)

Wonderful! You sure are quick with your camera. And so lucky - it seems your birds trust you. :) I especially like the ones where the bluejay and the titmouse have a seed in the beak. And the song sparrow - there is something about a bird with his mouth open that moves me. ~JoAnn

Thanks to you both, Lazygardens and bluegirl, I believe you are both right and I will continue to enjoy the mockingbirds and blue jays from the yard. I have two hummer feeders, two little bird feeders and one large bird feeder. Ive been spoiled by having the other birds being so close to the window, they have become personal to the cats and myself, being just inches to a few feet on the other side of the window. Right now, I have daily visits from about seventy to eighty mixed birds and hummers. House finches - two females and one male came in early spring, I think they were from last year, but they were new to me, I thought they were some kind of sparrow, I did a goggle search for a red headed sparrow, it came back with pictures and the name house finch, they had seven offspring. They stay at the feeders. Titmice are my favorite. One set of parents and four youngsters have three females and one male, going by the size of the black patches on their forehead. Cardinals mom, dad and five young, three males and two females, all hatched in late spring, mom had a large brood this year, seems like they will stay together, papa and momma is always close. In the early spring we had a good number of blue birds with a pinkish chest, and a yellow finch, haven't seen the blue bird since the middle of spring, any idea where the blue bird went would be helpful. The yellow finch will show up every two or three weeks. The hummers are another story, I have no idea how many females there are from one day to the next, but there have been at least six males from time to time, since they are in a constant chase with the females, I can get a pretty accurate count on the males, I have had as many as six females outside the window at once. Thanks again

Sorry about the double delay post. Except for sparrows and squirrels, I don't actually have a lot of pest birds. There are a total of 4 black birds and 2 blue jays. They are hardly an annoyance compare to the 50 house sparrows and 10 squirrels. The sparrows and squirrels will eat everything (though squirrels won't eat thistle seeds). I actually like to see the blue jay more and I set the blue jay type food away from the main feeder and the blue jay has not bother the other birds ever since. They end up fighting the squirrels for the nuts. By the way, is it bad to feed birds raw peanuts? I recall someone saying that raw peanut may be toxic. Paul