I agree, this thread is getting long. Not so much in the number of responses, more the number of pictures. I'll start a new thread but first... Claire, I have noticed that my House Finch numbers are also way down. I had one day last week that I did not see a single HF. That is very strange. My Goldfinch numbers have also been down but not as much as the HF. I think part of the suet issue in my yard could be the feeders. The birds love the one that is attached directly to the tree. I could put anything in it and the birds would love it. I think they like it because it is easy for them to get to. They can hold on to the feeder or the tree. The larger birds like, Red-bellied, Flicker, Harry can all get a good grip and, it does not move. The other suet feeder that I have is smaller, cage style, the size of a single cake of mixed suet and is free hanging from a chain. I see smaller birds like Red Breasted Nuthatch and Chickadees at it but nothing larger. OK...now I'll start a new thread... sooey

I'm still exploring suet options: last Sunday was a good day at the latest version suet feeder. The Red-bellied Woodpecker is standing on a suet cage or maybe a branch, but eating out of the old pine cone which had suet/peanut butter mix. This is the first time I've seen the Red-belly on the suet feeder - usually it feeds on the hopper or the ground. The Downy Woodpecker is also standing on the upper suet cage, but eating out of that same cage which contains a C&S Almond Treat suet block. The Red-breasted Nuthatch likes the bottom cage, which I think has a C&S Nutty Treat, or something similar. I have another single hanging suet cage on the rose arch with C&S Insect Treat in it. Downies, wrens, titmice and chickadees like this one, maybe because it's well-hidden in the rose canes (which is why I don't have a good photo of it). I'm trying to avoid mixing up my own suet glop, particularly because I don't have a convenient source of rendered suet. The raw suet hasn't been more popular than the store-bought. Claire

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

I've been enjoying the birds eating from my hand and off my hat as I walk around the yard for years. Chickadees are the easiest, but if I lean on a tree, the nuthatches will come hop-hop-hopping down the tree to my hat, or run down my arm, or go looking in my pocket for the cache of sunflower seeds they know are there, but they'll never fly directly to you and land ON you, like the chickadees - always above on a tree & then they hop down onto me. The chickadees are so bold they land on me in droves, but are actually usually quite polite. They'll perch on shoulders & arms, waiting to grab a seed, each in their turn, from my hand or hat. If I put my hand flat against my chin with knuckles up, like a landing pad, and put a single sunflower seed between my lips, the chickadees will land & take the seed from between my lips, like they're giving me a kiss. I had an idea that I'll work on. I'll fill a beer can with seed and tip it so the chickadees will reach in to grab a seed. It'll look like they're having a beer with their buddy in the back yard, and I'm sure I can come up with a caption when I get around to working on the shot. Al