Birdfeeding

[ysabetwordsmith]

Today is partly cloudy, muggy, and warm. It rained last night.

I fed the birds. I've seen several house finches. While I was looking at the barrel garden, a male ruby-throated hummingbird showed up to poke around the tulips and daffodils just a few feet from me. Clearly I need to buy more late-blooming red tulips and red-cupped daffodils. He had a hard time finding the nectary on the white daffodils. There are already a few red flowers in the barrel garden, and I've planted a red columbine in the forest garden. I heard a blue jay screaming but didn't see it.

I put the flats of pots outside and watered them.

Celandine poppy is blooming bright yellow in the forest garden. Which reminds me of my observations about mourning dove courtship:

All around the celandine
The male dove chases the female
The male dove thought it was all in fun --
PECK! goes the female!

EDIT 4/29/25 -- I saw a blue jay and a male goldfinch at the forest garden. :D 3q3q3q!!!

EDIT 4/29/25 -- We went out shopping. While I was picking out plants, it started to rain. Fortunately by the time we got home, it was down to a drizzle. I'm unlikely to get any yardening done today though.

I've seen a female cardinal at the fly-through feeder.

EDIT 4/29/25 -- It stopped raining, so I planted tarragon and cilantro in a trough pot on the old picnic table, which finished filling that. I also planted 4 Johnny-jump-ups in a pot alongside the other violas and pansies on the patio.

EDIT 4/29/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I planted a purple Wave petunia in the barrel garden.  I sowed Bee Lawn Mix on some bare patches in the prairie garden.




.

Comments

[lilyhargrave]

So many birds and plants! :) Do you feed the birds every day? I have one bird feeder, and it holds about half a kilogram of peanuts/birdseed, and whenever I fill it all the way to the top, it'll be empty two days later! Is that normal?? These birds are eating a lot? I think it's mostly house sparrows around here, also some tits, and jackdaws and crows, but I don't know if those last ones are interested in bird feeders.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>So many birds and plants! :) Do you feed the birds every day?<<

Typically yes, but they don't empty all of them that fast. The thistle feeder, and corncob may need topping up every other day, or not for weeks. The hopper feeder usually needs topping up and is sometimes drained. The metal tray feeder and fly-through feeder are almost always emptied. The suet feeder usually lasts several days to a week, but I quit refilling that one because I use it mostly in winter.

>> I have one bird feeder, and it holds about half a kilogram of peanuts/birdseed, and whenever I fill it all the way to the top, it'll be empty two days later! Is that normal?? <<

That's normal, especially with large food like peanuts and sunflower seeds. If you put up more feeders with different foods (e.g. a suet feeder, a peanut feeder, a sunflower feeder) then you may increase the variety of birds.

>>These birds are eating a lot?<<

Some of them are pigs with wings. I've seen a flock of goldfinches strip a thistle feeder in a day.

>> I think it's mostly house sparrows around here, also some tits, and jackdaws and crows, but I don't know if those last ones are interested in bird feeders.<<

House sparrows and tits will come to feeders routinely. Crows will if you have large enough food for them, like peanuts, either in a large feeder or falling on the ground.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/how-to-choose-the-right-kind-of-bird-feeder/

https://feederwatch.org/learn/common-feeder-birds

https://backyardchirper.com/blog/guide-to-wild-bird-food

A fun trick for summer: if you find pest caterpillars or dig up grubs while gardening, place them in a tray or cup type feeder for your birds, who will quickly learn to watch for you putting out live food.

Re: Thoughts

[lilyhargrave]

Thanks, that's very helpful! But boy do I not have enough money to feed those birds as much as they could eat, XD Maybe once I'm working full-time again. Actually, then it'll be really nice to share what I have with the other denizens of the world, :) :)

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Some thoughts on budget birdfeeding:

* Consistency is more important than quantity. If you put out a scoop of food every day, that's better than filling the hopper and not refilling it for several days because you're broke.

* Diversity is more important than quantity. A little bit of sunflower seed and a little bit of mixed feed in different feeders will attract more different birds than a whole lot of just one food -- especially if you fill different feeders at different times.

* You can buy cheap mixed seed and give it a boost by buying a small bag of sunflower seed to mix in a little extra. Both premium seed with lots of sunflower, and pure sunflower, are considerably more expensive.

* Some birds, particularly crows, will eat vegetable scraps from the kitchen. Others, like catbirds and orioles, will come for fruit.

* Different feeders invite different birds. A hopper will accommodate most small songbirds, but you'll see that cardinals usually turn sideways because it's a bit small for them. You can save money by making your own birdfeeders in various styles.

* Watch for bargains at the store. Unsalted nuts, peanut butter, a birdseed bag with a hole taped shut, etc. all offer opportunities. If there's a butcher's counter then they may have raw beef suet free or cheap.

* Do you know anyone who grows things that birds eat but they don't do anything with it? Acorns, tiny crabapples, and mulberries are a few things that most humans ignore but birds love.

* You can also grow sunflowers, decorative millet or amaranth, coneflowers, or other seed-producing plants. Big hollow stems will attract woodpeckers drilling for insects; they love my sunchokes in fall.