I got my feeders all set up perfect last June with black oil sunflower seed and a new water source, and for three straight days I didn't see a single finch or sparrow. Turns out a neighbor down the street had a feral cat that was scaring everything off, and it took me calling animal control and putting up a motion sprinkler to get them back. Has anyone else had a whole week ruined by a cat or predator situation that made your yard go dead silent?
I started keeping a list in January just for fun, mostly sparrows and finches. Somehow I hit 50 species yesterday when a random merlin swooped in and scared off everything else. I live in a normal suburb in Ohio, not near any big parks or anything. How many species have you guys tallied in your yard?
I put up a new feeder in my backyard in Portland back in February and barely saw a bird for like 3 months. Just a couple house sparrows here and there, real disappointing. Then I moved it about 10 feet closer to my big rhododendron bush in late April and it totally changed things. Now I'm getting chickadees, finches, and even a pair of juncos every day right around 7am. I guess the bush gives them cover so they feel safe coming in. Has anyone else had a spot that was quiet until you changed something small like that?
I kept wondering why goldfinches would never land in my yard even though I have thistle feeders. Turns out my $40 cement bird bath was way too deep for them, like 3 inches of water. I finally switched to a shallow dish with a rock in the middle and now I see 5 or 6 finches just about every morning. Did anyone else have a bird bath depth issue or am I just slow on the uptake?
I put out fresh sunflower seeds last Tuesday morning and one fat dove just sat there eating nonstop while a pair of chickadees waited on the fence, so has anyone else dealt with a bully dove situation in their yard?
Honestly, I never thought I'd get past maybe 50 different birds in my backyard in Ohio. But I kept track in a notebook every time I spotted something new. Last Tuesday morning I saw a yellow-billed cuckoo and that put me at exactly 200. Ngl, most people say you need feeders or a pond to pull that many but I just have a messy yard with overgrown bushes. Has anyone else tracked their yard list longer than they expected?
I keep a tube feeder in my backyard here in Austin and every time I filled it the seeds would get this nasty white fuzz after like 3 days. Threw out bag after bag. Finally my neighbor walks over and points out I was storing the seed bag in my garage where it gets hot and damp in the summer. Moved it to a dry spot in the house and now the seeds last weeks. Has anyone else dealt with feeder mold issues like this?
Bought a cheap plastic feeder from the grocery store last weekend and it cracked down the middle during a rainstorm. Lost a whole bag of sunflower seeds on the ground. Anybody know a good metal feeder that won't fall apart after a couple storms?
I was sitting on my back porch with my binoculars and a mug of coffee, finally getting a clear view of a black-throated blue warbler in my oak tree after a week of rain. My hand shook and the whole cup tipped onto my lap, and by the time I cleaned up and looked back, the bird had flown off into the neighbor's yard. Any tricks for staying still and quiet for those quick visits without getting too stiff?
Tried it for 2 months and all it did was attract raccoons that scared every bird away, anyone else had this backfire on them?
I had this spot near the feeder that got afternoon sun and I couldn't decide what to put there. A friend said a bird bath is easier to clean but I went with a prefab pond kit for $80 at the local hardware store. First week I had goldfish and within 3 days a blue jay was splashing around with a cardinal waiting on the edge. But now I'm fighting algae every 2 weeks and the pump already clogged twice. Anyone else deal with this or should I just rip it out and go back to a basic bath?
I bought a feeder specifically sold as UV resistant and weatherproof back in March. Figured it would hold up fine through summer sun. By September the clear plastic body was completely yellow and brittle. A woodpecker landed on it and the whole thing just shattered. $40 down the drain. Anyone else have good luck with a metal or glass feeder that actually lasts?
We had that cold snap last January here in Ohio, temps dropped to 9 degrees. I always thought heated bird baths were an unnecessary expense, like why not just put out fresh water every morning? But my neighbor kept hers going and I watched chickadees and cardinals lining up at her place while mine was a solid block of ice for 3 days straight. Broke down and got a thermostatically controlled one from Tractor Supply for about 40 bucks. Now I feel bad for all those winters the birds had to deal with frozen water. Anyone else change their mind on a birding product after seeing it work in person?
A Carolina wren kept banging into the same spot for three days before I noticed the reflection and moved the feeder six feet away, and now nobody's hitting the glass anymore.
Last June I had this guy come over my fence all huffy saying I was attracting bears with my sunflower seeds. I just looked at him and said 'buddy I live in the suburbs of Denver there's no bears here'. He kept going on about it for like 10 minutes. I ended up just nodding and closing the door. Next day I saw him putting out his own feeder haha. Anyone else have people give you unsolicited birding advice?
I was trying to get a photo of a downy woodpecker and the jay dive-bombed my mug, which hit my phone screen and cracked it. Anybody else have birds cause accidental property damage in their yard?
I was SO sick of starlings emptying my $15 bag of sunflower hearts in like 2 days. Tried those cage feeders, weight-sensitive perches, nothing worked. Then an old guy at the bird store told me to just flip the feeder upside down so the perches are gone. Birds like goldfinches and chickadees still cling on somehow but the starlings can't figure it out and leave. Has anyone else tried something that sounds this stupid but actually works?
I saw a park ranger at a local nature center last weekend and he mentioned putting feeders 3 feet from windows to stop birds hitting the glass. I had no idea distance mattered that much. I moved my main feeder about 3.5 feet from the kitchen window and I haven't had a single thud in 4 days. Has anyone else tried moving their feeder closer or further from the house?
I was standing under my platform feeder (you know, the big wooden one) last Saturday, and the whole thing just gave way and poured a pound of black oil sunflower seeds right onto my hair and glasses. Took me 15 minutes to pick seeds out of my shirt and the dog kept eating them off the ground, has anyone else had a feeder just snap like that?
I spent two years putting out thistle feeders in the wrong spot. Thought I knew what I was doing, hanging them out in the open where I could see them from my kitchen window. Never got more than a goldfinch or two. Then my neighbor Betty, she's 78 and has been birding here in Albany since the 80s, told me I was scaring them off. She said finches like cover, near shrubs or low tree branches. I moved my feeder under a lilac bush three weeks ago and now I'm refilling it every two days. Anyone else learned a simple trick from an older birder that changed everything?
I picked up one of those clear plastic tube feeders for $3 at the Dollar General in Trenton last spring, mostly as a joke. Figured it would crack or the perches would snap off within a few months like the expensive one I bought from Wild Birds Unlimited did after one winter. But it's still hanging there completely fine, no fading or rust, and the goldfinches go through a whole tube of nyjer in about a week. Has anyone else had a cheap feeder outlast a pricier brand, or was mine just a fluke?
My neighbor in Phoenix pointed out I was using the wrong seed mix, a cheap one full of filler milo that they just kick to the ground. Anyone else have a bird type that's super picky about their snacks?
I bought a fancy 'squirrel proof' feeder online last month, thinking it would solve my seed theft problem. The metal cage around it just gave them a climbing gym, and they emptied it in two days flat. Has anyone found a feeder that actually keeps them out without looking like a fortress?
I watched a chickadee slip and almost drown in my 4-inch deep bath last spring, so I swapped it for a shallow dish with pebbles. Now I see way more small birds using it, especially the warblers that pass through in May. Anyone else find a specific depth that works best for different species?
It was pecking at the ground right under their leaky garden faucet, which made the soil soft and full of worms. I started putting a shallow dish of water near my own garden bed to soften the dirt, and now I see way more robins digging. What's a simple thing you've seen a bird do that gave you a new idea for your yard?