Bird feeding & bird watching

[Louise Chambers]

The winter birds are coming in, and that's a blast. Maybe we can have a new thread to share news about what we're seeing, feeding, etc, until martins come back -

Yesterday was a big day for one of our local Audubon groups, Coastal Bend Audubon. So we counted birds - saw our first sandhill cranes of the season, plus red tailed and red shouldered hawks, crested caracaras, coopers and sharpshinned hawks, a white tailed hawk, a vermillion flycatcher, some warblers, wrens, woodpeckers, thrashers, lincoln's sparrows, lark sparrows, savannah sparrows - a fun way to spend a day.

Winter in Texas makes up for the hardships of summer in Texas.

Also starting to see more monarchs - I raise as many plants for butterflies as space permits, and it pays off since many are good hummingbird plants as well. It seems like butterflies are scarce in general this year, not surprising after the hard freeze we had last winter, followed by exceptional drought that is still with us.

[Jim Beatson~SC]

This is sort of related since this is birder's thread. Did any of y'all see "The Big Year"? That was some far-out birding. I don't do many movies but I enjoyed that.

Jim

[Kathy in VA]

Funny you asked....I just got back from seeing it today. It was good. Even my husband (who is not "into" birds) enjoyed it. I don't know how much of the story is true and how much was embellished fiction, but it is sad when people sacrifice relationships, family, and what is truly most important in life, in order to pursue an obsession or win a competition at all costs. It was a good reminder for us to keep life in balance.
I can only dream of being able to identify that many species, much less being able to see them...in a whole lifetime.

[GeneP]

Junco's and native sparrows are back.

[Veronica G]

Can I tell you what I haven't seen? Goldfinches. Specifically, black-backed lesser goldfinches. Last year, we had dozens upon dozens of them on our thistle socks. I love those little birds! But I must confess I'm secretly a little glad I haven't seen any - that thistle seed is EXPENSIVE! Luckily, I found it on clearance and bought out the store! This year, I haven't found it on sale, much less on clearance, anywhere. But of course, if the finches decide to finally show up, I'll be buying the stuff anyway If that happens, I'm just warning everyone now, no Christmas presents!

Veronica

[Wendell Hansen-IA]

For about a week now I have had White throated Sparrows,White crowned sparrows,American tree sparrow,Savannah sparrow,Harris sparrows,Dark eyed juncos, and today the Purple Finch.

Here is a ground feeder mix that I use.

3lb White Proso Millet
3lb Red Proso Millet
1lb Peanut hearts and chips
1lb Safflower
1lb Canary seed

Mourning Doves, American Robin,Northern Cardinal, Redwing Blackbird and the yellow headed Blackbird also love this mix.
Mix just a little cracked corn with it and you have an outstanding bait for your House sparrow trap.

For more Goldfinchs, move you finch feeders away from you other feeders, Finchs are a shy bird and don't like feeding around bigger birds and you feeders can be out in the open. Finchs don't mined feeding in the open away from cover.
A good mix for this time of year is a 50-50 mix. 50% nyjer and 50% fine sunflower hearts and chips. This mix can be used in you classic nyjer feeder and the nyjer sack.

[Louise Chambers]

Wendell,

I noticed that you don't include black oil sunflower seeds in your mix - most birds like them but they are getting so expensive - I think your mix sounds like a good one to try.

Most of the birds here like to feed on the ground (doves, thrashers, cardinals, native sparrows, meadowlarks) but we put some in feeders, some on ground as well.

I saw some harris sparrows two winters ago, would love to get a look at more - they're purty

[John Miller]

I'm not good with warblers, but a few weeks on two occasions I saw a new bird to me -- working its way through my crysanthemums and another at Forest Park in low landscapping plants in front of the visitor's center. Acted like and form was like a Carolina wren -- brownish but no markings I could see and silent. I settled on "worm eating warbler" from my bird books, but not sure.

[Wendell Hansen-IA]

Louise

I own a wild Bird store. I sell Bird houses, Bird feeders, Bird baths and 18 kinds of Bird seed and mixs I also make and sell my own suet cakes along with Purple Martin poles , gourds and T-14s. And all kinds of Squirrel toys. Oh ya I also raise meal worms. Blue birds and chickadees can be trained to eat from your hand using meal worms. (Blue Birds are the ones who taught my Martins to eat meal worms)

My best sellers are the Ground mix. the 50-50 mix ( above post ) my Platform mix and Cardinal mix.

Cardinal mix
Black oil sunflower
Striped sunflower
Safflower
pumpkin seed

Platform mix
Black oil sunflower
Striped sunflower
Peanut kernels
Mix nuts
Safflower
Whole kernel corn

I know this comes a little late for some. Save your Pumpkin, Squash, watermelon and cantelope seed. dry them then put them out as a winter treat. I have it made, all I do is watch and talk about birds all day.

[Kathy in VA]

I own a wild Bird store....I have it made, all I do is watch and talk about birds all day.

Oh, how fun! What a terrific job!

Would you puhleeeeze tell me how to teach bluebirds to eat from my hand? My hummingbirds have it down pat, but the bluebirds are slow learners. I have tried several techniques, including standing out in the snow in my bathrobe (not recommended)(hey, I was getting desperate!), and they are just too timid. And I guess I am too busy...and too impatient. They come to a window feeder or Aspects Vista Dome feeder to eat the mealworms (sometimes they come when I whistle and sometimes they tease me and just sit on the power line.) But they won't come unless I go back inside the house. Any tips/techniques would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[CMF]

I own a wild Bird store.

Since you are in the business, to what do you attribute the huge increase in cost for black oil sunflower seeds? I will already know it's probably due to petroleum but is there something else?

I have already adjusted the number of feeders I place for winter.
Chuck

[JamesinIA]

I heard that the price of black oil sunflower seed was due to the major flooding along the Missouri River where a lot of it is grown. Don't know if that is true or not.

[Wendell Hansen-IA]

Sorry all been out of town for the last six days.

Kathy
Try and find the book, Bring Back The BlueBirds by Andrew M Troyer
If your bluebirds are comeing to the window feeder to feed your half way there.

As for the price of Black oil sunflower. Yes fuel has some part but not that much. 90% is due to the fact that it was to wet to plant in ND, SD and MN this spring. The good news is that the price is starting to drop.

[Louise Chambers]

We had some new birds back last weekend - it was so good to hear and see phoebes and white-crowned sparrows again! Heard white-fronted geese, too.

I am going to make a batch of Zick dough soon - bluebirds, cardinals, woodpeckers, mockers and warblers like it.

Here is a winter dough recipe for bluebirds from Julie Zickefoose - bluebirds love it. Carolina Wrens and other birds will eat it, including cardinals. (google Julie Zickefoose for her blog with more about bluebirds). I was able to find small bags of duMor chick starter at tractor supply.

NEW ZICK DOUGH: SMALL BATCH

Melt in the microwave and stir together:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup lard

In a large mixing bowl, combine
2 cups chick starter *
2 cups quick oats
1 cup yellow cornmeal and
1 cup flour

Add melted lard/peanut butter mixture to the combined dry ingredients and mix well.

* Julie: Be sure to use unmedicated chick starter. Check the label--the last thing we want is to give antibiotics to wild birds! A good choice is DuMor chick starter - check feed stores. A small bag is 20 lbs."

You can make a bigger batch, but do the melting on stove and then have large pot for mixing it all up. Might need to use your hands after initial stirring. The final product is crumbles, not a solid mass - place the Zick Dough in a small bowl or tray feeder. A covered feeder will protect it from rain/snow.

[Kathy in VA]

Thanks, Wendell, but I already have that book and have read it...over and over. And drooled, longing to be able to do what Mr. Troyer does, having bluebirds fly right up to him and land on his hand when he's out walking around on his farm! It took awhile for them to come to a mealworm feeder out in the yard, and then I gradually moved it to the window and they followed it, but I can't get them to dependably come when I fill the feeder and whistle and go back inside...and I can't just sit there with my arm stuck out the window for hours on end, waiting for them to show up! They are so sporadic in their response. Maybe there is too much other food for them here and they aren't hungry enough. We do live out in the country with lots of bugs, and I provide suet for them too.

I guess I should work on training them when they are feeding nestlings and a front is coming in, instead of waiting til a winter cold front is coming--that's a pretty miserable time for me, a cold-weather wimp. I guess I am too busy to be consistent on doing it at the same exact times of day, and my schedule doesn't always cooperate with the arrival of low-pressure weather systems. And I have no assistant to sit inside for me while I load their hand, so the birds would have to get used to me moving a mealworm-loaded hand from inside the window to outside. Halloween just ended...I wish I had shopped for a fake rubber hand! Then I could leave that sticking out the window, filled with mealworms! Oh well, I was hoping you'd have some other news and great tips for me that would do the trick for me. The hummingbirds were so easy...they didn't care what time of day it was, didn't need a whistle or bell, and were just so easy to train, compared to the bluebirds.

[Louise Chambers]

Kathy, you could use a glove on the window sill, with a stick or board in it to keep it stable - put cup of worms on the glove. Later you can switch your hand for the stick, and later remove the glove. Troyer's first fed bluebirds out a window, as I recall - had shade down and stuck hand with worms out the window, open at bottom just enough for an arm.

[Wendell Hansen-IA]

Kathy

I trained my when they had young to feed. It works a lot better and faster when theres mouths to feed.

And yes the fake rubber hand is what I used for the bluebirds and chickadees.

[Kathy in VA]

Wendell, Ha! I thought I had an original idea with the fake hand, but you already thought of it! Maybe I can find one on clearance today...I'm going shopping!
I'll try more training next spring when I have bluebird nestlings in all my boxes. Thanks for your help.

[Wendell Hansen-IA]

Louise

Thats my summer mix, well all most.

40 oz crunchy peanut Butter
4.5 cups lard
10 cups quick oats
10 cups game bird feed (unmedicated)
5 cups flour
5 1/3 cups sugar

When the temps get down in the high 30 or so, I leave the game bird feed out and replace it with 10 cups of corn meal.

Then I will add one of the following.
4 cups peanut kernels
4 cups mix nuts
4 cups sunflower hearts
if I add raisins I will soak the raisins in warm water, drain and the mix will be 2 cups raisins and 2 cups of one of the above. When I add meal worms and crickets, that will be one cup bugs and 3 cups of one of the above. This mix will make about 16 cakes more or less.

Kathy
if you don't find a rubber hand, check the department stores. Ask around you just may luck out and find a arm and hand from a manakin.

A few purple finchs are starting to show up and I must have well over 50 Harris sparrows that are still around, never had them this long in the fall. And every day I take any were from one to four out of the sparrow trap.

[Linda Reynolds]

Wendell, your information is invaluable. Thanks so much for adding it to The Forum.

Kathy, when we lived in NY, we hand-fed chickadees in our yard. The glove trick really works. We used a gardening glove, accustomed them from accepting oilers, and then switched to a hand in glove, and then removed the glove. It worked, and we soon had chickadees eating out of our hands each day.

There is a preserve on Long Island, located at Jessup's Neck, and when visiting, most experienced visitors knew to bring extra oilers. The chickadees and nuthatch are so tame they feed from open hands. The first-time visitors really appreciated the sharing of food and the experience. Sharing a handful or two with them and watching the expressions on their faces when the birds fed was priceless.

Here is a link to the site, and just look at the photo showing the surprise on the woman's face...........It was a wonderful, gratifying experience.

I only wish this site allowed for HTML so I could post the *Feed The Birds* midi from Mary Poppins.........It is a lovely song, and has a lovely message.

Please, everyone, Feed the Birds.............

http://www.hike-li.org/morton.htm