A puzzle for old time's sake

[wade moore]

The wife and I have started to get more into birds, trying to draw them to our yard, etc. We're at boring birds right now - but hopefully that will improve.

[QuikSand]

Real thistle seed is the best way to go to feel like you're getting something from the effort. (Not cheap mixes of same... but the real stuff, all black seeds, labeled either as thistle or more recently nyjer/niger) In pretty short order, you ought to see bright yellow goldfinches (and a few reddish house finches) hanging around, and that's far better eye candy than most.

[cartman]

I have a metric ass load of wildflowers blooming on my land right now, and tons of birds are out there every day. The coolest one I've spotted is a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. I have several hummingbirds that hover right outside of my office window. Back when I had a corn feeder up for the deer, I'd have a covey of quail come in and clean up the corn dust that was left behing.

[MJ4H]

please switch to imperial weights and measures commie

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Real thistle seed is the best way to go to feel like you're getting something from the effort. (Not cheap mixes of same... but the real stuff, all black seeds, labeled either as thistle or more recently nyjer/niger) In pretty short order, you ought to see bright yellow goldfinches (and a few reddish house finches) hanging around, and that's far better eye candy than most.

Yup. We started with just a fly through feeder with black sunflower seeds. That got the mocking birds mostly. Went to a mix, get mocking birds, house finches, and grackles mostly - but we have seen Cowbirds. Then we put in a finch feader with nyjer and we've seen a gold finch or two in the week it's been up. They're nicely positioned to see out a bay window where our kitchenette is and we sit at our table there to eat and watch the birds.

This was all triggered by the Robin that made a nest on our deck last year that I told you about. Trying to encourage that happening again, etc. The neighbors have a bluebird couple that use a house in their yard, so we may try the mealworms at some point.

[cartman]

I have a couple of barn swallows that built a mud nest on a vertical surface on my back porch. This is their 3rd year back. The first year they didn't build it nest very well, and it fell, smashing several eggs. But they rebuilt it and it has stayed for the past couple of years. They hatched a few chicks last year, and I'm waiting for another batch to show up sometime soon.

[Castlerock]

We have a pair of red tailed hawks that nest way the hell up a huge pine I have at the edge of my yard. They return every year and raise chicks. They can be seen almost constantly sitting on branches at the edge of our yard.

We also have a hummingbird feeder which I never tire of watching. I have wanted to put up a thistle feeder for a while.

[wade moore]

We are pretty lucky, imo, in that our neighbors have some wildlife that brings hummingbirds and then we plant madavillas that they LOVE, so we get to see them in natural flowers.