Squirrel Proof Bird Feeders

Squirrel Proof Squirrel Resistant Bird Feeders. Keeping squirrels out of bird feeders is always a problem. They are agile creatures who can jump up to 9' sideways, making feeder placement a problem. The best system for stopping them from getting to food and chewing up expensive bird feeders is to pole mount a feeder and use a baffle on the pole, making sure the pole is placed at least 10' away from the nearest object a squirrel cam use as a launching pad, like a tree trunk.

If you don't have the option of pole mounting a bird feeder and using physical baffles to keep them from climbing, there are plenty of specialty designs out there to stop them. My favorite is the weight activated bird feeder. These come with spring loaded perches which will cause a shield to drop down over seed ports when the heavier wight of a squirrel lands on them. Usually the squirrels figure out pretty quickly that there is no food to be had here so they stop climbing on the feeders themselves. When smaller songbirds land on the perches, the shield stays up allowing the birds to eat in peace. The weight can usually be adjusted to keep out larger birds such as grackles or starlings if you wish.

There are a few features to look at in the wight activated bird feeder.

Capacity - how much seed does a feeder hold? If you have a smaller space such as a deck, patio or balcony the tube styles and small capacity feeders are frequently the perfect size. If it is to go in a yard or spot that makes refilling a bit harder, particularly in bad weather, rain or freezing weather, opt for a larger capacity size which holds more seed. This will keep the number of needed refills down.

Is the weight adjustable? The option to be able to adjust the weight which is needed to shut the shields over the seed ports is a handy one. You can adjust the settings to keep out larger birds such as jays, crows, grackles or starlings.

The final feature to be considered is how a bird feeder is to me mounted. Be sure to note if a feeder can go on a pole if this is what you intend to do along with the size of pole needed. Many are also designed to be hung. Hanging feeders are great for hanging in trees or on a porch. With the many styles out there to stop squirrels from eating all of the birds seed, you can find one that suits your needs.

Attracting Orioles to Backyard Bird Feeders

Orioles beautiful garden songbirds and a favorite of backyard bird watchers. Their colors are a spirited blend of brilliant orange, yellow and black feathers. Orioles favor woodland habitats, orchards, and urban gardens which have shade trees. These birds range throughout the Eastern US and Canada, while most migrate during winter to Central and South America.

There are nine species of orioles in the United States. The most frequent is the Baltimore Oriole, which hybridizes extensively with the Bullock's Oriole and is found generally in the eastern United States. Another regularly seen species is the Bullock's Oriole which occurs primarily in the western United States. Both species ranges do convergence.

The food source of orioles are flower nectar, several types of fruit and berries, a few nuts, along with insects. Attracting orioles to a backyard ordinarily entails putting up a special an oriole feeder in the yard or garden. Numerous people have attracted orioles by providing Fruit and Jelly Bird Feeders and using fruits such as orange slices, grapes, cherries, assorted berries, nuts and jellies. Fruit for bird food may be provided on a tray or platform feeder, or chopped up in a bowl or dish, while jelly - grape flavor is the favorite - can be placed in a small bowl or a dish. For jelly, try grape, apple jelly or orange marmalade.

Meal worms are another food these birds will eat. Meal worms are an insects, not actually a worm., but instead they are larval form of a beetle. Meal worms are great food for orioles along with other birds such as bluebirds. Small straight edged bowls at least 2-3 inches tall may be used to place the meal worms in so that they will not crawl out. A container may be set on a platform feeder which also contains the fruit. Additionally, Orioles like sugar water and nectar solution left out. Such a mix resembles flower nectar. Pre-made or Concentrate Nectar Mixes are available formulated just for orioles. Nectar bird feeders for orioles are like to hummingbird feeders except with larger drinking ports and perches, and could be positioned close to a tray feeder. An oriole nectar feeder typically is orange in color. Orange appears to be better choice for attracting orioles.

Don't forget a bird bath! All creatures need water, and orioles are highly attracted to bird baths.

Backyard Bird Count Feb. 13-16

Just to remind all of those backyard bird watchers out there, or anyone who pays attention to wildlife around them, that The Great Backyard Bird Count is led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society is going to be happening this year on the weekend of February 15-16, 2009. So get out your pencils and a pad of paper and be ready to start counting the different species of birds you see! You can count birds all day or spend just 15 minutes each day and record what you observe. Then go to The Great Backyard Bird Count web site and enter in your data. This really helps determine bird species distribution across the United States and is also a fun project. Visit The Great Backyard Bird Count for all the information you need on how to take part in this national birding event. Thanks for your help!!

Bird House Gourds

I always seem to get these ideas completely stuck in my head, next think you know I am obsessed with learning about something and implementing some silly project. My latest thing is that I have decided to grow gourds for bird houses. Okay so I am a gardener - many backyard bird watchers are since it sort of goes hand in hand to create a habitat bird wild birds to attract them to feeders - and I have grown gourds before just for fun. So let me tell you that I know that I am nuts. Gourds are great fun to grow and very satisfying, but let me tell you they grow fast and furious, along with take up a boatload of space. I've also grown a lot of different types of squash, which is the same family, and it's not nearly been as space taking.

My experience with gourds is having grown luffa sponge gourds. I planted my seeds next to an outbuilding, thinking that they could climb the outbuilding over the summer, no harm done, after all, they are an annual. They ate my outbuilding and completely covered it. You could hear them growing at night I swear. It was a hoot. by the end of the summer, from a few seeds, I had an amazing amount of luffa sponges which I had only planted on a whim. I found the photo below on an Office of International Research, Education, and Development, Virginia Tech page for a system of growing these suckers, It made me laugh to think about what I was getting into, The page has nothing to do with growing gourds by the by, its about pest management.

So back to bird houses. Recently I saw gourd birdhouses in a local bird supply and loved them. I bought two. It made me decide to give growing the gourds a shot, again, just for fun and on a whim. Of course nothing is just tat simple, you need a certain type of gourd, drying, cleaning and preserving them is a project, and then they are only good for a couple of years. But what the heck, I want them. I can see giving away hundreds of bird houses made out of my over abundance of gourds.

Visit San Antonio Express News Gardening Article by Lynn Rawe, County Extension Agent-Horticulture with Texas Cooperative Extension in Bexar County, on exactly how to dry gourds to be used as bird houses. She does a very simple job of explaining the methods and types needed, much better than I could repeat here. And if you try this, have fun!!