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Bird Poop Thread 1: About Bird Poop !

ConnorEl said:
Today at a park near my house I saw robins alternatively hopping around feeding on the ground and fleeing to the leafless trees.

One odd one had a white head.

Pretty fascinating, I don’t remember seeing that before.

Similar to this photo from the internet—supposed to be partial albinism.

39266.jpg
Click to expand...

I’ve got a cardinal that comes to my bird feeder with partial albinism, it has a white crest and white flecks all over its face.
 
When I lived outside of Philly, the cardinals and blue jays were quite striking in the winter.
 
birdman said:
I’ve got a cardinal that comes to my bird feeder with partial albinism, it has a white crest and white flecks all over its face.
Click to expand...

Interesting.

I spent a lot of time and money over the past 1-2 years rigging up bird feeders around my house. Took a fair bit of creativity to finally figure out a reliable way to keep squirrels and raccoons away. I was so pleased.

Then the mice came, attracted to the ground spillage. And then into the house when it got cold. Damn. I got rid of them but now I’m hesitant to feed the birds anymore.

:(
 
ConnorEl said:
Today at a park near my house I saw robins alternately hopping around feeding on the ground and fleeing to the leafless trees.

One odd one had a white head.

Pretty fascinating, I don’t remember seeing that before.

Similar to this photo from the internet—supposed to be partial albinism.


39266.jpg
Click to expand...

Btw, this robin reminds me a lot of a northern wheatear, which is a related species (in the turdidae family) of migratory bird winters in Africa and breeds in Siberia, Europe, Greenland and Alaska.
3fc5d2ffe83330d3b4e70e09dd6ad128.jpg
 
ConnorEl said:
Interesting.

I spent a lot of time and money over the past 1-2 years rigging up bird feeders around my house. Took a fair bit of creativity to finally figure out a reliable way to keep squirrels and raccoons away. I was so pleased.

Then the mice came, attracted to the ground spillage. And then into the house when it got cold. Damn. I got rid of them but now I’m hesitant to feed the birds anymore.

:(
Click to expand...

Ugh...I’ve got squirrels and chipmunks all over my feeder, but also fiches, cardinals and sparrows, so it’s worth it to me.
 
The raccoon could empty the feeders overnight, so I had to foil his efforts.

Squirrels likewise eat too much too quickly (for my preference), so had to likewise find ways to keep them at bay.

I never minded chipmunks, but they ended up just eating off the ground.

I ended up with three feeders. One for hulled sunflower seeds in a sort of cage that only smaller birds could access—mostly finches, chickadees, etc. Second, a “thistle” feeder that mostly goldfinches loved. These two I ended up placing on a metal extension pole angled out from my house covered in painted pvc pieces that wouldn’t allow anything to climb out on.

The third feeder I used to attract cardinals—used safflower, which squirrels and raccoons don’t seem to like. Chipmunks and mice do, however.

Alas, the mice have defeated my enjoyment of feeding the birds. For now.
 
ConnorEl said:
The raccoon could empty the feeders overnight, so I had to foil his efforts.

Squirrels likewise eat too much too quickly (for my preference), so had to likewise find ways to keep them at bay.

I never minded chipmunks, but they ended up just eating off the ground.

I ended up with three feeders. One for hulled sunflower seeds in a sort of cage that only smaller birds could access—mostly finches, chickadees, etc. Second, a “thistle” feeder that mostly goldfinches loved. These two I ended up placing on a metal extension pole angled out from my house covered in painted pvc pieces that wouldn’t allow anything to climb out on.

The third feeder I used to attract cardinals—used safflower, which squirrels and raccoons don’t seem to like. Chipmunks and mice do, however.

Alas, the mice have defeated my enjoyment of feeding the birds. For now.
Click to expand...

Try a humming bird feeder in the spring and summer.
 
birdman said:
Try a humming bird feeder in the spring and summer.
Click to expand...

Great suggestion.

We do that already! Love to watch them. They are beautiful and amazing. And terribly territorial and combative with each other.
 
Sure, there are lots of ways to discourage squirrels. But they are truly crafty and amazingly able to get to where they want, or figure out a way to get to the food.

I found using food they don't like and/or putting the feeder on a mounting post they can't navigate and in a feeder they can't access to be finally defeating to the buggers.

This is the metal pole I used and covered with pvc pipe pieces, painted black. It worked great as a way to keep the raccoon away, also squirrels.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KI2CWRY/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is the caged feeder that also keeps bigger birds (and squirrels) out.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006855QA/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
My wife just throws seed on the ground for the chipmunks to keep them off the bird feeders. Last week when it was brutally cold a deer tore apart our thistle sack. We have a hummingbird feeder, they are awesome to watch.
 
Lol

That’s great.

Squirrels are amazing. And those grey ones are smart.

Except for when they seem confused about how to get out of the way of traffic.
 
In my previous home, I had at various times, flying or grey squirrels that managed to get into our attic.


I could catch the flying squirrels in traps and release them in the countryside.

The grey ones? No way.
 
If your Squirrel Buster doesn't work, you don't have a Squirrel Buster.

You can torque the spring to be as sensitive as it needs to be. The squirrels weight closes the food container. It is fail-proof, assuming you don't have emaciated squirrels.

They'll attack the damn thing, but the laws of gravity are against them. You'll probably want a carabiner instead of a hook to hang it, but mine has literally never failed in 4 years of squirrels throwing themselves off of our 25 ft deck trying to beat it
 
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I don’t think anyone here indicated they couldn’t defeat the squirrels.

But they are incredibly resourceful and able to overcome many obstacles.
 
ConnorEl said:
I don’t think anyone here indicated they couldn’t defeat the squirrels.

But they are incredibly resourceful and able to overcome many obstacles.
Click to expand...

Have a feeder with a weighted lid for the feeding tray. Too much weight on the perch and the lid closes. Mounted on a ten foot tall 4 inch diameter PVC pipe. Enough scratching and the squirrels finally got the pipe rough enough for one of them to climb it. Too much weight on the feeding tray cover? No problem. Stand on it and lift the lid to top of the feeder and chow down. Had to make a rubber strap to hold the lid down so the squirrels can't open it.
 
The resident hawk was making a meal out of chickadees today. This little woodpecker was not going to move until it left. This led to my wife trying to chase the hawk away. Watching her run in the yard to chase a hawk makes me laugh every time.
58c8a9ce21aa6b7160d790e80964786e.jpg
 
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