Feeding wild birds - year around, or winter only? (coyote, pet, Washington)

[greg42]

Dunno, we've always had mourning doves here year round from what I can remember in feeding them. But I guess it's a bit warmer here usually.

Place I was at on Cape Cod a couple weeks ago had very many mourning doves coming round, a few dozen or so at once. Lots more feeders and ground spread feed than we put in our little yard though. That place has a couple acres. Also it doesn't get really as cold there by the ocean as it does in more inland New England, it seems like.

[HomersBoy]

Originally Posted by greg42

Was surprised at the number in the morning, given the temps below zero. Several cardinals plus a couple of the most puffed-out blue jays I've ever seen, and a couple juncos I'm sure and maybe mourning doves. A good number of the usual variety have been here this afternoon (came home early) in the sun, and even now with the sun gone too low. The cold is not deterring them much, perhaps is even drawing them in.

I've been feeding them since the first of the year and during the days of the coldest weather, we had more birds than ever to show up. Since it has warmed back up a bit, there's less activity at my feeders.

[North Beach Person]

Resurrecting a necro-thread.

I mentioned in my post that I put out safflower seeds. One claimed advantage is that squirrels won't eat them. Well, the other day my squirrels were.

I also had a redtailed hawk move into the neighborhood this week. There are now a couple fewer squirrels and the rest are extremely nervous.

[TrapperL]

We feed milo all year round. There's not many birds after October so the amount goes down a lot. Our normal feeding is about 125lbs a week. Yes, we have squirrels. We also have a nesting pair of owls next door. Squirrels never know what gets 'em. So we feed the migratory birds and we feed the owls. Everybody wins except the bushy tailed rats. Sounds perfect to me.

[PAhippo]

winter only here, after the bears go to bed.

I've had enough feeders damaged by those pesky critters.

[evening sun]

our hummingbird feeders are kept up year round, we have some that live here year round.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by PAhippo

winter only here, after the bears go to bed.

I've had enough feeders damaged by those pesky critters.

Yeah, they're fun to watch trying to feed seed out of a 2 liter Coke bottle feeder.

[LauraC]

I feed wild birds in the winter to take photos of them. Photographers pay human models. I feel I owe them. I don't feed them any other time of the year because they prefer bugs and will ignore the peanuts (bluejays, crows, titmice, woodpeckers, squirrels), red grapes (towhees, cardinals, mockingbirds, crows, brown thrashers, robins, chipmunks) and birdseed (sparrows, finches, cardinals, chickadees) in the warmer weather when bugs/worms are plentiful. I don't have a yard.

In April, I do feed cowbirds, red winged blackbirds and common grackles at the lake by putting the seed on a post so the ducks and geese can't see it or reach it. But, if some protein flies by, they are more interested in that.

I also feed ring billed gulls red grapes from my car. They are at my lake in the winter only and are not interested in the duck/geese food you get from the machine. By feeding them at the lake's shore they fly towards me for better flying photographs. They arrived in early December this year and will be all gone by the second week in March.

[VTsnowbird]

Wow, great photo!! Even if I am not a big fan of gulls.

My problem, I have a bird feeder that looks something like this


but smaller and with a smaller tray. It holds about 1-2 cups of feed, I fill it up and it seems to get empty real fast (less than a day). I did see one bird that looked to be scattering the seed. I mostly get blue jays and juncos and some sparrows.

Is it because there is a mix of seed and they are looking for particular ones? I know some like to ground feed. I really don't want it all ending up on the ground though, I am renting and it is not my lawn that is going to be messed up come spring.

[LilyMae521]

VTsnowbird, you may just have to get some type of tray to hang under the feeder if you really don't want the seed to fall to the ground. Birds are gonna be birds and they are gonna pick through what is there till they find just the right seed that they have been looking for.


But the good news is the birds you have coming to your feeder are also ground feeders, so they will clean up (at least some of) their mess once the feeder is empty. As long as you don't refill it right away.


I hope you keep feeding them, they need our help. Maybe put some suet cakes out also, you will get different types of birds.


Hope you enjoy watching them.