The birds of winter provide us with a great deal of pleasure. After all, our feeding stations are situated 10 to 12 feet away on the opposite side of two large panes of glass, one of which is a sliding glass door which provides access to a deck.
We offer only four types of food for the birds: thistle, black oiled sunflower seeds, a wild bird mix, and butchers’ suet.
Situated just beyond the deck is a large maple tree. A suet cage is suspended from hooks at a height that places the cage at eye level. The cage is constructed of heavy wire and has a plastic coating. The coating makes this feeder easy to clean as needed.
The suet feeder has a capacity of just over a half pound of suet. To fill the feeder we use only butchers’ suet available at most butcher shops. The suet comes just as it is and without fillers. It is just plain high energy fat providing extra calories to ward off the cold winter weather.
The offering is appealing to Black capped chickadees, Downy and Hairy woodpeckers, Sapsuckers, and nuthatches.
As an added bonus, for several years a Carolina Wren has become a regular visitor. And on rare occasions a Pileated Woodpecker will even stop by.
Situated at the edge of the deck are two iron hooks. In warmer weather the hooks are used to suspend flower pots. Come late fall the hooks are used to support our bird feeding stations.
One hook is used to suspend a mesh bag, which in this case is referred to as a Finch Sock.
When purchased, the sock (mesh bag) is filled with Nyjer seed, commonly called thistle seed. This feeder is constantly in use, and we refill the seed mesh bag from an eight pound bag of seed. Here again, blended seeds are available, however we use just thistle seed exclusively.
The most common visitors by far to the mesh bag are American Gold Finches and Black Capped chickadees. At times during a feeding frenzy there will be as many as nine birds clinging to the bag as they consume the small black seeds.
The offering provided lures for American Gold Finches and Black capped chickadees. But the Finches always steal the show.
Suspended from a second iron hook is a cylinder feeder filled with black oiled sunflower seeds. Birds seem to sense when the weather is about to change. When a downturn in the temperature is at hand or a snowstorm is moving in, this feeder becomes the hub of feeding activity.
Black oiled sunflower seeds make up the largest quantity of seeds we provide. In some years we will feed 100 pounds over the season. That’s a lot of seed, also a big squirrel attractant.
Now don’t get me wrong, the squirrels have to “make a living” as well, up to a point.
Squirrels will feast on black oiled sunflower seeds and clean out a feeder in short order. But there is a remedy in what many refer to at the “squirrel wars”, and it all begins with the feeder.
If there is one feeder that will defeat squirrels, it is the “Squirrel Buster” offered by Brome Bird Care.
The device is a cylinder feeder comprised of metal, plastic, and resin and has a 3 quart capacity. Here’s how it works.
The openings at the bottom of the feeder align with seed ports providing access to the seed. When a squirrel climbs onto the perch ring that supports the birds, the weight of the squirrel forces the seed ports to close and block access to the seed.
Another feature is that adjustments can be made allowing the closing of the seed ports if a light weight such as a red squirrel is on the perch ring. The result is a confused squirrel.
Over time we observed the squirrels that had been defeated by the feeder. They would sit for long periods of time looking at the device trying to figure it out. The squirrels usually gave up and simply picked up what the birds had spilled and left behind.
Keep in mind the “squirrel Buster” is not on the low end when it comes to cost. But consider this.
Late last spring a black bear visited our feeding station as we were winding down our feeding efforts. Apparently the bear caught wind of the last remaining traces of suet left in the cage feeder. He helped himself, then decided our “Squirrel Buster” would top off his late night meal. Needless to say, he snapped the nylon cable tie that held the feeder to its support pole.
In the morning the tube feeder was on the ground. The only damage that occurred was to the perch. It was broken.
Since the “Squirrel Buster” comes with a warranty against squirrel damage, an email was sent to the company.
A reply was received, and although the warranty is for squirrel damage, the folks at Brome provided me with a new perch. You can’t beat that for customer service.
A number of birds such as Cardinal’s prefer to feed from the ground or a platform. To satisfy the needs of birds such as this, we lightly scatter a Cardinal Mix on the floor of the deck. The blend is a mixture of black oiled sunflower seed and safflower seeds.
However with the sunflower seeds mixed in the squirrels will sift through the mix and leave the safflower seeds behind. If squirrels are a problem, stay away from the blend and feed straight safflower seeds to resolve the problem.
Several years ago a new regular has joined the group and that happens to be a Carolina Wren. Absent so far are Grosbeaks and Cedar wax wings, along with a few others. However winter is far from over, and the absent may soon arrive.
Charlie Burchfield is an active member and past president of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association, an active member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association, Outdoor Writers Assoc. of America and the Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writers. Gateway Outdoors email is GWOutdoors@comcast.net
