I’ve been feeding birds for many, many years. I find it relaxing to watch them as they prepare to build their nests in the spring, then later bring their young around to teach them about the “good” food that magically appears for them. Of course, during the winter months, keeping the feeders full is simply a good, humane thing to do.
I can always count on the cardinals to stop by early in the evening, and scold me if there isn’t any food. The chickadees visit throughout the day, flitting from the tree to the hanging feeder underneath. The tree outside my great room is a canopy shape so it provides good hiding protection from bigger birds.
In the backyard, I have a thistle feeder for goldfinches. It’s set off by itself because they tend to be more timid birds and don’t like to compete with others. There are several pairs that visit and they look like tiny rays of sunshine when several bright yellow males feed all at once.
Then there’s a larger feeder out by the spruce trees that I fill with oilers. The sparrows, cardinals, and doves keep it drained of food. Once in a while a hawk visits, sitting on the fence to see what prey he can carry off. When he/she arrives, all the other birds escape quietly to the spruces for cover.
The front feeder, under the canopy, is where I put the “prime” food. I use a no-mess mix that is sunflower hearts, peanuts, etc. The birds LOVE it! But so does this little guy. He has to be an acrobat to reach the feeder, but somehow he manages. He fills his pouches … runs off … comes back for more … and so on.
I had to buy more seed today, and since I happened to be in Westerville, I stopped by Wild Birds Unlimited on State St. If I’m in the Dublin or Hilliard area, I stop at their store on Riverside Dr, just north of Hayden Run. They have a new product called Jim’s Birdacious Bark Butter. It’s a peanut butter and suet mixture that can be spread on tree bark. I bought it JUST FOR the chipmunk, hoping that he’ll leave the good seed alone.
We’ll see how well that works!
Have you ever wondered why a chipmunk is cute, but a mouse isn’t?
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Elaine,
What a beautiful post! We have similar visitors to our feeders, including the chipmunk, and even some ground squirrels.
Have you ever noticed how the doves act like “vacuum cleaners” under the thistle feeder? Our goldfinches tend to drop plenty of seeds on the ground, but the doves take care of it right away.
And then there’s our (frustrated) cat. One day, I’ll have to have my camera ready to get a shot of her leaping into the air, trying to get one of the birds at the feeder. It’s hilarious!
Thanks again for sharing this. Make it a great day!
Vance, regarding the doves, yes they tend to be ground feeders. Under my thistle feeder I have an attached tray, so the doves “try” to sit on it to clean up the thistle. It’s a little tricky because of their size.
No cats allowed in my backyard, but neighbors who let their cats roam, often try to catch the birds at the front feeders.
He (or she!) is adorable. Since I live in the ‘hood I don’t have chipmunks. It’s the way they scamper that makes them cuter than mice.
Few weeks back I was waiting for an RTA train after an open house and a rat wandered onto the tracks . I have to admit he (or she!) didn’t seem as ‘uncute’ as I would have imagined
It’s the first rat I have seen in about 15 years….and this little guy was smart enough (or could feel the vibrations) to get off the track when the train came lol.
Oh-h-h, I’ve never seen a rat … just mice. I only got the chipmunks about 3 years ago when my street’s trees and landscaping began to mature. The homes on the wooded ravines in our ‘hood have squirrels, but those of us on the interior lots don’t have enough really big trees yet.
BTW, the chipmunk hasn’t touched the special food I bought for it. The food is just sitting there, and it’s still robbing the good bird seed.
Use pepper under and around bird feeders to keep squirrels, chipmunks and cats away. I use pepper all over my yard and the neighbor’s cats go the other way now. I also put pepper into feeders to keep squirrels off of them. It is not harmful to animals. Like us, it makes the nose run, sneeze and some burning. I don’t use a lot, just some to get the message across.
Beth, you’re right. I’ve tried Squirrel Away for the feeder, which is simply chili pepper powder, to deter the chipmunk. It says that birds don’t have a mouth/beak that is affected by it. Under the feeder, to deter cats, I’ve tried Critter Ridder, which is also a pepper. The problem with it is that it must be applied after every rain.
Thank you for the great counsel, Beth.
Never heard of this, and I have a big, bad cat who loves birds, and too many squirrels to feed! I ceased the feedings as it was so demanding! I’ll give this a try!
Joan, our local bird feeding stores carry the products that I mentioned, although regular peppers would be cheaper if you have large areas to do. Good luck with that roaming cat!