Squirrel Proof Bird Feeders to the Rescue

by admin on June 8, 2010

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squirrel-eating-bird-feeder

Bird feeders allow us to help nature in keeping birds well nourished. It provides a selection of tastes and feeding venues, and implies less competition for the many flocks and species of birds in and around your area.

However, as birds gather on one feeder, it also carries the problem of contracting and spreading disease. That is why it must be kept clean. Cats and other animals are attracted to bird feeders, too. Mainly, squirrels are the biggest menace when it comes to bird feeders. It caused people who feed birds to resort to the squirrel proof bird feeder.

Cats scare the birds away. And cats, being their playful self, won’t hesitate to prey on those adorable yet helpless birds. And let me tell you, encounters such as these don’t look to good for the birds. A good workaround for this is by properly placing the bird feeder in an area or a position that is out of reach for our feline friends.

fat-squirrel

Squirrels also love bird feeders. They just ravage these feeder sites for birds, help themselves to the contents since they just love the same seeds, and often carry it away to their hoard leaving bits and pieces left for the birds. A quick fix is again to place the bird feeder in a position that is unreachable by the squirrels. But more often than not, this is simply a temporary solution as squirrels almost always find their way to the feeders.

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Luckily for us, someone invented what’s called a squirrel proof bird feeder! The squirrel proof bird feeder is one device that keeps the birds safe from those squirrels and often times other creatures as well.

It is manufactured in two major designs. The weight-triggered squirrel proof bird feeder is designed with perches that collapse under a heavier weight than that of a bird’s. This design also has a battery-powered variation that shocks the trespasser lightly or rotates the perches to toss off the intruding animal, safely that is.

There is also the caged squirrel proof bird feeder. This feeder is surrounded by a wire cage which has openings just right for the size of a bird, but too small for a squirrel to reach the seeds inside. Baffle and feeder combinations are also available alternatives. It serves as barriers for squirrels to climb around and jump over it.

The only disadvantage of the squirrel proof bird feeder is that, it is not 100% guaranteed to work all the time at preventing these creatures from getting to those feeds.

If you don’t want to invest on one, another good option is to simply sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes on the tray and seeds. Amazingly, squirrels hate this stuff and are driven away from it! Birds, on the other hand, don’t care much for these and are unaffected by it.

In closing, squirrels have the agility and intelligence to take over the bird feeders you have in your backyard. Having a squirrel proof bird feeder is one excellent strategy to keep them away. Another may be to try the pepper flakes alternative. I personally use a squirrel proof bird feeder as I find it, extremely reliable, and just as clever, even to the most determined squirrel. Happy bird watching!

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Oriole Feeder for Beautiful New World Orioles

by admin on June 11, 2010

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Don’t you just love the sight of those magnificent orioles nesting on the neighbourhood trees? Or better yet, chirping and flapping above your backyard during their visit to the area?

Orioles come to the United States each year for their breeding season. These birds are arboreal. They can survive in open forests and woodlands, but you can attract these black and yellow orange beauties right at your own backyard with an oriole feeder.

Just like the other feeders designed for specific bird species, oriole feeders help you provide nourishment to orioles. But the difference lies in its contents because orioles mainly feed on flower nectars, fruits, and jelly. So, oriole feeders is developed accordingly to their diet. It has a feature of a somewhat large vessel for filling with nectar. Oriole nectar can be made from sugar and water, as a substitute to the flower nectar.

It was also found that orioles like to eat oranges in halves, and switch to grape jelly within their few days of stay in an area. Other designs of the oriole feeder out in the market have a place for these fruits, and a jelly tub for the grape or bird berry jelly. As the season goes further, they transition to an insect-based diet. The jelly tub of the feeder can still be well utilized for insects.

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Orioles breed in territorial pairs. They have a deeply woven cup as their nest hanging like a hammock from a tree branch. They also tend to protect their feeding sites, so placing an oriole feeder is guaranteed to bring those beautiful birds in your yard and cheer up the environment. But you also have to keep it filled with jelly to make them stick around longer, or else the orioles will take off to another place that has more fruitful treats for them!

Be sure to get your feeders before the birds’ earliest possible time of migration which is usually on the 1st of May, because they will surely be tired and hungry upon arrival. You can purchase any oriole feeder of your choice in pet shops, the gardening aisles in your local stores, and home improvement centres. You can also find it on the internet, all for a reasonable price. Having two, three or up to five feeders situated in your backyard would even be a lovelier and more joyful sight.

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Know about Nyjer Seeds in Thistle Bird Feeders

by admin on February 13, 2012

Thistle bird feeders will merit any investment.

The typical tiny, black bird seed that are usually found on thistle bird feeders are nyjer or also known as thistle seeds. Nyjer, pronounced as nay-jer, is favored by goldfinches, redpolls, doves, sparrows and other wild birds because it is a good source of calories. These bird seeds are not locally available and are commonly imported from Asia and Africa to be used by bird owners and bird feeding aficionados all over the world.

Commercial nyjer seeds, much like ordinary wild bird seed, are sterilized thru heat to prevent it from germinating. Birds have the normal tendency to sieve among the bird seed mixtures to get their favorites and their movements may cause the seeds to fly or fall out of the feeder. As such, these seeds will not grow when left in the ground and wild bird feeder owners can simply pick them off and put it back again on the feeder.

Unfortunately, there are two disadvantages when it comes to thistle or nyjer seeds. One, the diminutive sizes of these seeds makes it only applicable to special feeders such as thistle bird feeders. Two, these seeds may come as expensive due to importation and other applicable transportation expenses.

This is the reason why thistle seeds are also called as “black gold” because of its high price compared to other bird seed mixes. One will be able to differentiate thistle seeds because they look like tiny granules of wild rice. Do not be confused with the terminology of “thistle weeds” and “thistle bird seeds” because the two are not the same.

Thistle bird feeders, as illustrated in Figure 1, has very small ports that can hold the tiny nyjer seeds well and allow finches to peck through it. There are also other cheaper versions of thistle bird feeders such as those made out of thistle sacks. However, thistle sacks are very much susceptible to damage than regular plastic- or metal-made thistle feeders.

Thistle or nyjer seeds also require particular handling techniques. This type of bird seeds must not get wet or it will spoil rotten quickly. Again, it will be a waste of money if this should this happen.

One may ask, if this is what it will cost then why bother to have this special kind of seeds when one can just use any ordinary wild bird seed? Well, let us use the analogy of a child to a parent. Will not the parent, here being the owner of the wild bird feeder, do everything within his or her capabilities to provide quality food to its child or in this case, the birds?

This is what thistle bird feeders owners try to emulate. If it is needed to shell out a bit for the sake of birds then so it will be. Finches and other wild birds need to have its supply of quality and nutritious bird seeds.

In addition, the prospect to see these colorful birds is an astonishing sight to behold. No amount can replace such opportunities to see different kinds of birds up close. If giving them the satisfaction from superior class of bird seeds will make them come on a regular basis to feeders then so be it.

Owning thistle bird feeders are worth the investment. It is very fun to watch wild birds flock toward the feeders. As such, skip any reservations that one may feel towards bird feeding and go ahead to have thistle feeders now.

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