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Hi there,
Today (Christmas Eve) I have seen the following birds at my feeders :
Rock Pigeon 4
Downy Woodpecker 1
American Crow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 2+
Eurasian Starling 20-24
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
Song Sparrow 3+
White-throated Sparrow 4
Dark-eyed Junco 3+
Yellow-breasted Chat 1
Baltimore Oriole 1 imm. male, 1 imm. female
American Goldfinch 6
James Hirtle asked recently about that to feed a
Yellow-breasted Chat, so I though I should report on what I'm using.
On Susann Myers' recommendation, I have been making a "soft
suet" mixture particularly for the Baltimore Orioles. The recipe I
use blends rolled oats, cornmeal, crunchy peanut butter, melted lard,
and chipped hulled sunflower seeds. Unlike real suet (beef fat) this
mixture doesn't get hard. All the birds love it. The difficulty is
in making sure the more vulnerable birds get some. The Starlings
love it too and have brought all their friends - I don't usually have
so many here.
I put out bunches of grapes at first for the Orioles, but
the Starlings quickly found them and demolished them. The last few
days I have been slitting open single grapes and stuffing them with a
bit of soft suet. I know this sounds fiddly but it only takes a
moment. If I put out just a few stuffed grapes the Starlings don't
bother with them much - all their attention is focussed on the
squabbling mob around the hanging feeder full of soft suet. So the
Orioles and the Chat can usually get to them, and if pushed by the
Starlings they can fly away with a grape.
I have two other suet feeders: one has a commercial suet
block in it, which the Orioles, the Chat and the OC Warbler go to
occasionally, as well as the Woodpecker and the Starlings; and the
other contains unrendered suet from a butcher.
I also have a hanging feeder with hulled sunflower seed
chips. The Chickadees, Goldfinches and the Orange-crowned Warbler
come to this. The sparrows and the pigeons go after anything that
spills on the ground.
The Orioles and the Chat stay at the feeders later than the
Starlings, so they get a chance to fill up at the end of the day. As
I write (4:45 p.m.) the Chat is at my feeder.
It's fascinating to have these birds around, but it takes my
attention away from other things that need to be done ...
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Patricia L. Chalmers
Halifax
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<body>
Hi there,<br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>Today
(Christmas Eve) I have seen the following birds at my feeders :<br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>Rock
Pigeon<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab>4<br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>Downy
Woodpecker
<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab>1<br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>American
Crow
<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab>2<br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>
Black-capped Chickadee<x-tab> </x-tab>2+<br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>Eurasian
Starling<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab>20-24<x-tab>
</x-tab><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab><b>
Orange-crowned Warbler </b>
<x-tab> </x-tab>1<br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>Song
Sparrow
<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab>3+<br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>
White-throated
Sparrow<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab>4<br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>Dark-eyed
Junco<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab>3+<br>
<x-tab> </x-tab><b>
Yellow-breasted
Chat</b><x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab>1<br>
<x-tab> </x-tab><b>
Baltimore
Oriole</b><x-tab> </x-tab>
<x-tab> </x-tab>1 imm.
male, 1 imm. female <br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>American
Goldfinch<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab>6<x-tab>
</x-tab><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>James
Hirtle asked recently about that to feed a Yellow-breasted Chat, so I
though I should report on what I'm using.<br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>On Susann
Myers' recommendation, I have been making a "soft suet" mixture
particularly for the Baltimore Orioles. The recipe I use blends
rolled oats, cornmeal, crunchy peanut butter, melted lard, and chipped
hulled sunflower seeds. Unlike real suet (beef fat) this mixture
doesn't get hard. All the birds love it. The difficulty is in
making sure the more vulnerable birds get some. The Starlings love
it too and have brought all their friends - I don't usually have so many
here. <br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>I put out
bunches of grapes at first for the Orioles, but the Starlings quickly
found them and demolished them. The last few days I have been
slitting open single grapes and stuffing them with a bit of soft
suet. I know this sounds fiddly but it only takes a moment.
If I put out just a few stuffed grapes the Starlings don't bother with
them much - all their attention is focussed on the squabbling mob around
the hanging feeder full of soft suet. So the Orioles and the Chat
can usually get to them, and if pushed by the Starlings they can fly away
with a grape.<br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>I have two
other suet feeders: one has a commercial suet block in it, which the
Orioles, the Chat and the OC Warbler go to occasionally, as well as the
Woodpecker and the Starlings; and the other contains unrendered suet from
a butcher. <br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>I also
have a hanging feeder with hulled sunflower seed chips. The
Chickadees, Goldfinches and the Orange-crowned Warbler come to
this. The sparrows and the pigeons go after anything that spills on
the ground. <br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>The
Orioles and the Chat stay at the feeders later than the Starlings, so
they get a chance to fill up at the end of the day. As I write
(4:45 p.m.) the Chat is at my feeder.<br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>It's
fascinating to have these birds around, but it takes my attention away
from other things that need to be done ...<br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>Merry
Christmas, everyone!<br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>Patricia
L. Chalmers<br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>Halifax<br>
<br>
<x-tab> </x-tab><br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab></body>
</html>
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