More on Feeders

With the next big wave of spring migration right around the corner it’s a good time to mention a few of the speciality feeders including everyone’s favourite, the hummingbird feeder. Over the years I’ve tested dozens of models of the two basic styles of hummingbird feeders, they come in the maybe more familiar reservoir (upside down bottle of nectar flowing into the feeder ports) and the newer saucer style. The latter being my hands down favourite; they don’t leak and are much easier to clean as you don’t have to get inside the bottle or the often elaborate base. I haven’t found a bottle style feeder yet that doesn’t leak at least a little and often a lot, this is why bees and yellow-jackets are on feeders even when the bee guards are in place. There are models in both styles that come with a built in ant moat, this is a small container of water that surrounds the hanger of the feeder, when the ants come down they won’t cross the water to gain access to the sugar. (If your best feeder isn’t equipped with an ant moat you can always add one in the hanger line.) Of the various saucer feeders available I like the ones with the tops molded of all one piece, that is the “flowers” around the ports are part of the lid, not added in, this way you don’t have to remove them all for cleaning. The easiest feeders to use have only two parts. It’s not that the hummingbirds care, I haven’t found a feeder that they won’t use, (last year I found a purple and brass feeder that the birds loved), it’s just that if the feeders are easy to clean you are more likely to do it often, clean feeders with fresh nectar are more attractive to hummers.

When it was found that orioles would “steal” from hummingbird feeders, manufacturers started making them with larger perches and easier access. They are bright orange which may attract them quicker, as the are very attracted to orange halve placed out in the spring. However, if you have a larger hummingbird feeder they will use it easily, you may want to remove a bee guard to make the hole bigger but if you forget the orioles will be glad to flip one out. Years ago I couldn’t figure out why my yellow flower bee guards were always on the ground, these things are hard to remove when cleaning often breaking a thumb nail. When I saw the oriole for the first time, she landed on the perch, flipped the bee guard out and was sipping nectar in one fluid motion. I quickly bought an oriole feeder and when I got it home it was simply an orange version of the hummingbird feeder that I already had, with the bee guards removed. (She ignored it in favour of the hummingbird feeder by the way, but the hummingbirds did like the oriole feeder.)

I read that orioles liked grape jelly, so I nailed an orange Tupperware dish to a tree and filled it with the sweetest jelly I could find. Boy do they ever like it, we also had the odd warbler partake. When the orioles do come around, we go through several bottles. There are several jelly feeders out there, most cost more than Tupperware but your wife won’t be nearly as mad when she sees it nailed to a tree. Orioles also like peanuts and peanut butter suet, so you may see an incredibly bright orange bird on your suet feeder from time to time; another reason for keeping your suet feeders out at least until this wave of migration goes through.

If you are ever lucky enough to get Bluebirds nesting in your yard you may want to offer meal worms, these little bird delicacies are available in pet stores or are fairly easy to grow yourself. The problem is starlings like them too, and will devour hundreds a day, there are tray feeders with adjustable domes that can be lowered enough to keep starlings out. Some people have good luck with the window tray feeders, these usually work best if you are home most of the day to shoo the starlings away, if there isn’t any activity in the house they will get used to the window feeders as well. There is a design of Bluebird feeder that is easy to build and will keep larger birds out. It’s basically a box with 1 ½ inch holes in each end and a glass front, the Bluebirds are curious about the holes and will usually investigate, but I make mine with a removable plexiglass front and only put it in after the birds find it and the starlings become a pest. It’s easiest to offer the worms in a tray within the box, so make it big enough to accommodate a small tray (flat 250 ml sour cream containers work well). If you want to use this feeder after the Bluebirds leave you can offer peanuts and sunflower to chickadee and nuthatch, a great small selective bird feeder.

The biggest part of the feeder market may very well be the small bird only lines. If everyone liked pigeons, blackbirds and jays I would likely have to look for a “day job”, there are literally hundreds of different models of feeders that claim to be “small bird only” feeders. They range from caged and weighted feeders that originally were intended to keep squirrels out, but really work better on large birds, to small hopper feeders with no perches at all, the “clingers” have no problem while the larger guys can’t get access. Some of the sunflower/peanut mesh feeders mentioned last week are also great for small birds only. If you have a tube feeder that the big guys won’t leave alone you can usually convert it to a “clingers only” by removing any trays and perches, they may be removable but sometimes it means cutting them off. Small birds cling to the feeder opening, chickadee and nuthatch grab a seed and open it in a tree while Goldfinch and Pine Siskins, using their tails against the feeder for support, will hang on the feeder until they get their fill. With one of these feeders and a nyjer tube, even people with the worst pigeon problems can enjoy these bright and friendly birds.

Incredible Picture

This picture was taken in 2009 on the Crawley Farm Road nest near U de M. Pretty much in the city.

Go here to see more pictures from Brian and Laura Hare.

PS it's not photoshopped!

Bluebird Houses

Here are two pictures for all those who think that a 1 1/2 inch hole is too big. If the hole on this "Swallow" box was only 1 1/4 inches these guys would have moved on to another yard.

Photos taken April 12 by Denis Doucet in Kent County, NB.

Feeder Types II

A peanut feeder is a great way to save money on peanuts while still keeping Blue Jays and others around your yard. I would however hang the suet on it's own hook, I like to spread out the activity so the Downy Woodpeckers won't be scared off every time a Jay come into the peanuts. Also the suet tends to get pooped on when hanging right under another feeder.

There are various styles of wire mesh feeders ranging from wire tubes with the same top and bottom as their polycarbonate counterparts to very elaborate chainmail baskets. At first you’d think the seed would get awfully wet because of the open design, but I’ve found the seed actually stays dryer in a mesh feeder, provided the bottom is well drained and the all the seed is accessible, that is, the bottom deflects the seed toward the outside where the birds can reach it or the birds can eat from the bottom as well as the sides. Most birds, especially the small guys, will hang off the bottom of a wire mesh feeder and pick out seeds. The mesh allows the wind to blow through the seed keeping it dry, I’ve noticed in tube feeders the moisture sometimes condenses on the tube and runs down to the bottom where it often causes mold.

Most birds don’t prefer mesh feeders and they will empty the tube, hoppers and platforms before digging in to the mesh feeders, but there are a few species that would rather pick the seed through the mesh; chickadee, nuthatch and all the finch, will choose the mesh feeders over the others. Blue Jays, black birds and pigeons can’t gobble the seed down fast enough and will only bother mesh feeders if everything else (including your neighbours feeder) is empty. Some people only use sunflower mesh and nyjer feeders, getting a great array of small birds without the bullies coming around.

The first mesh feeder I came across was a peanut feeder for peanuts out of the shell. If you’ve ever offered peanuts to Blue Jays you’ll learn fast that you have to do something to slow down the intake. When offered free choice on a platform feeder, I’ve seen a Blue Jay stuff 13 peanut halves in his crop and beak, taking them away to hide and returning in moments to reload. Peanut feeders are made of quarter inch mesh wire, it’s just a little to small for a peanut piece to pass through easily. The jays have to work at it, pecking and pulling to get a nut. A scoop of peanuts that might only last an hour will often keep the jays busy for a week in a feeder.

Sunflower mesh feeders are the same as the peanut version but since the sunflower isn’t as likely to spoil, they can be larger. It’s not to say that you can’t feed sunflower seeds in a peanut feeder or peanuts in a sunflower feeder it’s just that you don’t want to fill the largest feeders with peanuts only, I usually add a few on the top of the sunflower, keeping in mind that this feeder will now be more attractive to jays and black birds.

One thing about mesh feeders is, you can’t feed mixed seed, those of you who follow this column know that I wouldn’t consider this a downfall as I don’t recommend mixed seed.

The scourge of the mesh feeder line has to be the nyjer mesh feeder (and nyjer stockings), this Saturday alone, I had 3 complaints and a return, (I was busy just before Christmas and didn’t get to warn of the down falls, when they brought it back for exchange the seed had to be chiseled out of the feeder). It’s the only nyjer mesh feeder that I haven’t talked people out of since last summer when I sold one to a couple from Arizona, I figured it’s dry there and even if it doesn’t work they’re unlikely to return it to me.

I’m not a physicist but I think the reason these don’t work while sunflower and peanut mesh feeders do, is the size of the seed. Picture a pile of sand, when you pour on water it stays wet and sticks together, you can even form it into sculpture. When you pour water on crushed stone, it runs through, the air circulates and the rocks dry off quickly. (If I remember my high school physics it has something to do with surface tension.) Sure, these feeders look great when they are packed with finch, but when the seed gets wet they are on to dryer pastures.

Peanut in the shell feeders can be made of wire mesh, perforated metal or metal bars. They too are designed to save you money on peanuts by making it harder for the jays who can take 3 peanuts in the shell at one time, and for some reason, they are even more expensive than peanuts out of the shell. With these feeders the jays have to break the shell open and remove the kernel, then they fling the empty shells out of the way to get at the full ones. These are the Blue Jay’s favourite and will keep them around all day without breaking the bank.

Suet feeders are usually made of wire mesh anywhere from quarter inch to one inch square, they can be made of all wire or have wooden sides. I find the wooden feeder easier to use but the all wire version is easier to clean. With wooden suet feeders I prefer models with wire bottoms over wooden, if the suet cake sits on the bottom for any time it stays wet and molds.

Window feeders come in three different styles, that I know of, an open tray with a roof, a small tube feeder and a small hopper. The open tray feeder often gets messy from bird droppings as the birds get right in the feeder to eat, also the empty seed shells are left in the tray so you have to keep a closer eye to notice when it’s actually empty. The small seed tubes have varying success, they are usually cheaper feeders and have a tray that catches water and snow. The Aspects Window Cafe is my favourite window feeder, it’s a small hopper with a roof that extends over the seed, this keeps the weather and the larger birds out. The roof attaches to the window with 3 good suction cups and the hopper/seed port remove easily for cleaning and refilling without removing the roof. (when you get a suction cup feeder to stick well you want to leave it there, especially in cold weather). The seed inside the hopper stays dry, I even use this feeder for the hulled sunflower seeds that require a very water proof feeder.

Feeder Types

One of my favourite tube feeders is the "Big Tube" with a quick clean base, by Aspects.

There are several types of bird feeders, some are better than others for achieving your goals, some will attract certain species while discouraging others, here is a description of the various types of feeders, the pros and cons and in some cases I may go out on a limb and give my favourite or least favourite models.

The first type of feeder that most people try is technically called a fly-thru feeder, but most of us call it a pop bottle with 2 holes. There are variations of this design, from large wooden structures to 1 liter bottles, but they all do about the same thing, birds fly in, grab a seed and fly out the other side. There are even several that will attach to the window with suction cups. The smaller the opening, the smaller the birds that will be attracted. For the most part these feeders work well, the main problem being the birds that like to hang around in the feeder to eat, they tend to leave their droppings on the seed. If you check them often and make sure there is adequate drainage, they’re fine.

The next type of feeder we usually build or buy is a hopper feeder, I’m sure everyone is familiar with the most common form of this feeder--wooden ends and plexiglass sides make up the seed reservoir, small openings along the bottom allow the seed to run into a trough that refills as the birds eat. Some of these feeders are better than others, if there is a large flat bottom in the hopper, the seed stays in the middle where the birds can’t reach it, the squirrels can’t reach it either but they will quickly enlarge the openings in the plexiglass sides to gain access to the seed. If you’re making or buying one of these, the sides should be slanted inward to lessen the area at the bottom, a good feeder also has an inverted V in the bottom to deflect the seed towards the openings if they can reach all the seed, critter modifications are unnecessary. If you have a flat bottomed hopper a piece of 2x2 can be ripped on a 45 degree angle and attached to the bottom of the hopper so it will deflect the seed to the openings. The best of these feeders have a bottom of either perforated steel or wire mesh for drainage. Some manufacturers attach suet cages to each of the wooden ends, I don’t like this because the suet cage backs on the hopper feeder causing mold and stains and because it concentrates too many birds on the feeder. For less money than the suet option on the hopper, you can get 2 suet cages and hang them at a distance from the seed feeder, spreading out the activity allowing the seed eaters to eat in peace.

There are various shapes and sizes of plastic hopper feeders as well, the too common gazebo feeder is a type of hopper...central seed reserve that dispenses at the bottom, in this case it is all around the octagon, but still a hopper. The good thing about a hopper feeder is it will attract just about everything, the bad thing about a hopper feeder is that it will attract just about everything. They are OK to get a feel for feeding but the majority of people will quickly move on to some other type of feeder, or if they don’t mind pigeons, black birds and jays, at least add a different type to give small birds a chance. Some people opt for placing the feeder inside a cage.

A platform feeder can be something as simple as a piece of plywood nailed to the top of a fence post, in most Maritime locations you’ll have to put a ridge around the outside to keep the seed from blowing off. A platform feeder with black oil sunflower and millet will draw just about everything that comes to feeders, but again you’ll quickly run into problems with larger birds taking over. If you live in the city or if there are pigeons in the area I wouldn’t recommend even starting with a platform feeder unless you have it inside a cage. What seems to work the best is a smallish platform on short legs, inside a cage about the size of a lobster trap, made of 2x2 inch mesh wire. Make sure the feeder is small enough that the pigeons can’t stand outside the cage and reach the seed. This set up makes it easy to access, you lift the cage off, dump the remaining seed hulls out of the feeder, refill the tray and replace the cage. You have to get to them soon after a snow fall so they don’t freeze in, but it usually isn’t a problem. When squirrels are active though, you may want to limit the seed to millet (squirrels don’t like it), it’s quite impossible to keep squirrels out of a ground platform feeder (unless you use electric shock training).

I like to make a platform out of window screen, this provides the best drainage so the seed won’t spoil as quick in wet weather. You simply sandwich a piece of screen between two equal sized frames and pole mount or add legs. You can make a roof over platform feeders, but some birds are initially leery of going under the roof, however after a snow fall these will be the only platform feeders open for business.

Tube feeders are available in sunflower/mixed seed or nyjer seed models, the best types are made of a flexible polycarbonate, they are extra tough and won’t break in the cold weather or break down in UV light like the hard plastic varieties. The best tube feeders also have the inverted V seed deflector in the bottom and now there are several varieties that have quick clean bases. I like these because you can take the bottom off in the yard, with no tools, and dump out the dust and dirt in the seed that settles to the bottom to rot. Most people are shocked at the price of these feeders, but if you compare it to some of the hopper feeders, they are usually double the cost of the plastic and less than the cost of the best wooden hoppers. The big difference is, the best tube feeders have a lifetime warranty that even covers squirrel damage, so instead of buying a new feeder every couple years, months or weeks (depending on your squirrels, mine offer “same day service”), these will be the last feeders you’ll ever buy. I can honestly say I’ve never had a customer come back saying, “I wished I’d gone with the cheaper feeder.” Although I’ve had many who wished they’d bought the best first. My favourite manufacturers are Aspects, Droll Yankees and Brome (Squirrel Buster) because they give me a supply of parts so you don’t have to send them back for repair and since they almost never break, I don’t have to work very hard.