Bird Feeder Wars - episodes 3 & 4

So, I'm obsessed with my bird feeders. They have provided me with untold stoner hours of sitting zoning out looking out the windows. I recently shattered the glass panel on this feeder because I was throwing rocks (badly) at a squirrel that would not leave. Bastard.

At first this spring, I thought the couple of chipmunks and red squirrels that would come to eat were cute and a part of my garden ecosystem. Well that may be true (the jury's still out on that one), they are pigs. They sit at the feeder for hours, filling their cheeks, running away and then coming back 30 seconds later for more. While they're there, they scream and frighten all the birds away.

I didn't have it in me to load up the red Rider BB gun and get to blasting. So I started out using sections of old stovepipe. This didn't work. They chipmunks would burrow under the rim and then scamper up the pole, the squirrels would just leap right up over it onto the pole.

Now we come to episode 3 (sorry no pics on this one). I read that you can 'spice' up your birdseed as birds can't sense spicy tastes and all mammals do. I coated a big batch in cheap Chinese chili oil. It was a gross process. It did seem to work however, and after 2 days I removed the stovepipes and the chipmunks seem to have left. Yay! Until the next time I did my next batch I guess I didn't use enough oil because all the varmits came back. Even more than before! Arrgh. I tried a few more batches with varying results. But it was a pain to mix the stuff up every time.

At this point I thought about abandoning the birds altogether, we have been going through a 20-pound bag of sunflower seeds every 3-4 days and it was starting to cost too much. But the birds that have been showing up have been awesome! We've been getting large development teams (that's what they're called btw) of House Finches recently. They're so cool, they eat their weight in mosquitos every day! . Also we have a family of four Hairy Woodpeckers that eat exclusively at our backyard feeder. I needed to keep feeding all these guys.

I looked for new squirrel proof feeders and feeder 'baffles' at the great Lee Valley Tools site, and all the shit was so expensive! Fuck that, I'll go the cheap hillbilly route and build my own.

Ta-fucking-Da! I took a flimsy pot that some plants came from the store in, cut a small slit in them and threaded them over the feeder poles. And you know what? They have worked like magic! I filled all the feeders and after 2 weeks, they still are half full with seed. Not a single beast has been able to make it by its defenses. It's not the prettiest, but it works like the bomb. All the squirrels and chipmunks have moved on. Suddenly there are none. Hooray!

DYI Bird Feeder & Bird Bath Project - episode 2

So, I haven't done much posting of late - very sadly, my awesome Dad has become super-sick and is probably going to die sometime soon, so being with my family has been my main focus. But posting on this blog is fun, and I could use a bit more fun in my life these days. Another thing that's provided us with a lot of enjoyment so far this summer has been our bird feeders and bird bath. I sit for long stretches looking at the window at all the action that takes place.

We scored this feeder for a dollar at a garage sale last year. I stuck the section of stovepipe at the bottom because I read somewhere that it would stop the squirrels and chipmunks from climbing up. Fat chance! They leap over it and shimmy up the pole faster than Edwin Moses at a free prostitute giveaway. I guess I need another section of pipe. It's amazing how much sunflower seed these rats with fuzzy tails eat every day. Oh well, I guess we're supporting a whole ecosystem so for right now, they all get a pass. Sonya and I talk daily about getting out the BB gun and starting a chipmunk/squirrel graveyard in the back, but so far, I haven't been able to embrace my inner serial murderer (must watch more Dexter...) so for now, they can live.

This is feeder No.2, the pipe is slightly longer and the chipmunk thieves seem to leave this one more or less alone. It's a favorite of the bluejays and grackles because of its close proximity to our big cedar hedge. They snag their food and retreat to the safety of the hedge to eat.

Somewhere I read that bird baths (and moving water) attract more birds than feeders do. So far they bath has been somewhat accepted & utilized by our feathered friends, but not as much as I'd like. I put the water jug with a hole punched in the bottom to keep a drip going and several of the birds sit directly beneath the drip for the outdoor shower effect. The chipmunks drink out of it as well. I'm pretty impressed with how many different birds drop by in a day for a drink and a bath. I'm thinking about something larger with a solar powered pump for next year.

DYI Bird Feeder & Bird Bath Project - episode 1

Our current bird feeder was a $1 score at a garage sale last summer. We had it right up against the window for the whole winter. It was awesome, we had tons of birds (well to be honest, it was pretty much just chickadees and a couple of raggedy-assed red squirrels), but now that spring has sprung we've been trying to attract a few new residents to the neighbourhood. Between the greedy squirrels who sit there eating for hour long stretches and twitching like a rock hungry epileptic crackhead and the jittery chickadees who spill more food than they eat, there is a ton of sunflower seeds strewn about. All of it seems to be attracting lots of different birds that only eat off the ground; sparrows, grackles and juncos so far. I have started to throw extra food on the ground and it seems to be attracting more birds.

After some google research I decided to try to rig another feeder for the backyard, and a bird bath fpr the front yard. Supposedly once your bird bath is established, it will attract more birds than a feeder. Not having any cash, I have tried to use whatever was available in the garage. So far, it's pretty much been a disaster. Not a single bird has bathed so far, and it's been a week. I used a metal fish trivet balanced in a planter. I read that birds like flowing water so I suspended a water jug and stabbed a few holes in the bottom. The water flow has been a bit inconsistent, so I guess I need bigger stabbing holes. Supposedly it takes a few days before the birds don't think the bath will eat and attack them, but so far it hasn't inspired a single sitting yet. I think I might relocate it closer to our blue spruce bush so it can have more of an overhang. Hopefully I'll be able to do an update with some photos soon.

Here's my lame attempt for our new backyard feeder. It's this useless 50's BBQ, and I filled it with some of the sunflower seeds. I also spread some seeds around the base of the apple tree. There's also the stump I use for chopping wood. So far, 1 week in, only the red squirrels have noticed it. Hopefully it will become the new cool spot for all the kids. We have a lot of woodpeckers (Woody, Downy, Pileated, Red-Headed) that frequent the woods behind the house that I would love to start stopping by.