I can feel his presence even before I open the curtains in the morning. Oh, I know he has to eat too, so I ignored his lack of manners and continued to fill the peanut feeder.
it wasn't until that Blue Jay caught my ear and shared his opinion about those bushy-tails that I decided it was time...time to buy and create a few new feeders that I have had my eye on for a while...
I had been surfing the net and came across this large platform feeder. I liked the fact that one can remove the metal trays for cleaning and that several birds can feed at once. The feeder pole has several different sized extensions one can buy to add supports for items, such as meal worm feeders or suet holders. The one inch steel pole will also support a hopper feeder at its top...but for today we just picked up a few necessaries and of course that all important squirrel baffle.
I capped it with a metal silhouette of a cardinal...and I'm loving the fact that as of day four no squirrels have made it onto the platform....but they are clever little creatures ..so I won't say ah ha..just yet!
as for the peanut feeder, itself, my husband created the one below that now holds whole peanuts. The woodpeckers, blue jays and the real Nuthatch seem to love it... The piece at the bottom unscrews which makes it easy to empty the shells and replenish it with fresh peanuts. We have watched those ole bushy-tails attempt to reach it and so far their calls have gone from gimme gimme gimme to.. I think I can, I think I can...but with no success..so far...;0
15 comments:
Hi Tina,
This is a wonderful post, but still I'm wondering, are you still feeding them during spring time??? Is that really ok?
I love the nutcracker guy, he is very funny and you got awesome shots of it, with nice attitude. This blue jay is a really wonderful bird.
Chris,
Yes I do feed during the spring and the summer..a nut and fruit blend..you never know who is going to be stopping by your feeder on their way to where ever. Last year we had a blue bunting stop by and a few grosbeaks...living in such a residential area we don't usually see these birds..it was quite a thrill..esp that bunting oh how stiking!!
Oh these are beautiful Tina!!! I was just looking at platform feeders on line today! I'm gonna go get me one too!
Not a big fan of squirrels here, so I wish you success at keeping them out, out, out! Love your platform and peanut feeders. Easy maintenance, easy feeding, easy viewing. Also love your friendly neighborhood Blue Jay so happily modeling for you ... this gregarious mischief-maker is one of my favorites in the bird world. A helpful post for those thinking of upgrading their bird feeding arrangements.
This looks like it should do the trick, hopefully it will.
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Hope those squirrels do not figure out the new feeder.I am sure the birds are enjoying it.Looks good.
Blessings,Ruth
I would love to have a platform, but the squirrels could jump onto it from the trees. I like yours.
Good luck with the new feeder device. The squirrels are pretty clever though so I will be crossing my fingers that it works.
LOVE your header with the Wood Duck. Such an impressive photo.
You have a great bird feeder station set up!!
The first feeder with the squirrel hanging. Let me guess, stainless steel from Lowe's. The other feeder, Wild Birds Unlimited.
The squirrel baffle is a life saver too.
I have my feeder to close to a tree and if the large feeder is full, sometimes the squirrel jumps from the tree to the feeder in a suicidal dive banging into the pole. Once he bounced off the baffle and hit the ground hard...that had to hurt!
Oh very nice platform feeder...what website is it from?
Hope those little squirrels cant get on the new tray.
That first photo of the squirrel holding the feeder is soo cute..and so funny.
Great post Tina. I had to fight the squirrels for a while. First I put a PVC pipe(thinking they would be able to climb it) around the rod that went up to hold the bird feeder. It was 30 minutes before a squirrel was up at the bird feeder. I then got a big coffee can and put it around the PVC pipe about half way up to the feeder. So far that has stopped them. Have a great weekend.
Love your new feeders and the bushytail Nutcracker is hilarious. They are funny but also persistant and can figure how to get in feeders almost any kind anytime anywhere. I hope this is a winner for you! I'll be watching. I feed in Spring and Summer also. You get some unusual birds sometimes when you feed straight through. That is how I first got Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.
Hello Everyone,
Thanks for all your support and helpful hints...so far so good...no squirrels on either the platform or the peanut feeder..not that they haven't been entertaining to watch their attempts!!
Dawn, I got the feeder kit on line at a website called naturehouseinc.com plus as Andy guessed you can also buy them individually at Wild Birds Unlimited.
Forget the bird feeder. The real question is who does your lawn?! Whoa, that's a vibrant green, and that pink bush is gorgeous! Can't wait until we get to see your oriole pictures from that orange feeder. :-)
P.S. I can hear your squirrels meeting and putting their heads together all the way from down here in NC!
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