Goldfinches don’t hit the dog’s radar.

We have a watchdog you know. She valiantly protects our yard from interlopers including cats and large birds such as grackles and crows (and unfortunately large woodpeckers, doves or jays).

It’s funny though that she seems to have a risk assessment based on the size of the interloper and apparently gold finches don’t cross the risk line. She is happy to let the finches munch away at the feeders.

I am very pleased to have the goldfinches back in my yard. These cheery little guys will eat at the feeder even while I’m sipping coffee on the deck and the dog on watch. I find that they add such nice flashes of color against the spring greenery of the yard.

 

As an aside, I am feeding the goldfinches finely chopped sunflower chips (kernels) – I also have a another feeder elsewhere in the yard where I alternate nyjer seed and our Mother Nature’s finch mix as well.   To find our Mother Nature's bird seed please see our website:  http://www.chinridge.com/index.php/where-to-buy-our-pet-and-wild-animal-food-products

 

 

Attracting Nuthatches to your Backyard

Nuthatches are one of my favorite backyard birds.  So small and yet fiesty, I enjoy seeing these colourful Red Breasted Nuthatches coming to and from my feeders.  It is easy to see which seeds they enjoy the most based on the feeders that they frequent.

In my backyard, the nut feeder is a favorite for the nuthatches.They enjoy the tree nuts (a mix of cashew, hazelnut, almonds and other nuts) and are often seen at that feeder.

Secondly, they really enjoy the finch feeder with the fine sunflower chips (sunflower seeds with the shell removed - chopped finely into little pieces).

They also seem to enjoy eating insects from an old decrepit tree trunk in my backyard and will visit my suet feeders.  I will also see them taking black oil sunflower (shell on) or a peanut from another mix in my hopper feeder.

Nuthatches are busy birds and are not likely to stay long at the feeder.  They zoom in, grab a seed and zoom out, off to wherever they are headed.

If you are having trouble attracting nuthatches, try to offer some of the bird foods I mentioned above.  Note though that you will have a greater chance of attracting them if you have some coniferous treas around your yard.  Red Breasted Nuthatches are considered a short distance migrant and may not migrate at all if you are in the southern part of the Canadian provinces.  So keep those feeders full because once you attract these cute little guys, you could have them there to stay.

Variations on Suet Bird Feeders

I think we are all pretty familiar with the standard suet cage feeder.  However, recently, one of our customers showed us an innovative modification to one of these feeders.

He attached a piece of wood to the bottom of this feeder and explained how this allows birds to have somewhere to rest their tail when they feed, which gives them better balance and allows them to feed more comfortably.   This explains the long tail on some of those suet feeders that you can purchase in stores, or if you already have a suet feeder, you can make it yourself by simply adding a piece of wood onto the bottom similar to the one shown in this photo. 
 

Another interesting suet feeder to consider is a bottom feeding suet feeder, which is entirely covered on the top and sides, and has a mesh underside.  This forces the bird to get to the suet by hanging underneath the feeder. This unique feeder will allow only birds that are comfortable clinging upside down to get to the suet (birds like woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees). If these are the types of birds you wish to attract to your yard, this is a great feeder to use.

 

Suet feeders attract the most interesting birds

I have about 3 different suet feeders in my backyard and they attract the most interesting birds. In particular, I notice that my northern flicker friends love suet.  Notice the acrobatics they use to balance on this suet feeder to eat at it.


You can buy suet in many shapes and sizes but the classic suet cake is like the one pictured here - a square block.  Suet is made from fat, usually beef kidney fat that has been heated to a high temperature to process it in such a way that it will stick together well.  Flavorings or seeds, peanuts etc are added to the fat.  My birds prefer the peanut versions of suet.

Suet provides a very high energy source to birds which is important in the cold winter.  In addition, many birds that are insect eaters will also eat suet, so you will attract birds to your suet feeders even if they will not visit your seed feeders.

So don't forget the suet in your backyard this winter.  I go through about three suet cakes per week during the cold winter months.

Nuthatches at my feeder

Nuthatches are one of my favorite birds. They have the wonderful ability to walk up or down tree trunks as they search for insects to eat.

There are two types of nuthatches commonly found at backyard feeders. The first is the White-breasted Nuthatch which prefers mature deciduous woods and the second is the Red-breasted Nuthatch which prefers coniferous woods. Both will come to feeders laden with chopped nuts and sunflower seeds. Nuthatches also enjoy suet, particularly in the winter time when insects are less readily available.

The nuthatches in my yard will come zooming into the feeder, usually one or two at a time, pick up a seed and then zoom away, probably stashing the food somewhere else for later consumption. They do not seem to mind the flock of redpolls that are permanent fixtures at my feeders these days. They eat mainly from my caged feeder (caged to prevent large birds from accessing the seed) and seem to really enjoy the ingredients in our Mother Nature's Chickadee & Nuthatch mix. They also enjoy eating skinless peanuts from my peanut feeder.

I like how colorful my nuthatches are, and they are one of the birds that I watch for at the feeders. I am feeling quite blessed this year because I have had a number of these little birds coming and going from my feeders all fall.

Winter strikes in southern Alberta

Here is a pic of my feeders this afternoon.  So glad that I filled them on the weekend!

Had a real storm go through southern Alberta last night.  I swear we had a foot of snow on the ground this morning.  This was a shock to me, because, despite the forecast for snow, I didn't really believe that we would get a cold and wintery blast like this so early in the season.

The birds are busy at my feeders today.  No doubt they need the food to keep up their energy levels in the face of these new colder days. 

Backyard visitors - Do you have a Downy Woodpecker in your future?

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Downy woodpeckers are the "most likely woodpecker species to visit a backyard bird feeder". In addition, their range map shows that they are are common year round across most of Canada.

I have one of these cute little guys in my yard and I find him foraging about for insects on the tree bark of some of our older trees. Downy Woodpeckers, though, will eat more than just insects. They like suet but will also eat black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts, fruit and may even sample some of the other seeds at your feeders.

A little acrobat, the Downy Woodpecker can hang from a suet cage very easily. They will travel up and down trees with ease and have similar agility to a nuthatch. They are often found among other types of birds and seem to get along with everyone.

If you want to attract Downy Woodpeckers to your backyard, have a good supply of suet available and offer pure black oil sunflower and skinless peanuts in their respective feeders.