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Author Topic: Birds in the back yard  (Read 289708 times)

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Offline mike89

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the hummers showed up today here!!!   :happy1:   good to hear roony!!!
a bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at work!!

Offline mike89

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Saw my first Scarlet Tananger ever just now. Beautiful

that is so cool!!!
a bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at work!!

Offline LPS

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I put up a new thistle feeder a week ago.  Haven't seen a finch on it yet other than standing on top of it.  The old one fell apart a couple of years ago.  About 5 or 6 years ago a lady gave me a 5 gallon bucket of thistle seeds.  The birds had been eating it fine but I am wondering if in the last year or two it went bad.  Either that or they haven't figured out how to use the feeder again.  It's just a regular one with the little holes in the plastic tube.  The pail is still half full of thistle feed.  May have to buy some new stuff and experiment. 

Offline delcecchi

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I have noticed that the traffic at my feeders has really dropped off.   Down to a bluejay, a red wing black bird and a squirrel that is too fast for me.   

Probably going to take them down....
I do have one hummingbird that keeps coming so I'll leave his feeders up. 

Online glenn57

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I put up a new thistle feeder a week ago.  Haven't seen a finch on it yet other than standing on top of it.  The old one fell apart a couple of years ago.  About 5 or 6 years ago a lady gave me a 5 gallon bucket of thistle seeds.  The birds had been eating it fine but I am wondering if in the last year or two it went bad.  Either that or they haven't figured out how to use the feeder again.  It's just a regular one with the little holes in the plastic tube.  The pail is still half full of thistle feed.  May have to buy some new stuff and experiment.
we havent had much for birds around lately either. there nesting for the most part. thats all i have to is the little tube thistle feeder.

yea at 5-6 years old i dont think that seed is much good anymore. i quit buying mass quantities of bird food when we quit the permy camper thing as i dont go through that much in town.

LPS, go throw it out in the woods, something is sure to eat it, its what i do, bring it to the cabin and set it out in the woods, its always cleaned up like Mikey's dinner plate  :rotflmao: :rotflmao: next time i go look!!!! :nerd: :nerd:
2015 deer slayer!!!!!!!!!!

Online Dotch

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I would concur glenn. At 5-6 years old the oil in the seed may be rancid. Not that birds generally have much sense of taste or smell but they seem to be able to figure that out somehow.

The goldifnches are still visiting our feeders although not as numerous as they were 6-8 weeks ago. Aren't touching the one screen thistle feeder so may remove that. Otherwise when it rains in buckets a lot of seed gets ruined. They have two other tube feeders and a small screen feeder as well as two sunflower feeders they frequent. Orioles are still coming to the feeders some but they've slowed down too. Hummingbirds have been extremely active. They triangulate from their nectar feeder, to the oriole nectar feeder then to Mrs. Cheviot's petunia planter. Makes you dizzy trying to keep up with them sometimes.   
Time itself is bought and sold, the spreading fear of growing old contains a thousand foolish games that we play. (Neil Young)

Offline LPS

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So the thistle seed isn't going to turn into thistles is it?   :confused:

Online Dotch

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No, it's supposed to be heat treated so it won't germinate. Even if a small amount does, it'll get mowed off or killed off when it freezes long before it has a chance to produce seed. Had a few plants show up over the years & none ever survived.

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guizotia_abyssinica 
« Last Edit: June 06/16/20, 01:59:14 PM by Dotch »
Time itself is bought and sold, the spreading fear of growing old contains a thousand foolish games that we play. (Neil Young)

Offline LPS

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I read all of that Dotch.  I see ground niger seeds mixed with sugar and water is a cure for the common cold.  We may have stumbled onto the cure for the Crud too.  Gin and tonics  (quinine) along with a little niger paste sounds like THE CURE!

Offline LPS

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I will get new seed tomorrow and let you know how it works.  Who knows how old this was before I got it?

Offline mike89

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I read all of that Dotch.  I see ground niger seeds mixed with sugar and water is a cure for the common cold.  We may have stumbled onto the cure for the Crud too.  Gin and tonics  (quinine) along with a little niger paste sounds like THE CURE!
\
say what!!   :scratch: :rotflmao: :happy1:
a bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at work!!

Online Dotch

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I'm game if you are Barry!  :rotflmao:
Time itself is bought and sold, the spreading fear of growing old contains a thousand foolish games that we play. (Neil Young)

Offline LPS

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I read all of that Dotch.  I see ground niger seeds mixed with sugar and water is a cure for the common cold.  We may have stumbled onto the cure for the Crud too.  Gin and tonics  (quinine) along with a little niger paste sounds like THE CURE!
\
say what!!   :scratch: :rotflmao: :happy1:



That was on the Wikipedia description on Nyjer seeds.  Thistle seeds..   

Online glenn57

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I read all of that Dotch.  I see ground niger seeds mixed with sugar and water is a cure for the common cold.  We may have stumbled onto the cure for the Crud too.  Gin and tonics  (quinine) along with a little niger paste sounds like THE CURE!
\
say what!!   :scratch: :rotflmao: :happy1:



That was on the Wikipedia description on Nyjer seeds.  Thistle seeds..
yeppers, one and the same!! :happy1:
2015 deer slayer!!!!!!!!!!

Offline fishwidow

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I’ve had mixed results with thistle. At one house the finches couldn’t stay away from it and gobbled it up in no time. At a different house, I’ve never had them show any interest at all. They would ignore the thistle and just go after the black oil sunflower seeds.
Also the hummingbirds have really slowed down their activity at the feeders. A couple weeks ago they were having dogfights like WW 1 planes. Now they are kind of scarce.

Offline LPS

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We have tried to get Martins here for years.  Even played the CD all day long for days.  Finally this year the tree swallows moved into the martin house and took it over.  That is fine cuz they are great birds too.  SO now occasionally a martin cruises around the house checking it out.  The swallows must have attracted the martins attention.  My brother has lots of martins and said the swallows won't let the martins near the house now.  Which is just fine with us. They had their chance.

Online glenn57

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the purple martins like big open spaces and wires nearby to sit on. there also dive bombing specialists when they have there young ones.  :rotflmao: i had a martin house up for years with no luck, just friggin sparrows and starlings so took it down. mom used to have alot of them bu for some reason there population declined. there is even a purple martin group( society) around central mn.

yea those tree swallows are cool to, and bug eating machines. they usually took over out bluebird houses, this year they lost to the bluebirds!!!!! :happy1: :rotflmao:
2015 deer slayer!!!!!!!!!!

Online Dotch

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Martins are pretty cool. Dad had a house for them at the farm but as you said glenn, the sparrows & starlings were a constant nuisance. It was a lot of work trying to keep them out & cleaning out their messes. One more reason I dislike those rats with wings. Don't think Dad ever got any martins. The guy at the SWCD tried to talk me into putting up a martin house in our yard a few years ago. He thought it would be an ideal spot with the pond below the hill, surrounded by open pasture, etc. After Dad's experience, that sounds like a retirement project at best. 
Time itself is bought and sold, the spreading fear of growing old contains a thousand foolish games that we play. (Neil Young)

Offline LPS

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My brother is a Marin officianodo!  He has houses galore and martins everywhere.  He does put a lot of effort into it though!  He contributes to that Purple Martin site that Glenn was talking about.  I don't have that touch so just loving our Tree Swallows.  LOL

Offline LPS

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SO my research of the day is the Goldfinches.  I did buy new Nyjer seed yesterday.  I refilled my feeder and am watching to see if it makes any difference.  The finches are a foot away at the sunflower feeder and so far haven't seen one on the thistle feeder.  It used to be so full of finches that they were waiting in line to get to it.  ???

Online glenn57

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so....anybody that's had bluebirds notice there gone?????? i've noticed the past 4-5 days that they havent been around. we had 2 pair.

now we have a pair of those tree swallows that took over one of the bluebird houses?????? :scratch: :scratch:
2015 deer slayer!!!!!!!!!!

Offline Lee Borgersen

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so....anybody that's had bluebirds notice there gone?????? i've noticed the past 4-5 days that they havent been around. we had 2 pair.

now we have a pair of those tree swallows that took over one of the bluebird houses?????? :scratch: :scratch:

Not ta get  :offtopic: but.... do dem dare tree swallows really swallow trees? :scratch: er what?
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Online glenn57

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so....anybody that's had bluebirds notice there gone?????? i've noticed the past 4-5 days that they havent been around. we had 2 pair.

now we have a pair of those tree swallows that took over one of the bluebird houses?????? :scratch: :scratch:

Not ta get  :offtopic: but do dem dare tree swallows really swallow trees? :scratch: er what?
:doofus: :pouty: :pouty: :offtopic: :offtopic: :pouty:
2015 deer slayer!!!!!!!!!!

Online glenn57

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 :surrender: :surrender: awe come on Lee, i was just funnin with ya......... :pouty: :doah: :sorry: :sorry: dont cry????? :confused:
2015 deer slayer!!!!!!!!!!

Offline LPS

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Only if they are real hungry Lee!   :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

Offline Lee Borgersen

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Only if they are real hungry Lee!   :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

Tanks LPS :happy1: So now I've got da real scoop. How is anyone pos-ta get an answer from a guy dat's just tryin ta make fun of ya like Glenn! :angry2:
« Last Edit: June 06/18/20, 12:25:57 PM by Lee Borgersen »
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Offline LPS

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All he is thinking of is retirement.   :crazy:

Online glenn57

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All he is thinking of is retirement.   :crazy:
:rotflmao: :rotflmao: yep, gotta be it!!!!!!!! :rotflmao: :rotflmao:
2015 deer slayer!!!!!!!!!!

Online Gunner55

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Martins are pretty cool. Dad had a house for them at the farm but as you said glenn, the sparrows & starlings were a constant nuisance. It was a lot of work trying to keep them out & cleaning out their messes. One more reason I dislike those rats with wings. Don't think Dad ever got any martins. The guy at the SWCD tried to talk me into putting up a martin house in our yard a few years ago. He thought it would be an ideal spot with the pond below the hill, surrounded by open pasture, etc. After Dad's experience, that sounds like a retirement project at best. 
We had a big group of Purple Martins most of the time when I worked at the golf course. Used to really enjoy watchin them swooping around. :happy1: :cool:
Life............. what happens while your making other plans. John Lennon

Online Dotch

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We have plenty of poor man's martins: barn swallows! Low maintenance & amazing the places they find to manufacture a nest. Left a burned out water tank heater hanging on a nail in the lambing barn. Sure enough they used it as a pedestal the next spring for a nest. Wasn't junk, just needed to be repurposed I guess.  :confused:
Time itself is bought and sold, the spreading fear of growing old contains a thousand foolish games that we play. (Neil Young)