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Hacks for a Bird Feeder Bracket
Versatility is really the name of the game when it comes to wild bird feeding accessories. For any investment, you want it to last and you want it for year-round use (should resident birds stick around your locale).Well, these bird feeder brackets aren’t just for feeders! Several types of quality hardware brackets offer options to entice birds year round; with food in winter or fresh water in sweltering heat.
This long-reach deck-mounted bracket holds a mister out over the front porch in summer. The arm swivels making it simple to redirect the water every few days. The garden below has grown amazingly lush, and birds & butterflies both adore the mister’s gentle spray. Adult birds will fly through soaking up water in their wings and return to the nest cooling off babies. Pretty cool really… both literally and figuratively!
Round Bird Feeder Brackets like these also attach to a deck or porch rail. If the kitchen sink happens to be at a window overlooking the deck- then bam… you’ve got the ultimate window feeder too! The bracket’s perfect for a birdbath as well. No that’s not a potato, it’s a large rock used to weight down the copper bowl. Any idea how many people ask if that’s a potato?
There are also brackets you can easily attach to an existing pole system. The extra arm allows for hanging 2 or 3 more feeders (or a bird bath).
Just because something is packaged/labeled a certain way doesn’t mean you can’t use it for something else. Wild bird feeding can include trial & error whether you’re just starting out or have been at it for years. Squirrels raiding the feeder? Move it and learn about baffles. No takers in your birdbath? Change the water more often and add some rocks for easy footing. Finches not eating thistle seed? Change it… it’s likely old & stale or worse, moldy. Stuff like this makes a world of difference to birds and your bird-watching enjoyment!
Experimenting and being innovative is part of the fun… because when you’re successful, the rewards are so worth the time & effort! Just feed the birds for some additional happiness in your world. See below (from the Auk-ward)
for solid proof 🙂 -
Grab an Ant Moat to Help Keep Nectar Fresh
You may have noticed increased activity at your hummingbird feeders because the “crazies” are upon us! The downward stretch to summer’s end, when the tiny sprites are gearing up for Southern migration. As the slower traffic at feeders and nesting come to an end, hummingbirds are busy getting as fat as they can for the long journey home.
Ant moats may or may not be critical to your hummingbird feeder’s popularity. Simply put, it takes just one ant in nectar to ruin the party! The good-for-nothing pests must emit something extremely nasty for hummers to ignore sweet nectar… especially when you’ve just changed it and hung a sparkly clean feeder. It’s so annoying!
Avoid the headache and try an ant moat if you don’t use them yet. This minimal investment will yield big results, but you mustn’t let water evaporate for moats to function properly. One hack is to add a drop of salad oil to the water because it slows evaporation in extreme heat.
But other songbirds (for some strange reason) enjoy drinking from the moats! It’s rather strange when six birdbaths, two misters and a bubbler fountain are part of the garden habitat… we know this first-hand! Here’s a clever ant moat that works in a completely different fashion- by eliminating the evaporation process. you fill it just once or twice per month! It’s called the Detourant and looks like this:
Although other songbirds won’t be able to sip from it, this ant moat just about guarantees pest-free nectar for your hummingbirds… year after year and for many seasons to come! And if hummingbirds are still passing by your feeder without partaking – for pete’s sake… please change the nectar 🙂
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Got Land? Copper Roof Birdhouses Set the Stage for Elegance
They’re our biggest and baddest vinyl birdhouses yet!Like Purple Martins, these large copper roof birdhouses require estate-size grounds, or at the very least- ample open space to showcase all of their majesty. Like building a giant house on a lot that’s too small, it will stand out like a sore thumb… and martin scouts will surely ignore theses fine accommodations.
Classic architectural style is both appealing and desired by many a home-owner. Some even ask us how to keep birds out? And that’s okay if you love the birdhouse but choose not to host birds. It’s far better to plug the holes than let dreaded, non-native house sparrows nest here.
Standing 54-inches tall, there’s pure elegance from tip of copper finial to bottom of vinyl/PVC mounting bracket. No wood is ever used in their construction, rendering them impervious to the elements and to insect damage. In short, these stately copper/vinyl birdhouses will never rot, warp, split or crack. To remove environmental build-up, take the garden hose right to them with mild soap and cloth.
Bright copper roofs remain shiny-new for at least 3 to 4 years prior to weathering. Because of special lacquer which preserves the newness, copper turns dark upon weathering and continues to do so. You won’t see the beautiful patina color because the copper is treated. Should the blue-green patina tickle your fancy, then that’s the way to go! It remains indefinitely with no weathering as this roof is crafted using an acid wash and heating process.
Closer to home (ours anyway) smaller size birdhouses with just as much elegance and detail are more common. New for 2017, there’s even a copper/vinyl bluebird house with lift-up door for easy monitoring. Ample ventilation and drainage keep babies cozy and nests dry. It also includes a vinyl mounting bracket suitable for post, fence or tree. You can bet we nabbed one of these for our own bluebirds!
The other birdhouse with 4 compartments, is a modest 10×10 that’s 28-inches tall. It’s hosted both nuthatches and chickadees simultaneously! So not only do our copper roof birdhouses look like wood, they come in small to estates sizes, and best of all… they’re bird-approved!
To learn more about using birdhouses and the problematic English house sparrow or European Starling, please check out Sialis.org for some some very useful, eye-opening info. Find trouble-shooting tips for hosting bluebirds and other native cavity dwellers.
Birding Tips, Information & News