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Try A Seed Tray for More Reasons Than One
The most obvious reason for utilizing a seed tray is to eliminate ground waste. For us humanoids, it’s the unsightly mess and sprouting weeds that are annoying. For birds though, it’s really a health issue. Wasted seed tends to mold, it gets dirty with birds’ droppings and it attracts other critters who can transmit disease. Many avian diseases are airborne and spread rapidly affecting much of the local bird population if the mess or dirty feeders are left unattended for long stretches of time. This is why maintaining clean bird feeders is so important.Adding a seed tray will pretty much eliminate this problem. There are a bevy of models from which to choose, including pole-mounted and post mounted. Hanging trays are used by attaching them to the feeder itself.
The other advantage is that a seed tray will attract more species of birds. Those who may not actually perch or eat from the feeder will find the platform area with spilled seed very inviting. Which brings us to the spilled seed itself and the savings in money spent on that seed. So, it serves more than one purpose to add a seed tray to existing bird feeders, as it creates a clean feeding environment and attracts more feathered friends!
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Add Fruit Bird Feeders in Summer
Summer time is when migrating, tropical songbirds with vibrant colors head our way to North America. These gorgeous birds with sweet songs will grace your backyard if offerings are right. A birdbath is a must, as a fresh water source will attract more species any time of year. Most fruit bird feeders are versatile enough to use year round, by placing suet balls on them in winter. Nectar feeders, sans the lid may be filled with seed mixes, suet or mealworms in winter too. Some fruit feeders accommodate nectar and jelly, or nectar and fruit to entice a wider variety of birds.
And Orioles aren’t the only birds who enjoy fruit. Woodpeckers are attracted to apples and melon, while hummingbirds covet their nectar feeders. You’ll also attract Catbirds, Flickers, Cactus Wrens and even Chickadees by having fruit or jelly feeders in your yard. Butterflies enjoy fruit as well, a bit over ripe-but definitely not moldy. Try bananas, oranges, berries and melon to entice butterflies too. Many of the new fruit bird feeders are made of recycled plastics, with a much longer lifespan, they’re guaranteed to never crack, split or fade. So, before summer passes you by, place one of these versatile feeders in the garden and see who comes around to visit!
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How Does Super Squirrel Get Past the Squirrel Baffle?
There must be a group of hybrid grey squirrels in the yard. Super athletes who jump higher and stretch farther. For the longest time it seems there’s been no hanky-panky going on with the front bird feeder, but lately it’s really been out of hand! The shepherd’s hook, complete with squirrel baffle has been successful at keeping squirrels from the feeder…until now.After finding the feeder broken on the ground one morning, I salvaged the bottom bowl and crafted a new weather guard by bending an old metal one to fit the space between pole and arm of the stand . Tightening the hardware, and moving the squirrel baffle upwards, surely would fix this problem? Nope. The next day while sitting outside, the sound of clanking metal started grating on my nerves. Time to revisit the feeder!
Removing the weather guard, I placed the feeder at the very top of the hook’s arm. Using 2 small bungee cords to secure the hanger worked great until the rainy season started in Georgia. Back to the drawing board. Now returning the bent weather guard, I raised the feeder, which only allowed a small space for birds’ entry. The squirrel baffle was again moved up as far as it would go, touching the bottom of the feeder. So far, so good! It looks a little strange, but the birds don’t seem to mind. The squirrels around here must have gotten hold of steroids or something because their ability to get into feeders has been absolutely uncanny!
Birding Tips, Information & News
