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Really Big nyjer feeder
If wild bird activity in your yard is anything like ours right now, then you likely have tons of Goldfinches. Although they’re not so gold right now with their winter plumage…they’re still out there!Filling the nyjer feeder for them every few days can really start to become a chore. Some feeders claim to be large capacity feeders – but really aren’t. This one is definitely a large capacity feeder, holding seven pounds of nyjer seed (more commonly called thistle).
Now seven pounds may not sound like much when thinking of volume, but thistle is a tiny grain-like seed, and seven pounds in a feeder is a lot.
Pine Siskins and Red Polls also visit nyjer feeders, and our Goldfinches are even eating suet in this frigid weather.
Help birds thrive during cold weather by offering a few staples that will serve them well in winter. Thistle, suet and sunflower seed are a few good options.
Water is also extremely important, especially when birds’ usual sources (like shallow ponds) tend to freeze. A heater in your birdbath will also be a welcome sign to entice many feathered friends. Happy Birding! -
Create a Bird Magnet in your hanging bird bath
Although I’ve never tried this personally, it’s a fantastic idea to entice more feathered friends to your hanging bird bath!From experience of having several birdbaths containing water features, I can guarantee that moving water really does attract more birds and keeps them around longer.
We have water wigglers, drippers and leaf misters going all summer in our birdbaths, (and heaters in winter) but only one hanging bird bath which has no water feature to create moving water. I saw this idea in a birding magazine and thought it was pretty darn clever.
Take a gallon milk jug (keeps it out of the landfill) and pierce a tiny hole in the bottom corner with a needle or safety pin. The hole must be minute for this contraption to work correctly. Next, fill the jug with water and hang it above the bird bath. The slow, steady drips will create a visual magnet for birds at your bath. It’s amazing to see the difference a bit of movement in the water really makes. Be sure to keep the bath and water clean, and plan on re-filling the jug about once a week.
Happy Birding!
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Happy Thanksgiving!
We’d like to wish you and yours a happy Thanksgiving Holiday!
Today I received this email of thanks from Defenders of Wildlife, and it was good news:
Thanksgiving is Thursday, and we here at Defenders have a lot to be thankful for.
Beth, thanks to your efforts and support, here are just a few things we’ve accomplished this year:
Instead of facing another deadly hunting season this fall, wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies once again enjoyed protections under the Endangered Species Act.
Polar bears, bowhead whales and other Arctic wildlife won a reprieve from Big Oil’s drills in the Chukchi Sea.
And since Monday, more than 38,000 supporters have urged President Obama to continue to protect this special place and the wildlife that depends on it to survive.
Hundreds of prairie dogs were moved to a new home on the Great Plains — and away from the threat of poisoning.
In the wake of the worst offshore oil disaster in U.S. history, tens of thousands of Defenders supporters mobilized to pass the CLEAR Act in the House of Representatives — critical legislation to help reform offshore drilling and restore habitat in the Gulf — and nearly 30,000 supporters have urged the Senate to do the same.
But we’re most thankful for the people who made these and many other wins for wildlife — and all our work — possible: you and the hundreds of thousands of caring Defenders of Wildlife supporters.
Our wildlife still faces some enormous challenges. But with the ongoing support of dedicated supporters like you, we can face these challenges head on.
From all of us at Defenders, thank you for all you do to protect our wildlife and wild places.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Rodger Schlickeisen
President
Defenders of Wildlife
Birding Tips, Information & News
