No Suet By Tube Feeders??

[Hawg]

I've been seeing some comments about not having suet on the post with tube feeders and I'm curious to know why. I have it with my tubes and a big black sunflower feeder, I've also not had many birds the last few years and wonder if this might be part of the reason. What's the reasoning for no suet by tubes?

[fishingstar]

I have my suet, sunflower seeds and tubes all within five feet.

not seeing many woodpeckers now  and the finches come and go these days.  

The pileated comes in and cleares the place out.

[eyeguy 54]

thats kinda why I have the suet separate from the tubes. maybe 20 feet away with 2, a third one even further away goes the fastest. the smaller birds and cardinals get spooked  easy when the woodpeckers blast in. no biggy,  just prefer it that way. tons of birds feeding here for a week or 2 now. mostly white throats, purple, house and goldies, pine siskins and a few red polls. woodpeckers are on the suet a lot. grosbeaks should be here soon.  had a female brown headed cowbird show up yesturday. no juncos for a while now. 

test...  can you see this?

DSC_9860.MOV

DSC_9860.MOV

[Dotch]

Tried it eyeguy but a no go on the cell phone. I'll try it on the confuser later. Suet feeders hanging in trees near tube feeders. Suet feeders are the horizontal type. Doesn't thwart the sparrows and starlings despite their promises. They figure it out. The woodpeckers do scare them off though.  Goldies are changing & lots of white throats here too. Also several Harris's sparrows and boatloads of chipping sparrows, our specialty. Many nest here. Awaiting the orioles. Think I wrote down a May 2nd arrival last year. 

[eyeguy 54]

hoping to see a harris soon

birdies

[Dotch]

Worked great on the confuser, very nice! Lots of hungry goldfinches and female purples(?) Just don't see them frequently enough here at the ranch to feel comfortable with the ID yet. 

[eyeguy 54]

yes, female purples.  seems to be more of them again this year, lottsa males 2 weeks ago or so. playing with video so will maybe put some more on. 

[Cheers]

10 hours ago, eyeguy 54 said:

test...  can you see this?

DSC_9860.MOV

DSC_9860.MOV

takes a while to download but worked !

[leechlake]

I need to brush up on my bird ID.  I can identify ducks on the fly so there's no reason I can't tell the difference between a loon and a hummingbird sitting on my bird feeder.  They are all birds to me.  Maybe I'm just a democrat all inclusive kind of guy.

Edited April 28, 2016 by leechlake

[the nature boy]

16 hours ago, Dotch said:

 Awaiting the orioles. Think I wrote down a May 2nd arrival last year. 

May 5th here and the previous year it was May 6. I'm ready for them. I use Google Calendar to keep track of all my back yard arrivals.

[eyeguy 54]

close to grape jelly time.  I stocked up on some great deal this past winter. time to get that feeder ready. I put the hummer food out a few days ago and the finches and chickadees are enjoying it. 

[Dotch]

13 minutes ago, the nature boy said:

May 5th here and the previous year it was May 6. I'm ready for them. I use Google Calendar to keep track of all my back yard arrivals.

Good deal! I sorta cheat. I have 14 years worth of newspaper articles I wrote on the confuser to look back on. 

Waiting for the downies and hairies to finish off the suet in the spot where I put the hummer feeder.

[roony]

I've got the nectar out. I usually put it out when the apple trees start to bloom. Orioles will be here next week.

[eyeguy 54]

jelly is out 

[roony]

I have always fed the grape jelly in a tuna can. Last year my wife bought me an oriole feeder with two stations for grape jelly and some horizontal nails for oranges. It fell apart over winter. I just got done putting it back together so with that and my trust rusty tuna can I'll have three places for the orioles and catbirds to feast. Last year I even had a redheaded woodpecker come and eat some jelly!

[eyeguy 54]

yes indeed, lottsa birds enjoy some jelly.meal worms also. 

[roony]

I have never gotten started feeding the meal worms but me thinks it would be a great thing to start doing. 

[eyeguy 54]

problem right now is the robins are pigs! lol   Cardinals love the meal worms. 

[delcecchi]

24 minutes ago, roony said:

I have never gotten started feeding the meal worms but me thinks it would be a great thing to start doing. 

Got some dried meal worms on sale at FF.  Not getting much attention.  Even the sunflower seeds and suet cakes are being ignored.    The Orange sugar water in the oriole feeder likewise not much.  Soon I will put out Jelly, to be ignored...

[eyeguy 54]

FF is the place I get suet and meal worms.  good deals usually. 

[the nature boy]

3 hours ago, roony said:

I have always fed the grape jelly in a tuna can. Last year my wife bought me an oriole feeder with two stations for grape jelly and some horizontal nails for oranges. It fell apart over winter. I just got done putting it back together so with that and my trust rusty tuna can I'll have three places for the orioles and catbirds to feast. Last year I even had a redheaded woodpecker come and eat some jelly!

Tuna cans work good. I suppose the catbirds can smell the tuna and that's what attracts them.   I made an oriole feeder out of a muffin tin last year. It works great.  I did paint mine orange. http://www.birdsandblooms.com/backyard-projects/recycled-garden-ideas/muffin-tin-diy-bird-feeder/

 

[eyeguy 54]

love that !

 

[the nature boy]

2 hours ago, eyeguy 54 said:

problem right now is the robins are pigs! lol   Cardinals love the meal worms. 

But do the Grackles also like them?

[eyeguy 54]

grackle mainly hit the suet and are on the ground eating sunflower scrap.  have not seen them on the worms. 

tons of birds again today.  and a sharp shinned.  I posted a couple pics. 

[roony]

That muffin tin feeder looks way cool!