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Dalton
Roberts |
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Birds are a
joyous part of my daily experience and you will find your life warmly
enriched if you attract them outside one of your favorite windows. Two frequent
comments from readers are, “I like your bird articles” or “I wish
you would write more bird articles.” I usually write one in early
winter when the birds need our help to stay alive. If you do not
want to invest a lot and do not care to attract specific birds, just
providing clean water and a general bird mix on the ground or in a large
inexpensive feeder will give you bird presence and pleasure. To attract your
favorite birds, try specialty feeders. They work fairly well but none
will keep away all unwanted birds like starlings, doves or the purple
and house finch that have proliferated to the point of dominating
feeders. They are pretty but they can go through more seeds than the law
(or your pocketbook) will allow. Still, I have one
feeder that admits almost all birds. Why? To make sure the redbirds get
fed. Once when a bum had taken advantage of my mother’s generosity she
said, “You have to help nine ingrates to do good to one deserving
person.” I think of that often when starlings swarm my feeding area. If you love
Chickadees (my favorite) and Tufted Titmice you can attract them without
much interference from other birds by buying the new “Clingers Only”
feeder (only $12.99) from Wild Birds Unlimited on East Brainerd Road.
They also have a small Chickadee Feeder that reduces the number of
unwanted diners. An even more
effective way to screen out undesirables is to buy one of the wire cages
with the seed supply in the center. Finch can enter but they are just
big enough for it to be uncomfortable. Some birders tell me their finch
waltz right on in the cage but I see very few entering mine while the
chickadees, titmice and wrens have no problem. You can fill the center
with suet, peanuts or seeds. The beauty of these feeders is that big
woodpeckers can cling to the bottom and get their share, pecking upward. I love
woodpeckers and have tried all the specialty feeders designed for them.
One kind has a single small hole on each side and the other has slits.
There is no perch so only birds that cling can dine there, right? Wrong.
The starlings will fly in place and hammer out a few peanuts, then fly
down to the ground to eat them. It is my estimate that half of the
peanuts go to starlings but since I enjoy the red-bellies, downies and
hairies so well, I keep buying peanuts and using the woodpecker feeders. There is no more
beautiful bird than the goldfinch and I do have a way to feed them
without the purple and house finch getting into the act. Goldfinch can
hang upside down while all other finch cannot. Thistle is their favorite
food and Wild Birds Unlimited has a thistle feeder with perches that
require diners to hand upside down. For those who
love birds but do not wish to devote a lot of time and money to them,
you may want to buy a single feeder that squirrels cannot access. A
squirrel-proof metal feeder is available for less than forty bucks and
will last a lifetime. Some readers tell
me they enjoy watching the squirrels -- a pleasure I have not
discovered. The good news is there are many squirrel feeders available.
Cracked corn or corn-on-the-cob are low cost items and will keep their
tails swinging like the antenna on a highway patrol car. Jesus said the
Creator is a birdwatcher and takes note when even a sparrow falls to the
ground. I think we are noticed, too, when we keep them alive. My website is www.daltonroberts.com
and my writings are gathered at www.ipsfeatures.com.
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