Tag Archives: bird feeder

Backyard Birds; Black-capped Chickadee

Posted on by

Black-capped Chickadees:   Black-capped chickadees are found in deciduous and mixed deciduous-evergreen forests, especially near forest edges. They are commonly found near willows and cottonwoods.  And, they prefer nesting in alder snags and birch trees. Their diet varies by season, in the summer they eat mostly caterpillars, insects, some spiders, snails, and other invertebrates. In the winter their diet consists of insect eggs and pupae, seeds, small fruits and berries. At feeders they take mostly sunflower seeds that they stuff into bark crevices, but they will also eat peanuts, peanut butter, mealworms and suet.

Photo by: No machine-readable author provided. Mdf assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Backyard Birds: Red-breasted Nuthatch

Posted on by

Red-breasted Nuthatch:  Red-breasted Nuthatches are tiny colorful song birds. At the bird feeder they like to eat peanuts, sunflower seeds, nyjar seeds and suet.  During the summer, they eat mainly insects, beetles, caterpillars, spiders, ants, and earwigs. Red-breasted Nuthatches breed and winter throughout Oregon. They live in conifer and mixed hardwood forest and in winter they can be found in woodland areas from the valley floors to the mountains.

Photo by Kathy Munsel, Oregon Dept. Fish and Wildlife

Backyard Birds: Brown Creeper

Posted on by

Brown Creeper:  This tiny woodland bird eats mostly insects, but in winter at a backyard feeder they will eat suet, peanut butter, and occasionally sunflower seeds and corn. During the breeding season, Brown Creepers eat a long list of insects and their larvae. This includes stinkbugs, fruit flies, gnats, beetles, weevils, bark beetle, butterflies, moths, lacewings, caddisflies, scale insects, leafhoppers, katydids, flat-bugs, plant lice, ants, and sawflies along with spiders, spider eggs. Brown creepers are found throughout Oregon in forested areas. They use large conifer forests for foraging and breeding, but they need dead trees for nesting, because they build a hammock-like nest behind a flap of dead bark.

 

Photo credit: Mdf, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia

Hummingbirds Winter Care

Posted on by

Keep hummingbird feeders clean to prevent mold and fungus, which can be fatal to hummingbirds. Refill feeders frequently so there is always an adequate supply of nectar for overwintering hummingbirds.   Do not prune shrubs or trees near feeding areas in fall so hummingbirds have plenty of sheltered places to perch and rest between feedings. Bring feeders indoors to warm/ defrost and rotate out with other feeders.

Below are some methods to keep the nectar from freezing:

Hummingbird_feeding_in_winter

Photo by: Dan David Cook

  • Use a dome to protect from snow, sleet and ice.
  • Position the feeder to protect from cold winds and exposure.
  • Attach hand warmers to the feeder.
  • Heat tape such as used for preventing pipes from freezing.
  • Place a clamp-on/ clip-on shop/ work light adjacent to the feeder—about 12-24″ away would be as plumbers do when defrosting frozen pipes. Test the distance before you walk away. Try a 125 Watt infra-red light bulb, but not the red-glass type. Get an I.R. bulb with clear envelope, it casts a more natural light. Connect it all to a timer.
  • Place holiday lights around, above or below the feeder.
  • Insulate with any fabric.
  • Some say to alter the water:nectar ratio, but don’t do this! Keep ratio the same for hummingbird’s health and nutritional needs
  • Do not obstruct access to feeding ports. Use common sense and your best judgment.
Information from: hummingbirdmarket.com. http://www.hummingbirdmarket.com/hummingbird_articles/feeding_hummingbirds_in_the_cold.html
And, Seattle Audubon –  http://www.seattleaudubon.org/sas/Learn/SeasonalFacts/Hummingbirds.aspx

 

Bird Feeders

Posted on by

Don’t let disease foul your bird feeder…

CORVALLIS, Ore. – As you’re welcoming wild birds into your yard this winter, be sure to keep your bird feeder clean and keep an eye on the health of your feathered diners.

“Sick birds will either be found dead or perched, often with feathers in disarray, eyes squinted or wings held out,” said Dana Sanchez, a wildlife specialist with the Oregon State University Extension Service. “Healthy birds are alert and mobile, whereas sick birds stand out because they are neither of those.”

Birds can get salmonella from bird feeders. Other diseases can spread when birds congregate or land on infected perches, Sanchez said.

“If the sick bird is associated with your feeders, take down the feeders and clean them,” she said. “It is probably a good idea to keep the feeders down for two to three weeks, until the disease has had a chance to run its course in the local population. Allow the bird to recover on its own. Make sure children, pets and free-ranging cats cannot get to the bird.”

Sanchez offered these tips to make sure your feeders are clean and free of mold for backyard visitors.

  • Clean your feeders once a month during low-use times and up to once a week during high-use periods.
  • Scrape off bird droppings and rinse or wipe clean the perches with a solution of 1 part vinegar to 20 parts water.
  • Hang your feeders where the feed won’t get wet. If seed in a feeder has gotten wet and compacted, remove the feed and discard it. Then clean the feeder with warm water and a brush.
  • Dry the feeder before refilling with the fresh seed.
  • If your feeder’s location is likely to get wet often, only fill it with a one- to two-day supply of seed at a time.
  • Clean up under feeders regularly and prevent accumulation of feed beneath the feeders by moving them occasionally. Seed on the ground can attract other animals, such as rodents, that you would prefer to not have near your home.

For more information about feeds and feeder placement, check out the following publication from the OSU Extension Service:  http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/19664/ec1554.pdf

Author Denise Ruttan, OSU Extension Service
Source: Dana Sanchez, Wild Life Specialist OSU Extension Service