c/backyard-birding-tips

12

stone.thomas•1d ago

Had a crazy good bird day last Tuesday, here's what happened

I sat out with my coffee around 7am and within ten minutes I saw a rose-breasted grosbeak at my feeder. That alone was a treat (I've only seen them like 3 times before). Then about an hour later a pair of cedar waxwings showed up in my crabapple tree, which I've never had in my yard before. Has anyone else had a day where multiple rare birds just show up out of nowhere? It felt like hitting a little jackpot.

2

julia_fisher28•3d ago

Took me 4 days to figure out why my bird feeder was empty every morning

I kept refilling my tube feeder with black oil sunflower seeds but by dawn it was bone dry, figured a raccoon was getting into it. Turns out a family of squirrels figured out how to open the lid by spinning it sideways, something they must have practiced for weeks. Has anyone else had a pest outsmart their feeder like that and what did you do to stop it?

23

hugo_gonzalez68•4d ago

I finally spotted a Pileated Woodpecker after 2 years of waiting

I was just sitting on my porch last Tuesday morning with my coffee, not really expecting much... and then I heard this loud hammering sound coming from the big oak tree in my backyard. Looked up and there it was, a Pileated Woodpecker about the size of a crow, just going to town on an old branch. It stayed for maybe 5 minutes, pecking away and flicking its head around. I couldn't even grab my phone fast enough to get a picture, but honestly just watching it felt like winning the birding lottery. Now I'm wondering if there's something specific I should put out to keep them coming back around here. Has anyone else had luck attracting these big woodpeckers to their yard in the suburbs?

0

kevin_bailey•4d ago

Thought hummingbird feeders were a gimmick until I saw 8 of them in one afternoon

I live just outside Portland and always figured those red plastic feeders were more for decoration than anything else. My daughter bought me one for Father's Day two years ago and I left it hanging empty for months. Then last August I got curious and mixed up some sugar water. First day nothing. Second day one showed up. By the end of that week I had to refill it every morning. They fight over it now. I sit on my porch with coffee and watch them buzz around. Has anyone else had a specific feeder style or color that worked better than others? I'm thinking about getting a second one but don't want to waste money on the wrong kind.

20

reese_perry6•5d ago

Tried two different bird feeders this month - tubular vs hopper

Set up a tube feeder and a hopper feeder side by side in my backyard in Austin. The hopper feeder emptied in 2 days while the tube barely got touched. Has anyone else seen a big preference like that with their local birds?

5

walker.rowan•5d ago

My buddy swore by placing a mirror near the feeder to scare off hawks

I tried it for a week and ended up with a bunch of confused cardinals and one hawk that just sat on my fence staring at itself. Has anyone else had this backfire completely or am I just doing it wrong?

20

sage52•6d ago

That one april morning last year when the warblers just showed up

I had a week last spring where I saw like 12 species I'd never spotted in my yard before, including a hooded warbler that hung around for three days. Still have no idea what made that particular week so special but I check the app way more now hoping it'll happen again. Anyone else have a random week that blew their backyard list out of the water?

30

oliver523•8d ago

TIL that leaving my hummingbird feeder out late October is actually fine

I always took mine down on October 1st like clockwork... thought the hummers would stick around and freeze. Then my neighbor Marty in Salem told me he leaves his up until November and just changes the sugar water when it gets cold. Saw a rufous hummingbird at his place last week, so I guess I was wrong for 3 years. Anyone else keep their feeders up past the usual cutoff?

11

river_bailey2•11d ago

Tried putting a tiny water dish near my feeder and it worked too well

I kept having house finches fight over the birdbath in my yard in Austin. Last week I grabbed a shallow plant saucer from the garage and filled it with just an inch of water. Placed it right under the nyjer feeder and now the finches drink from it without squabbling. Even saw a pair of goldfinches stop by which never used the big bath. Has anyone else tried a second smaller water spot to cut down on bird drama?

12

uma_wilson79•14d ago

Remember when the cardinals showed up right before that big ice storm back in 2021?

For three days straight, I had over a dozen cardinals and a couple of blue jays fighting for space at my feeder, then the storm hit and they vanished. Has anyone else noticed a big flock like that right before rough weather rolls in?

5

the_rose•14d ago

Tried mealworms vs black oil sunflower seeds for a month and the difference was huge

So back in February I started putting out two separate feeders to see what the birds around my place in Tacoma would actually go for. One feeder had dried mealworms, the other had black oil sunflower seeds. I figured they'd eat both but wow was I wrong. The mealworms got cleaned out in like 2 days, the sunflower seeds just sat there for a week barely touched. I ended up dumping the seeds into a different feeder later and the chickadees went for them but the starlings and robins basically ignored the seeds completely. Has anyone else seen their birds totally pick one over the other?

17

elizabetht56•15d ago

Dropped $60 on a heated bird bath and now my finches won't leave

I bought this big plastic heated bird bath from Tractor Supply about 3 weeks ago because our water dish kept freezing solid at night. Honestly, I was worried the heater would be too loud or something, but it's dead quiet and my goldfinches have been fighting over it every morning. Has anyone else tried one of these and noticed their birds get super possessive over the water?

8

nora535•16d ago

Last Tuesday I had 17 goldfinches at my feeder at once and it felt like I won the bird lottery

They usually come in pairs or small groups, but this time a whole flock showed up during that cold snap and cleaned out my thistle feeder in under 3 hours, has anyone else ever seen a big gang like that hit at once?

7

bailey.sam•17d ago

I finally figured out why the sparrows were ignoring my new feeder

I spent three months thinking the birds at my place just didn't like the fancy hopper feeder I got from Wild Birds Unlimited. Turns out I was putting it too close to a bush where a stray cat liked to hide out. Moved it just 12 feet away last Tuesday and boom, had a house finch on it within an hour. Has anyone else had a feeder location totally mess with your bird count like that?

23

mason_jackson•17d ago

That one week last August when my feeder turned into a hawk diner

I had this amazing streak going where I was getting like 20 goldfinches a day at my nyjer sock feeder. Then one Tuesday I noticed everything went dead silent. No birds at all for three whole days. I thought maybe I forgot to refill but nope, feeder was full. Turned out a Cooper's hawk had figured out my yard was an all-you-can-eat buffet and was perching on my neighbor's fence every morning at 7am sharp. I watched him snatch a mourning dove right off the ground near my bird bath. After that week my yard went from 15 species down to just the brave sparrows and a single blue jay. Took almost two months for the little guys to come back. Anybody else had a predator ruin their whole backyard birding setup for a while?

30

gibson.sean•17d ago

Tried those cheap plastic finch feeders and was shocked how fast they cracked in the sun

After replacing three of them in two months I finally caved and bought a metal mesh one for $18 and it's been hanging out in the Texas heat since June without a single issue... so do yourselves a favor and skip the dollar store stuff, anyone else have feeders fall apart on them?

5

robinc66•18d ago

Had to pick between a tube feeder and a platform feeder this spring

I spent a whole afternoon last month trying to decide between a tube feeder and a platform feeder for my backyard. Ended up going with a tube feeder because the squirrels were getting to everything on my old platform. The first week was great, cardinals and finches showed up right away. But then I noticed the tube was too small for the bigger birds like the blue jays. They would just sit on a branch and watch. So I added a simple tray underneath the tube feeder last week and now everyone eats together. Has anyone else had to mix two styles to get their birds to show up?

28

river_bailey2•18d ago

Used to think suet feeders were just for cold months, boy was I wrong

I took down my suet cage every April for like 3 years because I figured the fat would go bad in the heat over my deck in Phoenix. Then last August I saw a YouTube video from some guy in Texas showing how woodpeckers actually hit suet year-round if you use the no-melt kind. Have any of you kept suet up through a hot summer and seen more birds than usual?

16

wade767•21d ago

Hit 50 different species in my yard and I'm a bit freaked out

I've been keeping a list of birds that visit my feeder setup for about 2 years now and last week I crossed 50 species total. That just seems like a crazy number for a regular suburban lot with no creek or anything special nearby. What's the highest species count you've recorded in your own yard and how long did it take you?

28

skylerc86•21d ago

The way I clean my bird feeder was scaring off the finches for months

I used to scrub my tube feeder with soap and hot water every time I refilled it. Turns out the soap residue was building up on the ports and making the seeds taste weird. I switched to just rinsing with a hose and scrubbing with a dry brush, and now the goldfinches don't hesitate to come back. Anyone else notice a change in bird behavior after switching cleaning methods?

25

umaprice•22d ago

Took me 6 months to figure out I was putting my suet feeder in the wrong spot

I kept wondering why the woodpeckers would show up at my feeder but never actually eat from it. They'd land, look around, and fly off. Finally watched a titmouse struggle to cling to the mesh because the feeder was right next to the house wall with no room to perch. After I moved it 4 feet away from the siding, I had a downy woodpecker feeding within 10 minutes. Now I check every feeder placement for approach space first. Anybody else have a feeder position that just clicked once you moved it?

28

reese_perry6•22d ago

My feeder was empty for 3 days and the chickadees let me know about it

Last Thursday I got busy and forgot to refill my tube feeder. By Friday morning I had 6 chickadees just sitting on the deck railing staring at the window. One even flew up and tapped on the glass while I was making coffee. I felt so bad I went out right then with pepper-fre sh suet and black oil sunflower seeds. They were back to normal within 10 minutes like nothing happened. Now I keep a backup bag of seed in the garage so I never run out again. Has anyone else had birds get dramatic about an empty feeder like that?

24

richard_shah•22d ago

Mockingbird attacked my reflection in the window for 2 hours straight last Tuesday

I have a big picture window in the living room and this one mockingbird just would not let up. Kept flying into it over and over, pecking at his own reflection. My wife thought I was crazy when I taped a trash bag over half the window to break up the reflection. Has anyone else dealt with a territorial bird that just wont quit?

20

jade_grant95•23d ago

Had to choose between a heated birdbath and a de-icer this winter. Picked wrong.

I live in Minnesota, so winter birding is basically watching birds huddle up and look miserable. Last November I had to decide between a fancy heated birdbath for $60 or just a cheap $15 floating de-icer for the regular stone one I already had. I went with the de-icer because I'm cheap (I mean, budget-conscious). Big mistake. That thing kept freezing over at the edges, then the cord got chewed by a squirrel somehow. Birds barely touched it all December. My neighbor has the heated bath and her yard is packed with chickadees and cardinals splashing around. Anyone else blown money on the wrong winter setup?

7

skyler_white•23d ago

Always hung my feeder from the shepherd's hook, but the finches never came down

I had this cheap little tube feeder dangling from a tall metal hook for like 6 months. Cardinals and chickadees would hop around the ground underneath but never actually eat from it. Then last Sunday I noticed a goldfinch was eating from a fallen seed right below a bush. I moved my feeder down low and hung it from a low branch instead. Next day I had 4 finches on it at once. Why did I think birds only eat way up high like that?