Saturday, February 20, 2010

What's Wrong With This Picture?

OK, I give. How come I have no birds on this thing?

I had it around back, hanging off the deck on a shepherd's hook for two weeks. It was about 5 feet off the ground, and birds were never shy about perching on the deck in the summer. In fact, a hummingbird feeder was a big hit when it was in that spot.

I moved the feeder around to the front porch a week or so ago, thinking maybe the birds that frequent the big pussywillow bush and maple tree there might notice. No takers.

The seed mix has millet, corn, sunflower seeds, and dried berries in it, so it should make everybody happy. What am I doing wrong?

7 comments:

Leora said...

Haha, I got no clue! The birds like my compost but haven't discovered my brand new feeder. OK, I do have one clue. Michelle said birds check out the feeders in the fall. So maybe they'll find it in the spring?

eileeninmd said...

Just it give it time the birds will come. There could be a hawk hanging around.

Rambling Woods said...

I can't see that clearly, but are the holes really low? Or do the birds sit in the tray putting the hole at eye level for them to use. The millet and corn should attract house sparrows, the sunflowers should get you chickadees, nuthatches.


Ah.. the berries. I had some seed that had berries and flavoring that the birds didn't like except for the woodpeckers who couldn't use the feeder as it was and the occasional cardinal. I don't have anything to back me up except my own experience... Let me know...

Rambling Woods said...

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/abtbirds_index.html


I just wanted to leave this as a reference....

MyMaracas said...

Leora, maybe that's it. I put it up too late?

Eileen, there is a hawk. Maybe the birds don't like coming out in the open with him around.

Michelle, the holes are at the very bottom. I assumed small birds would be able to grasp or sit in the tray, which I thought would discourage crows and cowbirds. It didn't occur to me that some birds might be turned off by the berries. I did check out the link - maybe it's just a bad feeder with bad seed in it. But really, I haven't seen a single bird even stop to check it out.

Caron said...

I put out two newly located feeders. The one with the seed mix hasn't been found, but the one with the sunflower seeds has been found. Birds are a mystery?

Unknown said...

I have one the birds haven't found yet, which I put up late.

But I also one I put up last fall they HAVE found. I'm sure the new birds coming northward soon will find it.