Birding Advice Thread

[Hank Camacho_rivals115797]

Mrs. Camacho and I recently moved into a new house. We are next to a bit of woods and we frequently see tons of birds in our back yard. My wife is obsessed with cardinals and I would love to get a ton of those visitors to the yard. I bought us one of those bird feeders cameras and we've gotten a ton of birds but so far no cardinals on video.

I know literally knowing about birding but I think I would like to get started -- at least backyard birding.

Some initial questions:

1. Can I murder squirrels? How do I keep these ******** out of my birdfeeder?

2. The Merlin App seems like the gold standard. Is that right?

3. Can someone recommend good guides to get started? I know I can google it but I am looking for some help pointing me in the right direction from people more experienced.

 

[Jerry With A G]

For the most part screw the expensive specialty seed unless you are trying for different species of finches. Black oil sunflower seeds bring in cardinals like crazy.

You must kill the squirrels, they are relentless. 22. pump pellet gun, field tipped pellets, with barrel suppression. Quiet and very effective.

 

[Hank Camacho_rivals115797]

You must kill the squirrels, they are relentless. 22. pump pellet gun, field tipped pellets, with barrel suppression. Quiet and very effective.

My bird cam has an alarm I can use any time I spot one of the little vermin on my feeder. Thus far it appears pointless.

 

[WildcatFan1982]

 

[cole854]

Squirrel spinner feeder.....expensive but worth it, and hang it far enough away from trunk so they have to jump which activates the spin. We use 100% safflower seed and have cardinals most of the year.

 

[*CatinIL*]

Something like this will keep them off the feeder. The one I have doesn't have the gap. My feeder is on one inch steel plumbers pipe which I drove into the ground. And keep it far enough away from trees or fences so that they can't jump above it. And Jerry is spot on about black oil sunflower seeds.

 

[CaptainBoogerBuns]

 

[Tskware]

Took a tour of the Arboretum last year with the local bird group, was well worth two hours of time, learned about the two (or three?) kinds of vultures around here, several hawk species, even saw a brilliant red headed woodpecker briefly. Was a lot more interesting than I expected.

Several years ago, we had a Great Horned Owl in the evergreen tree behind our house, could set your watch at 5:30 or so and he would appear. Then took off and have never seen him again, although we hear them from time to time in the arboretum.

And yes, I was told that Merlin is the bomb.

 

[Hank Camacho_rivals115797]

Took a tour of the Arboretum last year with the local bird group, was well worth two hours of time, learned about the two (or three?) kinds of vultures around here, several hawk species, even saw a brilliant red headed woodpecker briefly. Was a lot more interesting than I expected.

Looks like they've got another one on December 1. Thanks!

 

[BC_Wader]

If you like bird watching and live in Kentucky, do yourself a favor and head to Peabody WMA. You have to have a $15 permit to be in there but it's well worth it. I fish there a lot and when I eat a lunch on the boat, I always marvel at the birds. Lots of eagles, ospreys, owls, hawks, falcons, and many types of non raptors. My favorite is the Red Winged Blackbird. It loves the grassy areas and it's call is my favorite.

 

[rudd1]

-South Dakota for pheasant.

-Arkansas for ducks/geese.

-Turkey and Dove can be sourced locally.

-hope to head to Maine next year for grouse.

 

[Beatle Bum]

Something like this will keep them off the feeder. The one I have doesn't have the gap. My feeder is on one inch steel plumbers pipe which I drove into the ground. And keep it far enough away from trees or fences so that they can't jump above it. And Jerry is spot on about black oil sunflower seeds.

The baffle keeps the squirrels off my feeder. It does not have a gap. Those sides are pulled together and hooked by the lips on the baffle. Squirrels try and learn it’s not worth the work and give up.

Cardinals love the sunflower seeds.

 

[Blue Bigfoot]

Ahhhh, the rare, bearded road rage bird. Nice catch.

 

[IdaCat]

My experience with bird feeders:

Birdseed attracts hundreds of birds.
Birdseed falls to the ground and attracts mice.
Mice attracts snakes.

If you want your yard FILLED with all these critters then go for it.

 

[CaptainBoogerBuns]

Ahhhh, the rare, bearded road rage bird. Nice catch.

Found in any Florida Walmart parking lot

 

[JPFisher]

If you're looking for cardinals, sunflower seeds will be your go-to.

Orioles, a neotropical migrant, loves the color orange and loves things like oranges and jellies. Try tossing out orange feeders and fruit in the late spring, summer, and early fall. They're beautiful and my second favorite bird.

Cornell's Merlin bird app is the best of the best. If you want to be able to ID birds based exclusively on sound, check out Larkwire. Larkwire presents you with bird calls in a gaming format. I know dozens of wildlife professionals who've used that resource to learn their birds.

Sibley field guides are regarded by my birder friends as the best of the best. Peterson guides are okay. Audubon guides, tragically, kind of suck.

For squirrels, definitely consider using a baffle if the feeders are on a pole. If you have the ability to string a line up, make sure the feeders are too far away for squirrels to jump onto the feeders from above or below. Toss 2-3" PVC onto the lines on either side of the feeder(s). Squirrels shouldn't be able to get to the feeder(s).

You could also kill them. Look up the laws in the state and municipality (if applicable) and of course, exercise proper firearm safety.

Lastly, plant native plants. Roundstone Native Seed is a great resource in Upton, Kentucky. One of the greatest crises facing birds today is a lack of protein. A lot of folks think that birds just love nectar or seeds or fruit, and they do, but like us, they desperately need protein. Between agricultural neonicotinoid application, habitat loss, and connectivity issues, insect populations are crashing.

Natives can harbor more insects than invasives. By planting natives like Helianthus maximiliani, Echinacea purpurea, Campsis radicans, Solidago gigantea, and more, you not only provide aesthetic value to your yard/garden, but also vines for hummingbirds, seed forage for finches, and stems for insects to consume and deposit eggs in. If you leave the leaves in your yard, but blow them away from the sides of your house in the fall, those leaves will harbor luna moth eggs and larvae, lightning bugs, native bees, and other beneficial insects. All these things go a long way in making your yard a veritable oasis in what could otherwise be a regional food desert for birds. Building a diverse mini ecosystem in your back yard will bring in greater diversity and support greater numbers at less birdseed cost to you in the long run.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.

 

[Hank Camacho_rivals115797]

THANKS!

 

[JPFisher]

THANKS!

No problem! I'm trying to get in with a state or fed agency as a conservation biologist, so this stuff is right up my alley. I could talk nature all day.

 

[cordmaker]

If you like bird watching and live in Kentucky, do yourself a favor and head to Peabody WMA. You have to have a $15 permit to be in there but it's well worth it. I fish there a lot and when I eat a lunch on the boat, I always marvel at the birds. Lots of eagles, ospreys, owls, hawks, falcons, and many types of non raptors. My favorite is the Red Winged Blackbird. It loves the grassy areas and it's call is my favorite.

BC, you from Muhlenberg, I grew up hunting and fishing at Gibraltar coal mines, do some trout fishing on the WMA

 

[BC_Wader]

BC, you from Muhlenberg, I grew up hunting and fishing at Gibraltar coal mines, do some trout fishing on the WMA

No sir. Jefferson County born and raised now living in Bullitt County. I hit Beaver Dam area a lot and sometimes Central City. I absolutely love Peabody. Got a Pelican Bass Raider I put in the bed of the truck with some camping gear. Great place to fish and camp.

 

[cordmaker]

No sir. Jefferson County born and raised now living in Bullitt County. I hit Beaver Dam area a lot and sometimes Central City. I absolutely love Peabody. Got a Pelican Bass Raider I put in the bed of the truck with some camping gear. Great place to fish and camp.

My uncle worked for LGE, live in Central City

 

[BC_Wader]

My uncle worked for LGE, live in Central City

I'll be back in February/March crappie hunting.

 

[JIMFKFT]

Squirrels are welcome in our backyard, along with birds. We put out a couple different kinds of seed and a couple of handfuls of raw peanuts. The squirrels and bluejays compete for the peanuts. And now that it's getting colder, it's time to put out suet cakes.

 

[Ryan Lemonds Hair]

If you like bird watching and live in Kentucky, do yourself a favor and head to Peabody WMA. You have to have a $15 permit to be in there but it's well worth it. I fish there a lot and when I eat a lunch on the boat, I always marvel at the birds. Lots of eagles, ospreys, owls, hawks, falcons, and many types of non raptors. My favorite is the Red Winged Blackbird. It loves the grassy areas and it's call is my favorite.

Have you saw anything like this? They say they are extinct but I am holding out hope one swoops down and snatches up my neighbor and her little dog that she brings over to poop in my yard.

 

[Hank Camacho_rivals115797]

Merlin had American Robin as the bird of the day recently. Bro, at least make me try. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

The Bird of the Day may be the only notification I get on my phone that I know will make me happy.

 

[Beatle Bum]

I have cardinals eating my nyjer seed, which I thought would be more attractive to finches. The finches have an option that includes shelled sunflower seeds, so they tend, it appears, to pass on the nyjer.

I do not put out the oiled sunflower seeds that cardinals and blue jays really seem to like.

The woodpeckers and cowbirds seems to like the suet.

 

[specialkd24_rivals116121]

Does anyone have a bird feeder cameras that they recommend? It makes me feel so old that I think I want one.

 

[storm1507]

As others have said the black oiled sunflower seeds work great. They'll eat a little corn as well.

Make sure they have access to water this time of year.

Perhaps most importantly for cardinals is the shelter side of habitat. They like shrubs and thicker areas. They love our azaleas and yew. We're down to one of the yew evergreens, but a pair of cardinals will nest in it every year.

 

[Bluetick2100]

I have many squirrels in my backyard and in the woods next to me. Some are even rare white. (see avatar)
I feed birds a lot and it's easy to stop the squirrels by putting a round post in the ground and wrapping it with flashing along with a few squirts of WD40 make it to slick for them to climb. Put a large feeder on top.
I mix my own bird food in a 35 gallon metal trash can. I get a 40lb bag of sunflower seeds and mix it with a 50lb bag of cracked corn. I have a pic of a snowy day that there were 19 cardinals on my feeder and a tree that was close by. Not only cardinals but many types of woodpeckers, blue birds and other migratory birds.

 

[storm1507]

I have many squirrels in my backyard and in the woods next to me. Some are even rare white. (see avatar)
I feed birds a lot and it's easy to stop the squirrels by putting a round post in the ground and wrapping it with flashing along with a few squirts of WD40 make it to slick for them to climb. Put a large feeder on top.
I mix my own bird food in a 35 gallon metal trash can. I get a 40lb bag of sunflower seeds and mix it with a 50lb bag of cracked corn. I have a pic of a snowy day that there were 19 cardinals on my feeder and a tree that was close by. Not only cardinals but many types of woodpeckers, blue birds and other migratory birds.

Be thankful you don't have bears to deal with. They are a game changer.

 

[WillGolf4Food]

Have had good luck with this type of feeder. The outer cage hangs on springs which covers the feeding holes when the squirrels try to eat. It pisses them off, they'll shake their tails and some will make sounds which i guess is squirrel cussing.

As others have said, cardinals love sunflower seeds and Crown Royal.

 

[Hank Camacho_rivals115797]

Does anyone have a bird feeder cameras that they recommend? It makes me feel so old that I think I want one.

I got a Soliom off Amazon. I think it was a knock off of the Bird Buddy brand name. No complaints. It doesn't seem to have as many bells as whistles as others but I've never had to charge it, the video is pretty good, and my wife loves getting the notifications of the various birds.

I am an absolute newbie so your mileage may vary but if I had it to do over again, I would just buy whatever they had at my local Sam's or Costco and call it a day.

Also, it has been a hoot to do. Don't worry about feeling old. I've really gotten to know my backyard. For instance, we originally thought we had a pair of love bird cardinals that frequented our feeder. Turns out, we have a ton more than come in every day from the forest in sets of pairs and we never noticed until we saw them on the bird feed camera.

Highly recommend the activity in general, whatever camera you get.

 

[blubo]

Something like this will keep them off the feeder. The one I have doesn't have the gap. My feeder is on one inch steel plumbers pipe which I drove into the ground. And keep it far enough away from trees or fences so that they can't jump above it. And Jerry is spot on about black oil sunflower seeds.

works like a charm. i have one on a shepherd’s hook. it’s fun watching the squirrels trying to get around it. they give up eventually and settle for seed that falls to the ground.