Birds and squirrels are happy again

[Ken07AOVette]

Rona Lloydminster got some sunflowers in, $25 for 40lbs.

I have bought 30 bags over the last couple years, when are they fat enough to eat?

This seems like a money losing proposition :mad0030:

[Bushmaster]

Are these the black oil seeds?

[Fish along]

Rona Lloydminster got some sunflowers in, $25 for 40lbs.

I have bought 30 bags over the last couple years, when are they fat enough to eat?

This seems like a money losing proposition :mad0030:
30 bags of bird seed in 2 years lol,Alfred Hithcock would be making movies there if he was alive. Good stuff Ken definetly lots of happy birds in your area.:)

[graybeard]

30 bags of bird seed in 2 years lol, Alfred Hithcock would be making movies there if he was alive.

Good stuff Ken definitely lots of happy birds in your area.:)

Wow, 30 bags, Ken good for you. I feed them as well and set out suet, but not like you.

Remember what goes in has to come out.....

Come spring, my power washer gets a good work out.

Stay warm,

[Sundancefisher]

Do you put out suet also?

[Sundancefisher]

Can a person by bird seed that can germinate?

[Sundancefisher]

Can a person by bird seed that can germinate?

Meant can’t germinate.

[tallieho]

Sundance fisher;;That's quite a Darwin saying. Which imo sucks. So the bullies,magpies ,squirrels.Bully finches,chickadees,into starving.So you can feed invasives.
I used to enjoy seeing chickadees ,finches,other small birdsThey have been wpied out. As for feeding squirrels,btwn a few neighbors ,we have had a vechile catch fire[ squirrels eating wiring].Terrible to see squirrels/magpies raiding song bird nests Added predators 1st time we have had owls,coyotes patrol,bobcats.please stop

[58thecat]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220117/5acee5c0f711e0db8278e4c05ce6b502.jpg
The key is to feed so you can feed come fall!
This is shake and bake….


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sundancefisher]

Sundance fisher;;That's quite a Darwin saying. Which imo sucks. So the bullies,magpies ,squirrels.Bully finches,chickadees,into starving.So you can feed invasives.
I used to enjoy seeing chickadees ,finches,other small birdsThey have been wpied out. As for feeding squirrels,btwn a few neighbors ,we have had a vechile catch fire[ squirrels eating wiring].Terrible to see squirrels/magpies raiding song bird nests Added predators 1st time we have had owls,coyotes patrol,bobcats.please stop

Firstly.

I don’t have a bird feeder

Secondly I was curious as to seed as I have seen some whose seed germinates and creates a mess underneath.

Thirdly I hate the invasive eastern gray squirrels. While I could place one that would negate access by squirrels… based upon all the buried peanuts… someone is feeding them nearby.

I don’t mind owls and bobcats. Don’t like coyotes, skunks, and raccoons… in the neighbourhood.

[Bushmaster]

Thanks for the heads-up Ken. Had a buddy pick up a coupla bags for me today.

[Ken07AOVette]

I tried suet never had much luck. Everything loves the sunflower seeds. Watching the deer lick them up is fu too.

[ron anderson]

Sundance fisher;;That's quite a Darwin saying. Which imo sucks. So the bullies,magpies ,squirrels.Bully finches,chickadees,into starving.So you can feed invasives.
I used to enjoy seeing chickadees ,finches,other small birdsThey have been wpied out. As for feeding squirrels,btwn a few neighbors ,we have had a vechile catch fire[ squirrels eating wiring].Terrible to see squirrels/magpies raiding song bird nests Added predators 1st time we have had owls,coyotes patrol,bobcats.please stop
vechile ... ????

[Mavrick]

I go through about a big bag every 2 weeks. Winged visitors at my feeders are, chickadee, redpolls, northern grosbeaks, blue jays, woodpeckers( all three sizes,) and deer on clean up. It’s costly but adds live to the yard during winter. Summer to I suppose.

[tallieho]

vechile ... ????

2018 gmc,honda crv,toyota tundra,tacoma .Plus damage to houses .gardens

I remember an elderly lady,crying.Because the squirrels ate,tomatos & strawberris.That were in a cold frame green house.The ****i things ate thru the side of the bldg.
People here feed them & don't want to hear of the damage.
Squirrel pop is so bad,where 1 fellow trapped over 150 in his yard,in 2 years.

[Ken07AOVette]

There are about 6 squirrels in town. They follow the food. The odd one gets smushed on the road. I will spend more time this summer with a huge bag of peanuts getting to know the locals.

I like the experimental gardens that pop up all over the yard from the birds, everyone once in a while I add a different kind of seed and the birds plant them.

We get sunflowers, but they show up late and are generally stunted. Whatever size they are though, the birds clean them of every single seed.

[Reeves1]

In the other bird feeding topic a guy went to shelled black oil seed, for less waste.

So I picked a couple bags up to try.
Hands down less waste !
More expensive though.

[urban rednek]

Firstly.

I don’t have a bird feeder

Secondly I was curious as to seed as I have seen some whose seed germinates and creates a mess underneath.

Thirdly I hate the invasive eastern gray squirrels. While I could place one that would negate access by squirrels… based upon all the buried peanuts… someone is feeding them nearby.

I don’t mind owls and bobcats. Don’t like coyotes, skunks, and raccoons… in the neighbourhood.

2018 gmc,honda crv,toyota tundra,tacoma .Plus damage to houses .gardens

I remember an elderly lady,crying.Because the squirrels ate,tomatos & strawberris.That were in a cold frame green house.The ****i things ate thru the side of the bldg.
People here feed them & don't want to hear of the damage.
Squirrel pop is so bad,where 1 fellow trapped over 150 in his yard,in 2 years.
Neighbours feed birds, seed attracts too many squirrels, someone rehomes squirrels to fancy green environmentally friendly condo.
Everyone is happy happy. :happy0034:

[KegRiver]

My feeder setup;

https://i.imgur.com/ewIQUju.jpg

I built the two box feeders and fill them with black oil sunflower seed, the bottle feeders are filled with Canola. Pine Grosbeak and Red Polls love it.

This photo is from last summer so the bottle feeders are empty, because there are no Red Polls or PIne Grosbeak around that time of year.

What does come as you can see are , Evening Grosbeak, plus a very rare visitor, a Western Tanager.
I also get a lot of Purple Finch. and a few Rose Breasted Grosbeak. In the spring I get about ten varieties of Sparrow.

Juncos, White Throated and White Crowned Sparrow. Tree Sparrows. The occasional Chipping Sparrow. Savannah Sparrows, Lincoln and Clay Colored Sparrows, Fox Sparrows and on occasion I even get a Harris Sparrow or two.

And of course, tons of Chickadee and Blue Jay plus a few Woodpeckers.

The two suet feeders are filled with real suet that I get from BIL every time he butchers a cow.

Yes Sundance the sunflower seed do germinate. I find Sunflowers growing in the oddest of places, like in my flower pots and out in the middle of my neighbors field. Yet no one here plants them. Also, I'm the only person in the district that feeds birds.

The big feeders hold a 5 gallon pail of seed. One bag to fill both.
During the winter they last about two weeks, two bags of seed a month.

During summer they last a bit longer, around three weeks.
I figure I buy around 20 bags a year. That's about $500.00 a year to feed the birds, but I think it's worth it.

To put it in prospective, if a case of 12 beer lasts you a week you'd spend about the same on beer.

[KegRiver]

There are about 6 squirrels in town. They follow the food. The odd one gets smushed on the road. I will spend more time this summer with a huge bag of peanuts getting to know the locals.

I like the experimental gardens that pop up all over the yard from the birds, everyone once in a while I add a different kind of seed and the birds plant them.

We get sunflowers, but they show up late and are generally stunted. Whatever size they are though, the birds clean them of every single seed.

I have one little Red Squirrel that guards my feeders. He hates Blue Jays with a passion and runs them off whenever he's there. And he ignores the other birds.

Win win in my books.

I thought about getting him, or her, some peanuts but decided he might loose interest in sunflower seed and stop guarding if he had peanuts to eat.

[Mr Flyguy]

Had a problem with squirrels and vehicles so started live trapping and relocation a few years ago; even took one from the Fort to Onoway on the way to Salter's Lake, try to find your way back buddy! :) But only in the spring and summer so they can settle in. Seems cruel to trap them in late fall or winter.

Just have one in the yard now and it's fun to watch the it and the blue jays squabble over the peanut tray.

Friend in Gibbon's had a Northern Flicker at a peanut feeder last week. Five annoyed blue jays perched close by but waited until it left.

[Stinky Buffalo]

Have had a flock of sparrows dominating my feeder with the occasional Redpolls and Juncos, and of course, Chickadees.

Switched up to the striped sunflower seeds, and traffic has decreased overall, but I have more variety of birds since sparrows aren't bullying the other birds as much.

Squirrels... Went on a two year trapping campaign when they invaded my neighbour's eaves. Down to a manageable level now. Someone in the neighbourhood is feeding them peanuts...

[Ken07AOVette]

I have one little Red Squirrel that guards my feeders. He hates Blue Jays with a passion and runs them off whenever he's there. And he ignores the other birds.

Win win in my books.

I thought about getting him, or her, some peanuts but decided he might loose interest in sunflower seed and stop guarding if he had peanuts to eat.

They will eat whatever is there. Peanuts are fun because they will take them from your hand, then sit there and eat them. They will make 500 trips a day to store peanuts

[Ken07AOVette]

It's a funny thing, looking out the window watching 30 tiny birds clean out the seeds while eating a turkey sandwich knowing the turkey was cheaper than the birdseed lol

[jigs]

please tell me where can I find canola seed? The bird stores in edm and cal?

[Stinky Buffalo]

https://media2.giphy.com/media/l0Hejn74uOaiUpmrC/giphy.gif?cid=ecf05e47kmmdl7v7buxvt17vq8dwl9uuc1am qol1u42qvzzc&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g

[Ken07AOVette]

https://media2.giphy.com/media/l0Hejn74uOaiUpmrC/giphy.gif?cid=ecf05e47kmmdl7v7buxvt17vq8dwl9uuc1am qol1u42qvzzc&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g

Looking good! Did you lose some weight? :sHa_sarcasticlol:

theres something no your jacket.... and hat :scared0018:

[Stinky Buffalo]

Bahahahhahaha!

[Bushmaster]

jigs, I usually get my canola in the fall, right after harvest. Most farmers will have a spill or two and won't get around to picking it up. As far as buying it, I don't know. Other than its at the highest price/bu right now that its ever been.