Feeding wild birds.

[basin79]

Thought I'd make a thread for my videos of feeding the birds that visit my backyard. But then thought rather than just make a "Feeding UK birds" etcetera I'd make a thread for EVERYONE to post their videos/pics up of the wild birds they feed.

 

[StampFan]

I had to stop feeding the birds, first the seeds were feeding the mice on the ground and the mice moved in to the yard and then the house so then I changed to peanuts only. The peanuts I was feeding to avoid the mice turned into the squirrels destroying my tree! So now just a bird bath unfortunately.

 

[basin79]

I had to stop feeding the birds, first the seeds were feeding the mice on the ground and the mice moved in to the yard and then the house so then I changed to peanuts only. The peanuts I was feeding to avoid the mice turned into the squirrels were destroying my tree! So now just a bird bath unfortunately.

I just feed them mealworms now although in winter I'll give them fat balls too.

 

[Marika]

I don't feed birds but my mom does. I've taken some pics over the years, but most of them are really bad...

I love crows, they are so adorable.


Eurasian jay


Common wood pigeon


Regular pigeons



Not birds, but whatever

 

[The Snark]

Gloom and doom meister here. Always keep in mind feeding wild animals is an invitation for predators.
I forget the actual series of circumstances but bird feeders virtually wiped out the raptors in one region.

 

[basin79]

Gloom and doom meister here. Always keep in mind feeding wild animals is an invitation for predators.
I forget the actual series of circumstances but bird feeders virtually wiped out the raptors in one region.

I live a a terraced house on a street in a town. Concrete/tarmac/flagged backyards. Few gardens. Birds need all the help they can get.

 

[The Snark]

Birds need all the help they can get.

Absolutely. And people, doubly so. When a people thing feeds a wild animal the thing becomes a contributor in the food chain, in all intents and purposes, a part of that ecosystem. So people things, use your brains. Don't create black holes, death traps in the eco systems.
Ex: big hearted people thing 1 threw meat into estuaries. People things 2 through 150 enjoyed croc target practice.
Ex: Feed the birds. Pigeons have displaced dozens of native birds and spread avian diseases that weren't present.
Ex: Bird feeders can become buffet meals for the local cats.
DO NOT FEED THE BEARS
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.c...d-infection-prevention-are-essential-partners
etc etc etc

 

[basin79]

Absolutely. And people, doubly so. When a people thing feeds a wild animal the thing becomes a contributor in the food chain, in all intents and purposes, a part of that ecosystem. So people things, use your brains. Don't create black holes, death traps in the eco systems.
Ex: big hearted people thing 1 threw meat into estuaries. People things 2 through 150 enjoyed croc target practice.
Ex: Feed the birds. Pigeons have displaced dozens of native birds and spread avian disease that weren't present.
Ex: Bird feeders can become buffet meals for the local cats.
etc etc etc

Well typing personally I get sparrows, a grey wagtail and occasionally starlings. I'm happy to feed them. I have a very large dog. Cats don't come into my yard.

 

[The Snark]

Well typing personally I get sparrows, a grey wagtail and occasionally starlings. I'm happy to feed them. I have a very large dog. Cats don't come into my yard.

Yes darling. But for every responsible thinking person such as yourself, there are a few functionally illiterate imbecile mouth breathers who endanger wildlife by simply crossing the street.

 

[basin79]

Yes darling. But for every responsible thinking person such as yourself, there are a few functionally illiterate imbecile mouth breathers who endanger wildlife by simply crossing the street.

A few? A few? Try thousands. Hell fire you'll get some that chase off a peregrine falcon that's caught a pigeon only to complain about the amount of pigeons that are about.

 

[The Snark]

A few? A few? Try thousands.

I'm polishing my masterful understatement abilities.

Spoiler

A while back my cuz and friends were surveying the minor rabbit overpopulation problem in Queensland outback. His associate, recent from the Vietnam war approached the problem in a new and different manner. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouncing_mine Unfortunately the animal foofer crowd got wind of his antics.

 

[Marika]

These pics are awful, but I'll post them anyway.

Long-tailed tit, I've seen these maybe twice in my life.


Crested tit, haven't seen these in years.


Eurasian bullfinch


Great tit, these are the most common visitors.


Jay


Aw

 

[Feral]

I really have to figure a workaround to post pics some day. Hmph.

But thanks for all the great pics from everyone, I'm really feeling them! I wish I could show you pix, too... I have a windowsill feeder right next to my bed, and I get a lot of House Finches, Carolina Chickadees, Northern Cardinals, White Breasted Nuthatches, and House Sparrows with also some Song Sparrows, Carolina Wrens, and Tufted Titmice. Oh, and squirrels. lol At the other bedroom window I have a feeder hanging from the window awning. At that one I get all the same birds plus Blue Jays, Downy Woodpeckers, and Red Bellied Woodpeckers. Plus on the ground underneath, I get Morning Doves and Grackles and occasionally Starlings. I just started with bird feeders in the last couple of years, but I love it so much.

Around my house, I also have at least one Barred Owl and Cooper's Hawk I hear all the time. And I've seen Great Blue Herons and Mallards in the creek right behind my house.

Keep those pics coming, they make me unreasonably happy.

 

[basin79]

I really have to figure a workaround to post pics some day. Hmph.

But thanks for all the great pics from everyone, I'm really feeling them! I wish I could show you pix, too... I have a windowsill feeder right next to my bed, and I get a lot of House Finches, Carolina Chickadees, Northern Cardinals, White Breasted Nuthatches, and House Sparrows with also some Song Sparrows, Carolina Wrens, and Tufted Titmice. Oh, and squirrels. lol At the other bedroom window I have a feeder hanging from the window awning. At that one I get all the same birds plus Blue Jays, Downy Woodpeckers, and Red Bellied Woodpeckers. Plus on the ground underneath, I get Morning Doves and Grackles and occasionally Starlings. I just started with bird feeders in the last couple of years, but I love it so much.

Around my house, I also have at least one Barred Owl and Cooper's Hawk I hear all the time. And I've seen Great Blue Herons and Mallards in the creek right behind my house.

Keep those pics coming, they make me unreasonably happy.

I use Tapatalk to post pics as it's easy and quick. Not sure how you post pics otherwise.

 

[Marika]

These are from today.

 

[Margot J]

European starlings and finches are huge invasive species here in the US. They destroy bluebird nests, and they are legal to kill (though I don't kill them myself). I think they are both beautiful birds, though, especially the bright spots on starlings. All of these birds are so gorgeous! I don't have pictures I took at the moment, but I love seeing cedar waxwings and blue jays, and I've seen a northern goshawk twice. Kestrels are also cute, feisty birds.

 

[InvertNix]

I get a couple magpies, a sparrow and a robin but the main bird I feed is storm the pigeon. We rescued storm as a baby and now he comes back every day to stuff his face and sit in my front room (and yes I frequently spray him for parasites)

 

[Frogdaddy]

I'm very happy to see this thread as I have 7 bird feeders and a bird bath in my yard.
Unfortunately no pics as all I have is the camera on my phone and I can't zoom in enough to get a decent photo.

This spring I did put up a bird bath and got zero takers, until I installed a small solar powered fountain. Since then the moving water really brings them in.

If anyone is interested I highly recommend the Merlin Bird ID app and the eBird app both put out by Cornell University which does the FeederWatch program

 

[FrDoc]

I feed certain birds with seed, which invariably draws the squirrels, that in turn feed next level birds.

 

[Seekeroftruth]

Nice pictures. We commonly get mourning doves, crows, mocking birds, red bellied wood pecker, carolina wrens, song sparrows, grackles (don't like them, cardinals, blue jays and even eastern bluebirds including baby bluebirds.

Rarely i will spot something else outside my house. One time there was a vulture.

Fairly nearby ive seen golden eagles, house finches (invasive here), house sparrows (also invasive here), swallows and cowbirds.

Sadly I've stopped feeding them as keeping the curtain open has been making my bedroom too hot. Its almost fall though!

You can track your sightings on e bird if you like stuff like that.