feeding birds

[alacringa]

Originally Posted by sourdough doug

Back when canola, by a different name, became the go to crop...there was something about "canola" affecting the reproduction aspect of the birds feeding on it. I don't recall if it was to do with shell thickness or what. Does anyone have any recall of this or contradicting info..

Rapeseed is toxic to humans -- canola is the edible/non-toxic variety. I haven't heard of it affecting the ability of birds to reproduce, but would be interested in seeing any documentary evidence.

[jebpbc96]

Originally Posted by Rdamours

We're using the huge bag from Costco. It's a mix of everything and was 17 bucks or so. The feeder empties every couple of days and is pretty popular on the weekends.

Ditto. The big bag's a good deal, and if you dole out the goods little by little it'll keep 'em coming back for more for weeks.

[Percher]

Where in Edmonton area are the best prices for bird food? Looking to buy 50lbs of shell less black sunflower kernels or chips.

[covey ridge]

We just buy the largest and cheapest without much corn. Wally World or Home Hardware. We feed all year, but way more food in winter, but fill the baths several times a day in spring and summer.

[grouse_hunter]

I have had every specie of woodpecker at my feeder, from Downy to Pileated, as well as numerous other bird species. A couple of now dead squirrels too. All I feed are the commercial suet squares.
Last year I made my own suet squares since I butchered a beef calf. I used sunflower seed. The birds certainly liked them more than the Scotts brand.

[Davey Boy]

I feed the birds year round. Also have a heated bird bath for the winter. That seems to draw more birds than even the feed.

[Roadgear]

Peavy Mart

[graybeard]

Originally Posted by Sooner

Just use wild bird seed from the store. Between the neighbor and me, we have our own little flock of sparrows that we feed all year, some pigeons too, they come clean up the stuff that falls to the ground.

I love watching the little guys, especially the Chickadees, flit in and out of the feeder. What I don't like are the mice that also clean up the spillage.

No more feeder no more mice....Hmmmm??

Just a thought...IMHO...

[260 Rem]

We stick with the black sunflower seeds ... nothing a sparrow would like, although I have never seen one on the property, I don't want to risk attracting them.

[Percher]

Originally Posted by graybeard

I love watching the little guys, especially the Chickadees, flit in and out of the feeder. What I don't like are the mice that also clean up the spillage.

No more feeder no more mice....Hmmmm??

Just a thought...IMHO...

I trap the mice. I cut out a little hole on the top rim of a plastic ice cream container and place the upside down container over a peanut butter baited mouse trap under the feeder. Never caught a bird or more mice for a long time.

[thumper]

Originally Posted by Rdamours

We're using the huge bag from Costco. It's a mix of everything and was 17 bucks or so. The feeder empties every couple of days and is pretty popular on the weekends.

Interesting that the feeder is more popular on weekends! I guess more birds get the weekend off work?

We use the black sunflower seeds for the little guys, and suet for the woodpeckers, jays and nutcrackers. Here in Canmore you can only have bird feeders up during the winter, while the bears are hibernating.

[KegRiver]

I feed all year. I have two hut type feeders, five 2 liter pop bottle feeders, two store bought seed feeders, three suet feeders and one Niger seed feeder.

Over the winter I put out Black Oils sunflower seed, Commercial and natural Suet. and Canola.

The Canola attracts a lot of Pine Grosbeak and Red Poles. The Black Oil sunflower seed attracts Pine Grosbeak, Black Capped Chickadee, Evening Grosbeak, Pine Siskins, and Blue Jays.
The commercial suet attracts Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers. I've never had a Pileated in my yard.
The real suet attracts woodpeckers and Chickadees.

In spring I put out Orange halves to attract Baltimore Oriole and maintain the Sunflower and Suet feeding.

In the spring the Red Poles and Pine Grosbeak move on and are replaced by Purple Finch and Red Breasted Grosbeak who go for the Sunflower seed.

Over the summer I feed Black Oil Sunflower seed and Meal Worms.
Evening Grosbeak, Red Breasted Grosbeak Purple Finch and Bluejays go for the sunflower seed.
The Meal worms attract a wide variety of birds, Robins, Woodpeckers, Orioles, I even had a Lazuli Bunting come for the Meal Worms, once.

We have a miniature Parrot, called a Blue Parrotlet and we spread the seed it rejects in the yard, under the feeder setup.
This attracts various species of Sparrows, Juncos and Blackbirds.

That seed is a mixture of White Millet, Canary Grass Seed, Oats, Red Millet, Flax Seed, Rape Seed, (Canola), Small Cracked Corn, Nyjer Seed, Sunflower Chips, and Hemp Seed.

I have experimented with dried fruit and berries without much success.