THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE THEE APPROPIATE SPOT FOR THIS!! so does anyone else feed the birds?  i have a safflower/sunflower mix for the cardinals, sunflowers for everything else that likes them. got a thistle feeder fo the finches, alsoe feed the orioles and hummingbirds. put out suet also. gets kinda spendy since i do it both at home and the camper but kinda worth it. them hummers are going crazy the last 2-3 weeks.

yea it is real entertaining. last nite had one musta been a leader of the pack hummer standing gaurd over the window feeder. everytime another would come up to it he would chase it away. out at the camper there are times there are 8-12 purple finches on the sunflower feeder. and the doves clean up the mess on the ground. even got a few red-breasted grobeaks.

party pooper!!!!!!!!!! like i said awesome entertainment. i do the grape jelly to, took it down when the bees got worse, the orioles didnt seem to take an interest in the jelly after a while.

We spend a LOT of time feeding the birds too.  This year I think we have about 20 Humming birds that are feeding like a swarm of bees.  They eat about a half a gallon of food a week.

We normally put up suet feeders and this year I want to put up a bird seed feeder of some kind.  Looking at building a large feeder yet this fall.  So if anyone knows some online sites that offer some good plans please let me know. 

I feed birds all year long and have narrowed down to two feeds.....black oil sunnies in several tube feeders and 1 cabin style feeder with a big porch, and shelled peanut halves in a peanut tube feeder. Ever since I started feeding peanuts several years ago I find every kind of bird that shows itself here prefers the peanuts to sunnies. The peanuts attract the big pilated woodpeckers, cardinals, finches, grossbeaks, and about every other seed eating bird. The jays really go nuts for them when they have young.  In Winter I feed suet as well but have stopped that during the warm months. A bird bath and a small waterfall fountain are nearby for their watering needs.
    Lately the hummers have been putting the feedbag on and I've actually added 2 more hummer feeders. Ron, I use the syrup mix concentrate that I buy at Home Depot and Fleet Farm. It works great and they love it.

We also use the pre-mixed stuff from the Depot to feed the little Hummers!

By the way, great topic Glenn!!

OK Ron, I have a suggestion for you.  Two of my feeders are that hourglass type with 4 red flowers on the bottom that have yellow beeguards on them. The centers of the beeguards are always molded closed, must be where they fill the mold.  I take a piece of wire, also have used a tiny screwdriver, click on the propane torch and get it red hot. Touch that gently to that sprue area and you can make a nice round hole dead center. The little hummers I've watched seem to all suck through that center hold. This could be the issue.... Be careful not to make the hole too large or the bees will find a way in.  Let us know if this helps. 

thanks shane. didnt know what responses this topic would generate, but glad its going. as far as feeders i find the best one is an all metal one with plastic bins. it has 3 seperate compartments. there about $25-30 bucks but squrell proof. hold roughly 11lbs of feed. i have also made tube feeders out of plumbing pipe. also have 3 different stlye hummer feeders and they go to all of them. oriole feeders i switch over to a semi bee proof feeder later in the year, hummers use them too! i but my sunflower seeds in 40 or 50 lb bags and start getting nervous when i open my last bag!!

 There still here.We have sooooo many feeders I cant explain but the ole girl spends 1/2 hour every morn checking them them waters her flowers then again around 7-8 PM she does the ones she didnt do in the AM and again waters more flowers.
 I started her feeding and IDing birds,Now I just stay away its OUT OF CONTROL!!! Same with those pretty and hungry deer last year.Just shook my head!

Ya but 9 feeders,two squirrel feeders (one broke) might stay that way.5 hummer feeders 2 birdbathes a mister for the hummers.A shed with mowers and snow blowers that is overtaken by 50lb bags of seed and 10- 5 gal buckets so the mice dont get so fat!! I have to disassemble my garage heater to clean the seed out, its cloged and the fumes and black smoke cant get out!! It blows back into the garage

LOL, sounds like fun Sparce.

I was at Fleet Farm yesterday and got another seed feeder and my first hummingbird feeder. Hope to see some hummers around. I think the kids will get a kick out of them. I know I do.

Saw a woodpecker on my neighbors house and my little one was asking me about it. Is there a special type of feeder to get for woodpeckers? I love those things.

Also, what do you get to attract Blue Jays and Cardinals?

BEFORE IT GETS REAL HOT I USE ANIMAL FAT/SUET. it comes from the kidney area of a cow. when it gets hot that gets rancid quick so i chande to the suet cakes menards, fleet sells. i watch for them on sale during the winter. bluejays and cardinals like sunflowers. cardinals like a mix, sunflowers and safflower seeds is what i mix. they also throw peanuts in the mix for cardinals. i mix my own cardinal mix of safflower seeds and sunflowers. its cheaper than the cardinal mix you but.

The problems I had with peanuts, is the starlings would come in and clean out the peanuts tossing the rest of the stuff to the ground.  They would wipe out a feeder in less then a day.

Thanks guys, I'll be getting a suet feeder soon. Got a couple of feeders so I'll go to a different seed for one too to try to attract different birds.