Unlock the Secrets of Nature and Faith: The Bird Feeders and Spiritual Reflection

Are you craving a deeper connection—to nature, to your faith, to yourself? What if I told you that ordinary bird feeders can teach you profound lessons about life, sacrifice, and the spiritual journey? Yes, the simple act of feeding birds is more than just a pastime—it’s a mirror for our soul, a reminder of our purpose and the grace that sustains us.  In this post, I’ll share a passionate look into how observing birds can uplift your spirit and deepen your faith. Ready to see what these feathered friends reveal about life’s greatest truths? Let’s dive in.

Connecting Nature and Faith: Lessons from the Bird Feeder

Birds are messengers—nature’s tiny miracles that remind us of God’s intricate design and endless grace. Their behaviors, their patterns, their very presence, speak deeply to our human experience—especially about sacrifice and dependence on the divine. When I watch goldfinches flitting about or cardinals boldly landing in front of me, I see a reflection of God's provision. The way birds flock, migrate, and choose their food reveals a divine order, a plan that encompasses every detail of our lives. And guess what? Even the act of setting out birdseed is a somewhat of a spiritual exercise—an act of trust that sustains life, a moment to meditate, a gentle reminder that our provision comes from Christ, our Higher Power.

The Spiritual Significance of Sacrifice: From Old Testament to New

Let’s get real—many of us feel overwhelmed by the sacrifices detailed in Leviticus—blood, organs, sin protocols. It’s bloody, lengthy, and no doubt, intense. And yet, embedded in those ancient instructions from God is a powerful truth about humility and surrender. Think about it: sacrificing an unblemished animal wasn’t just a ritual. It was a total giveaway of time, resources, pride—all to acknowledge God’s sovereignty. It demanded humility, vulnerability, and dependence. But here’s the punchline: Jesus changed everything. No more long, bloody sacrifices. He became the Lamb, once and for all, offering His life for ours so we could rest easier, trust deeper, and love more freely.  Now, it’s as simple as confessing our sins, repenting (making changes), and accepting His grace and putting our faith in a relationship with Him. That’s it. That’s the true sacrifice—an open heart and the development of an evolving relationship with Christ, the one who took our place on the cross, even while we were still sinners.

The Power of Prayer and Connection in Our Daily Walk

You see, in the chaos and noise of life, taking time—just a few minutes—can ground your soul, resetting your compass to the true north. Jesus modeled this early morning prayer routine, setting His day in sync with God’s purpose. And we? We can do the same—by reading Scripture, listening to God's creation, and prayerfully acknowledging His presence. It’s more than just reading words; it’s a heartfelt connection—pouring out gratitude, asking for strength, confessing sins, and giving thanks. When you start your day with this purpose, you begin to see the divine in the everyday—through birds singing, the sunrise, and moments of quiet reflection. That’s how faith becomes real, not just words in a book.

Living Righteously: Laws of Love and the Heart of the Gospel

Jesus didn’t just come to rewrite rules; He came to fulfill them—giving us a new way to love. The commandments—love God, love your neighbor—are the blueprint for a thriving, authentic life. Laws about murder, adultery, stealing, lying—these aren’t just rules for morality. They’re reflections of a heart aligned with God. When we start to understand that sin is ultimately against Him, everything changes. Guilt turns into grace; mistakes become lessons. And the more we grow in relationship with Jesus? The more natural it becomes to live righteously—not out of obligation, but from love.

The Call to Action: Grow Your Faith, Embrace the Journey

Listen—your relationship with God is the most vital thing you have. It’s not about ticking boxes or superficial routines. It’s about daily, honest connection—confessing, forgiving, loving, and trusting. Set aside that time each day—whether in silence, in prayer, or in His Word. Start with just 10-15 minutes. Let the sounds of creation—birds, streams, wind—be enjoined in your worship. Let nature remind you of His power and presence. You have the power today to choose—will you walk the wider, hollow path, or the narrow way Jesus invites us to? The journey begins with a moment of surrender, a simple “Yes” to Him who knocks at the door of your heart.

Your Next Step: Open Your Heart and Make a Change

Don’t wait for life to force you into it. Take a step today—confess your sins, ask for guidance, and start cultivating a relationship with Christ that will anchor your soul through storms. Remember, Jesus already paid the ultimate price—He’s waiting at the door, just knocking. Answer it. Let Him in.

FAQ: Bridging Faith and Daily Life

How can I incorporate prayer into my busy schedule? Start small—spend 10 minutes each morning or evening. Use scripture or nature sounds as a backdrop, and simply talk to God—thanks, questions, confessions.

What’s the significance of sacrifices in today’s faith journey? Jesus’ sacrifice replaced the old ritual—His blood covers all our sins once and for all. Our part now is to accept His grace and live in love and obedience.

How do I develop a deeper relationship with God? Read His Word daily, spend quiet time in prayer, notice His creation, and seek accountability with fellow believers. It’s about consistency and genuine trust.

Why do I struggle with guilt after sinning? Because you’re in a relationship, you now know that you have sinned not only against against someone but also Christ. Confessing and accepting forgiveness through Christ restores peace. Remember, He’s already paid the price.

Final thought:

Life is fleeting, and eternity is forever. The choices we make today shape where we spend that forever. Birds teach us stability, sacrifice, and dependence—and through faith, we can walk this journey with purpose and joy. Take that first step. Open your heart. Embrace the grace waiting for you.

Background

On October 31st, 2023, I will have been running my live stream on YouTube for 5.5 years. During that time, I have received numerous requests for what camera gear that I use and other questions such as if this is a WiFi cam and what are the specs.

Let’s back up a bit as to how this whole YouTube streaming thing started. I like most people started feeding birds from feeders on my deck that happened to have white rails. What a mess the birds made, which was really hard to keep clean.

My lovely wife suggested that I move the feeders to the back yard. My house is a two story with a basement, so the issue was that I couldn’t see the feeders in the back yard from the main floor or the second floor as it was blocked by trees. So I started searching for solutions where I could use a streaming cam where I could view it from anywhere with an internet connection.

I found Scott Keller’s Birdwatching Headquarters cam in Ohio and reached out to him. He offered up advice and the specs of his setup. Additionally, he invited me to join his network. I joined and was with him for about 3 months. I am still a moderator on his site and we share moderators.

A number of us live bird cam streamers (Canadian Bird Nerd and NatureTec) were once with Scott and we are are still like a family that help each other out if any one of us has problems. Our moderators (many of them shared amongst us streamers) are the best, most knowledgeable and giving people on the planet as many of you can attest who watch any of these channels. We also have some power chatters who also contribute a lot to the channel and help round out our community of helping answer questions from new viewers.

The Decision

As mentioned above, I had to decide if I could go WiFi or ethernet. The cams are located about 65 feet from the back of my house, which is too far for reliable WiFi coverage. I was also not sure about WiFi extenders and signal reliability. Ethernet (which is basically a wired connection) can be used over greater distance and also supplies power to the cams (POE - powered over ethernet). Getting power to the WiFi cams would have also been a problem powering WiFi cams, running electrical wires, using batteries or solar panels. So, I followed in Scott’s footprints with ethernet.

Another consideration to hosting a 24/7 live streaming cam is your internet speed (more precisely, your upload speed). Previously with Charter Spectrum, I had up to 35MB/second upload speed, which typically ran less than this. But to get it, I had to sign up for 1 GB download speed package which was an extra charge each month. Fortunately, I was able to run two cams at 2K with this particular upload speed. Since then, I have Fiber Optic cable through ATT and have 2.5 GB upload and download speed. As such, I was able to upgrade my two cams to running 4K each.

The Equipment

This is most of the equipment, but I had to get ethernet connectors to connect the cable to run the full length of the outside run towards the house and as you will see PVC conduit pipe, connectors, etc.

Installation

As I mentioned above, the cams are about 65 feet directly behind my house. However, I couldn’t run the wires directly, but had to run them around my driveway. This involved me digging an 85-foot ditch in which I would lay PVC conduit pipe and pull the ethernet lines (three of them) through the long run of pipes.

The cams come with Axis Operating system software, which allows you to control and adjust the cam. CamStreamer is used to stream to YouTube, or other video streaming platforms including Facebook or Vimeo. This means that you have to learn to operate several new softwares or platforms (Axis, CamStreamer and YouTube) if you want to stream live. There is also OBS Software which is OpenSource operating software that is good and also free. Using just Axis software will not allow you to make any cam settings remotely, as you will have to have software to remote into your computer to do that.

In Conclusion

Even though many of us have Ring or Ring-type cams on the outside of our houses for security, having a dedicated nature cam (be it to watch birds, animals or even just a meadow, creek or stream) or for additional security purposes to watch areas or driveways on your property, can be great fun and useful. Whether you decide to broadcast it on YouTube privately or to the public or just maintain the stream privately using the cam software on your personal network, I hope this blog will give you ideas on what is involved.

My cams and related equipment were expensive. But there are cheaper options available that may work as well. My friend NatureTec from Germany has some cams from Hikvision that he says does well with his OBS software. So, this may be a more budget-friendly option. While OBS is free, keep in mind that to use OBS software for a 24/7 livestream broadcast, one needs to keep it running on their computer in the background 24/7, which may even require a separate dedicated computer, so you don’t have to worry about running out of resources or the stream go down to reboot your computer or use too many resources to where the stream falters. I’m sure there are others. Just run down the reviews on Amazon or YouTube before purchasing.

Additionally, if you like to watch live birds up close, jump on over to my companion YouTube channel where I have two 24/7 live cams that alternate between cam views (Bird cam) and join us in the chat where we discuss all things birds and critters and backyard feeding.

Feel free to post ideas or questions in the comments below, as if you have a question, I’m sure others do as well so that this blog post can be even more helpful.

Thanks for dropping by and may God bless you and yours!

Introduction

Our home (house or apartment) is our castle, our refuge, our safe space and our comfort zone where we can rest and recharge. For some of us, our home also has a dedicated office area for us to do our work. We think that our home space is also safe from the outside elements that can harm us. We also trust that most all technology that we have in our homes has been rigorously tested to ensure that it is safe to use in our homes. But is it tested as rigorously as we think? What are the standards and who sets these standards? Are the companies who conduct these tests subject to influence? This blog is just to raise awareness by posing questions and providing some resources for you to be able to see if your home is indeed your “Safe Space.”

Background

As most of you know, who subscribe to my YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/KenLittle), I am not the spring chicken that I used to be. Retired and in my 60s, I have more time to pursue my interests. Being a lifetime student I have a high level of curiosity that leads me down many paths, most of which I deeply research the subjects that I pursue. Referencing my YouTube channel mantra: “Explore, Observe, Learn & Share,” I like to pass along the tidbits from my research to save you the time and energy of conducting massive amounts of research.

Recently, a family member continued to echo that they experienced headaches almost daily. To me, this is not normal. I realize that this issue could be a number of medical conditions tied to genetics and that we could have doctors diagnose. But in my mind, I think that we as a nation are already WAY overmedicated. Just watch TV for an hour and count how many commercials are from big pharma who now seems to dominate advertising. So, I set out to research what could cause these maladies when in my own home as sometimes this family member doesn’t have headaches when in other environments outside of our home. In this blog, I will not get too deep into the science as it can get complicated fast. But, I will attempt to put forth some links to resources that will allow you to do your own research. Additionally, I will create a dedicated web page on this subject that I will continue to update as my research continues. Let me know if you would like to know more.

Research

In the past, I have received complaints about the weak WiFi signal in our home, and I decided to stamp those out by purchasing and installing a mesh WiFi system. This type of system incorporates a number of WiFi routers and extenders to ensure total house coverage. Additionally, since I have a YouTube live stream, I signed up for the extra speed package. Just thinking about the elements in my home, I decided to test both the air and the electro-pollution in my home. This blog post centers more exclusively on my research regarding the electro-pollution caused by Electric Fields (EF), Electromagnetic Frequencies (EMF), Radio Frequencies (RF) and Dirty Electricity, all of which can combine to disrupt our bodies that mainly function on electrical impulses between our cells and within our cells. While some folks are hypersensitive to high levels of these elements, others may not feel it or sense it, but it shows up in ways that we may not have imagined.

We all love our SMART homes, SMART gadgets and WiFi coverage that allows us to walk around wire-free and take in any content on any number of devices that we please. But all these gadgets, can also serve to create additional electro-pollution. While we may be filling our brain with content, we may also be filling it (and our bodies) with a low form of radiation, which can cause a large number of health issues. over both the short term and certainly in the long term.

Potential Health Issues

The number of health issues is to say the least, very eye-opening, as it contains so many issues, that it is hard to fathom that companies and our government would allow these devices to be used. But, it may be that we are warned, only slightly, in the very fine print of the manuals that come with out phones.

If you have a few years under your belt like I do, you probably recall that growing up, we didn’t have WiFi. Heck, we didn’t have internet! As such, I don’t recall in the distant past hearing about folks having as many issues, like ADD/ADHD, depression, autism, anxiety and many other mental and learning disabilities as we hear of today. Could our exposure over time to this electro-pollution be starting to show up in the age groups who have grown up being inundated with EMF exposure? For us older folks who are high tech, we maybe can slow down our exposure with measured steps as we have already absorbed huge doses or radiation that may have already shortened our lives.

I guess some of us have suspected that carrying a cell phone in one’s pocket or bra over a long period of time may cause issues or even the use of a cell phone against one’s head may not be the best idea of a good health practice. Some human studies have found that even brief exposure to cell phone radiation alters brain activity and can open the blood-brain barrier, which could enable chemical toxins in the circulatory system to penetrate the brain. Do these uses and practices with our cell phones make us less healthy and expose us to a large number of heath issues? I understand that 5G is even on a higher magnitude of harm due to the type of radiation produced. Armed with more knowledge of the potential dangers, let us start being smart in the management of our exposure by taking some precautionary measured steps. Let’s look at some of the health issues noted from continued exposure to electro-pollution:

• Diabetes

• Cancer

• Asthma

• Heart Palpitations

• Arrhythmias

• Itching & burning sensation

• Numbness & Tingling sensation

• Infertility

• Chest pain or pressure

• Concentration Issues

• ADD/ADHD

• Behavior & learning problems

• Alzheimer’s,

• ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)

• Headaches

• Sleep Disturbances

• Leg and Foot Pain

• Muscle and Joint Pain

• Fatigue & weakness

• Sinus problems

• Digestive Issues

• Facial flushing

• Depression

• Memory Problems

• Irritability

• Anxiety

• Autism

• Miscarriage

As one can see from the long list of potential health complications that can result from short-term (for hyper sensitive folks) and long-term exposure to this in-home form of radiation. Of particular concern are expectant mothers carrying fetuses, or for newborns and infants. Fetuses, newborns and infants and even school age children who are smaller, are in their developmental stages have thinner skulls where the radiation can more easily penetrate and magnify the adverse affects. In fact in a number of countries, there is pushback against the sudden rush to install 5G towers in or near daycare centers, schools, hospitals or senior living facilities due to the known effects of this type of radiation.

What can I do?

As mentioned above, my research is continuing and I plan on producing a web page or pages to delve deeper into this subject that I can pass along to you. In the meantime, we need to learn more, and as we do, take preventive cautionary steps that can make a difference in preserving not only your health, but the health of your loved ones and those you care about. Help me get the word out! Here are a few steps from my notes:

General Tips:

The way to reduce radiation exposure is to:

• Create distance from the radiation. Distance reduces the effect of radiation.

• Reduce your time that you are in close proximity to a source of radiation

• Identify and reduce or manage radiation sources. Buy yourself a multimeter to measure EF, EMF and RF. Then buy a meter that measures dirty electricity to test outlets and appliances in your home.

• Ensure that your bedroom has low radiation sources, as you are spending 6-9 hours in this space. Same with office spaces. I installed a router cages for my routers that are in rooms where I spend a lot of time.

• Think about other rooms that you spend most time in. Measure and reduce radiation there. This could be a den where the family watches TV or a kitchen/dining area where a lot of time is spent.

• Use router cages for routers and manage dirty electricity with filters.

• Some experts say that if you don’t have a need to have your phone or tablet on while you sleep, just turn your router off and put your phones and tablets in Airplane mode. You can turn it back on in the morning when needed. Putting your phone in airplane mode, halts the phone from pinging the cell towers thousands of times during the night, which pulses radiation near your head.

• Avoid standing in front of or near a microwave oven while it is cooking. The wire mesh screen doesn’t block all radiation.

• If you live near any power lines or cell phone towers, be sure to test radiation levels. Close proximity allow these radiation frequencies to penetrate our homes even more intensely causing health issues.

• Say “No Thanks” or opt out if given the choice for installation of a “SMART meter” by your utility company as they are a really bad source of radiation and health issues. See the YouTube Documentary: Take Back Your Power 2017 (Official) (https://youtu.be/8ZTiT9ZSg3Q). This documentary also enlightens folks as to the dangers of 5G wireless.

• The ultimate SMART home would have ethernet plugs all over the house, instead of extensive use of WiFi.

Cell Phone Radiation Management:

• Limit time on cell phone with phone against your head. It not only has radiation effects but the thermal temp of the phone also has negative effects.

• Use speakerphone when possible. with phone a foot or more away from your head.

• Limit time carrying phone close to body.

• If phone carried close to body, find a case that shields you from the radiation. I found that using a shielding case gives the phone a larger form factor that makes it less comfortable to carry, making me take it out and put it on a table or desk away from me when not using it, reducing my exposure.

• If you sleep with your phone on a nightstand close to you at night, put the phone in Airplane mode so it won’t produce radiation as it pings its signals connecting to WiFi all night long.

• If possible, but a small wire mesh basket with a lid that you can put your phone in to reduce radiation.

• If you let your child use your phone to watch a show or play a game, ensure that the phone is in Airplane mode.

• Try to train your kids to not use a cell phone against their head. Use speaker phone or air-tube speaker cord. Never let a young child put a phone against their head. Use Airplane mode instead.

Computers and Tablet Radiation Management

• Use Ethernet connections for computers and turn off the WiFi.

• Use wired keyboards and mouses.

• Using a keyboard instead of the laptop keyboard also creates distance from the computer, with reduces EF, EMF and RF radiation.

• Do not use your laptop computer in your lap, unless you have a laptop/tablet RF/Thermal shielding device. Radiation can cause fertility problems as can can carrying a cell phone in your pocket.

• It is even better to place the laptop or tablet on a tray as distance is your friend!

• Tablets and cellphones can also be used on an ethernet connection if one has the right adapters.

• If you let your child use your tablet to watch a show or play a game, ensure that the phone is in Airplane mode.

Nursery Rooms

• It is critical if possible to remove any and all forms of radiation from the rooms used for nurseries. As mentioned above, the radiation effect is highly magnified in smaller developing bodies and the brain is less shielded causing more harm.

• Baby Monitoring systems - Some studies have linked autism in children to high exposure to EMF when the mother was pregnant and the routers close to the nursery. When shopping for these baby surveillance devices. try to find ones with the lowest EMF. Most baby monitors produce EMF when movement is detected. Audio monitors are preferred over video and should even be placed as far from the baby in the room as possible.

• Also check all outlets and anywhere appliances for dirty electricity which are also sources of radiation.

• These tips not only apply to nurseries, but to all kids rooms. Best not to house a router in a child’s room or any room where people spend a lot of time.

In Conclusion:

This is just my introduction to the subject. Let me know if you are interested in learning more. As mentioned, I plan to develop a number of web pages dedicated to this topic to hopefully help enlighten others as to the issue and what they can do to protect their own health. Here is the first page which compliments this blog: Health and Fitness. Stay tuned and look for the web pages on this site!

Introduction

A number of viewers of my 24/7 bird cam stream have asked about this feeder, so I thought that I would respond with some of my thoughts and concerns as well as more information in case you were considering purchasing this feeder for your birds.

From Wingscapes’ Facebook page: “Wingscapes manufactures innovative products that change the way people experience nature. Ease of use, reliability and product enjoyment are core to our design philosophy. With Wingscapes, you'll never miss another of nature’s fleeting moments.” “This automatic bird feeder features a squirrel-proof cap , a deep tray that prevents spillage and a drain to keep the seed dry. The birds will always get to enjoy a space to land and eat.

Other Research

Wingscapes is owned by PRADCO, a company that also owns Moultrie Feeders and is based out of Birmingham, Alabama. Moultrie is well established in not only the feeder space for deer, but also for most any type of freshwater fish (for fish production and ponds), but also for birds. And the bird feeders can be used to feed chickens as well.

I checked out their feeder on Amazon and found that when I looked, they had 205 5-star reviews! Five-star reviews aren’t all that common in larger numbers, especially for bird feeders. From the Amazon product page:

“Wingscapes WSBF02-00132 Automatic Bird Feeder

Time-Release Feeder--Stays Full for Months

Wingscapes' latest innovation makes bird feeding easier than ever. Unlike conventional feeders, the AutoFeeder allows you to determine how much seed to offer--and when. The result: your feeder stays filled much longer and birds learn to visit your feeder at the times of day that you choose.

Battery-Powered Programmable Dispenser

How does it work? The AutoFeeder uses technology that Wingscapes' sister company (Moultrie Feeders) has used for two decades in deer feeders: a battery-powered mechanism, controlled by a programmable timer, dispenses seed throughout the day. You control when and how much seed is dispensed. Perfect for situations where frequent refilling is difficult.

Durably Built & Easy to Use

Constructed of metal and heavy ABS plastic, the AutoFeeder stands up to the elements--from the hot summer sun to winter's coldest snow and ice. The durably built feeder promises years of bird-watching enjoyment.”

My Initial Concerns

I was contacted by Wingscapes, who wanted to send me one of their battery-powered, automatic bird feeders and to let them know what my thoughts were about their innovative product. They told me that it was a feeder that disbursed food at timed intervals. In my mind I was thinking that while this may be good for other bird feeding stations, some of my concerns were the following:

1. My feeding station was a high traffic bird feeding station with up to 10 food offerings out at once.

2. It was to be tested in the Wintertime, typically a high demand period. Food is consumed fast and would this feeder keep up with the demand.

3. I’m usually hesitant to just toss any feeder in the station mix as this is a 24/7 live stream feeder station viewed by hundreds of folks in the course of a day. The feeder is quite large and I have limited space to test the feeder, unless it was a real winner.

4. With lots of eyes always on this feeder, would it fail to perform?

My Testing and Impressions

As mentioned in in concern #3 above, I have limited room. So, initially, I put it on the back pole and put Royal Wing’s Birdwatcher’s Banquet in the feeder. I didn’t fill it up, as the bin holds a full gallon of seed and this was a test and as I state in concern #4 above, I didn’t want a new product failing before hundreds of eyes.

Chipping Sparrows were the first birds to check out the new feeder. It was primarily due to the food which I put in the feeder, which was not really a surprise. But they seemed to like it because they like to feed on the ground and with competition between squirrels, chipmunks and other birds, these little birds often don’t get to feed in the garden trays below. A tray is easier for them than hanging on a peg.

Once other birds saw the chipping sparrows enjoying themselves, it wasn’t long before the House Finches started also feeding on it. Then Brown-headed Nuthatches, Tufted Titmouse and American Goldfinches. Wow! I decided that this feeder did deserve a more prominent spot in my feeding station! I moved it forward so the streaming viewers could enjoy the variety of birds it could draw and hold. I’m sure if I had put different food offerings in the bin to be dispensed, that would draw whatever birds feed on that particular offering.

With concerns #3 and 4 addressed, that still left concerns #1 and #2. Regarding concern #1 about if this feeder could compete with 9 other food offerings, it proved itself a worthy contender, enough to earn a spot up front in full view in the 24/7 video stream. Regarding concern #2 about whether the feeder could keep up with the high demand of wintering birds, it proved it could easily do so, as with the option to dispense more seed up to four times daily from a HUGE feeder bin, it was performing at only a 4 of 10 dispense setting! This means that I could have dialed it to about 10 oz. per dispensing event. But this could be because there were 9 other feeder options also producing food for the birds.

I have no doubt that if this were the only feeder, having four times a day at 10 oz. each, there will be enough food. However, I really can’t see how anyone could dial it up past maybe “5” or “6” using the feeder tray underneath it as it would overflow. The higher settings could be used when the feeder tray is removed and the feeder is dispensing to the ground or to a feed bucket. Even at a setting of “5”, I think will suit most higher demand situations.

Below is a collection of video clip excerpts of my morning Feeder Talks where the Wingscapes feeder is mentioned.

Conclusion

So, who is this product for?

1. Given the amount of innovation built into this feeder and the fact that it is built like a tank, this feeder has probably more applications than I can think of, as mentioned in the video above. This feeder is great for the person who works and doesn’t have quite the time to tend to the feeders, as it is like Ron Popeil’s “Set it and forget it” type of use. The large dry bin assures there will be food for whatever you are feeding, but you just need to experiment with the right settings for the particular supply and demand of the location of the feeder. Also be mindful that critters may also take an interest and ensure the feeder is placed with an effective squirrel and raccoon baffle that is placed at the appropriate height.

2. It would also be a great feeder if you feed at another location (like a second home, lake house or beach house) that you can only visit on weekends or maybe every two weeks. The feeder bin is that large, holding a full gallon, while keeping the feeder dry from the elements.

3. It is also a great option when you have to go on vacation. The only issue here is that if you have it set up to disperse only one kind of food (seeds and not not mealworms or suet nuggets), then you will only be feeding a segment of your intended birds. There are two options to overcome this. It would be to either create a mix of all foods offered and put it in the bin to dispense or to buy another one (or two) of these feeders with the other food offerings in them.

I like this feeder a lot and appreciate the thought that went into it. The large bin, reduces trips to the feeders, while knowing the food in the feeders stays dryer than in tube feeders that have open ports. The rain skirt, that also acts as a baffle, keeps the dispensed food in the feeding tray dry. The feeding tray is well designed and porous allowing any wet seed to dry. The heavy wire cage around where the food is dispensed also keeps critters from any destructive attempts to get to the feeder bin. The feeder bin is a tough ABS plastic that should last for years. Lastly, the feeder, for all it’s built-in innovation is attractive. Great job Wingscapes! You have a winner!

So, you have tried everything to keep these nuisance birds from ruining your bird feeding experience. However, Matt Schauer, an awesome moderator on my YouTube channel, decided that he had enough and went to work research and building a deterrence solution for his feeders. Check out the article below to find out what he does to manage these nuisance birds.

Background

I run two 24/7 live bird and critter cams in Birmingham, AL, one being the bird cam and the other a garden cam where ground feeding birds and squirrels and chipmunks feed during the day and nocturnal critters feed in the infrared light after dark. I recently conducted a quick snap poll from the viewers asking which nuisance birds were most nuisance at folks feeders. These were the results:

While house sparrows were not the top rated nuisance birds (at 32%) that the starlings were (at 43%), the house sparrows were rated second. Besides, I already have a blog post on managing nuisance birds here. But the strategies mentioned in that blog post are mostly ineffective for the house sparrow.

House sparrows are now residents of most of North America. and remain one of the most abundant birds on the planet, according to Audubon. These Eurasian natives were first released in New York City in 1851. They are aggressive birds that compete for food and nesting sites, many times ousting other native birds, from feeders and especially cavity nesting birds such as Bluebirds from nesting boxes Given their numbers and ability to quickly repopulate, it’s not a matter of “if” you will have them at your feeder, but rather “when” you they will show up at your feeders.

Matt Schauer feeds birds and happens to have house sparrows at his feeders. All the actions one takes to repel other nuisance birds like starlings, grackles, blackbirds or doves by using caged feeders are not effective against house sparrows. They can fit through caged feeder openings made for the smaller song birds. Due to their aggressive behavior, they continue to be a persistent problem consuming a great deal of food and preventing some other birds from feeding. They even displace birds from nesting houses and have been known to kill other birds that occupy the nesting boxes (including bluebirds).

Great Resource

Matt went to work researching a solution to this problem that plagues a large number of folks who feed birds. He managed to source a solution from his research, which included information from a site produced by Bet, which she named: Sialis. While the site mainly deals with all things related to Bluebirds, I think she has assembled one of the deepest resources on Bluebirds that I am aware of. But it is not only about Bluebirds, but a very deep resource about many other birds and all things birds, including managing nuisance birds like the House Sparrow.

So, in this blog post, I will not begin to attempt to replicate Bet’s valuable resource, but instead, point you to her website resource and continue to discuss how Matt applied the information he gleaned from Sialis, more specifically the article on use of a Halo, which she cites as being developed by the University of Nebraska. For more information from her specific research on House Sparrows, see her research here. The information gleaned from there, provides a great deal of information about the House Sparrow problem and numerous solutions.

Matt’s Solution

Matt proceeded to fashion his solution based on some guidance from the Halo design on the Sialis site. Here are a few pictures from Matt that he graciously provided to me so I could share them with you:

Matt has reported great success. He said to start with fewer wires first to get the other birds to accept it and since he uses alligator clips, he can just add wires until the House Sparrows are intimidated. If they overcome the existing number of wires, he can add more and watch to ensure that it is not scaring other desired birds away as well. So far, so good, as he has had it up since early October 2021!

It may be that a halo can be fashioned from any squirrel baffle by drilling holes in the baffle and dangling silverish visible wires using nuts as weights. The issue is that it is not as flexible in adding or subtracting wires. But this could be overcome by just drilling a series of equidistant holes where you can add or subtract wires until you arrive at the best solution. Also, you can experiment with different size baffles. The advantage of using baffles is that baffles afford both rain and squirrel protection to a degree and they are more readily available. But to save money and if you are a DIYer, go purchase the materials and build one yourself! I’m not sure if Hobby Lobby carries different sized metal rings, but if not they may can be found elsewhere.

Also, you can have fun experimenting with ring sizes. Can one ring cover a number of feeders. or does it have to be one appropriately sized ring with wires per feeder? Keep in mind that you don’t want to create a configuration that can actually get a birds wings caught in the wires. More information about this can be found on Bet’s Halo page . She also has solutions such as Sparrow Spookers that incorporate mylar strips for use on nesting boxes to deter House Sparrows or potential solutions for Purple Martin houses, that are also susceptible being taken over by house sparrows.

Food Strategies

House sparrows love cheap feed that contains millet or milo or some other fillers that other birds tend to ignore. So, changing over to safflower or sunflower or even nyjer (thistle) seed may be one strategy to incorporate. With some other nuisance birds, you can incorporate a second feeder strategy, offering the cheap seed to doves and house sparrows, squirrels, etc. But with house sparrows, for the health of your other birds, the strategy is to not attract them at all with the foods they eat and use deterrent strategies like the Halo mentioned above. House sparrows will also eat mealworms, (live or dried), which is an expensive food offering that can be wiped out in minutes by a small flock of house sparrows. The use of a Halo might be useful for one of these feeders as well

What about platform feeders? How can you protect a platform feeder. I refer you to the in depth excellent resource that Bet provides on the same page as the Halo. There she has an illustration of one of her web page viewers had success with.

This article is like Cliff Notes version of all the well researched and conducted experiments set of information on Sialis. We should take the time to thank both Matt and Bet if you get a chance. Matt can often be found periodically on weekdays in the chat of my 24/7 Live Alabama Bird Cam. And if you stay there and watch for a while, be sure and thank the other awesome and generous moderators (folks with blue wrenches before their screen names) who regularly field viewer questions. We also learn a lot from our community of subscribers and viewers there to which I am also very thankful.

It is always good to give back to the community. As such, I ask that if you try some of these suggested solutions, please let us know in the comments below what your results were. Additionally, if you have any pictures of your set up, you can send them to me at my Ken Little blog email and I can update this blog post to make it an even better resource for others!

Additionally, if you like to watch live birds up close, jump on over to my companion YouTube channel where I have two 24/7 live cams (Bird cam & Garden Cam) and join us in the chat where we discuss all things birds and critters and backyard feeding.

Thanks for dropping by and may God bless you and yours!

Have you ever wondered how some folks seem to have more knowledge on what birds are migrating and when they may arrive? You can also join this crowd by using some of the tools mentioned in this blog post.

Introduction

There are three types of bird movements, with one being “local,” another “dispersal” and the last being “migration.” Local movements involve mostly just daily activities foraging for food or finding nesting locations. Dispersal on the other hand involves movements by birds from the local area from which they hatched and to find a different breeding location. Additionally, sometimes a localized environment can only support so many birds and competition can force birds to seek other locations in the same general area.

Whether a bird stays in an environment or pursues the migratory strategy, either decision has its own benefits as well as cost. While migration harbors great risks, weathering a harsh Winter environment with limited food resources also has its own risks.

Migration is typically a movement by birds to and from their breeding grounds. Birds typically migrate to find more suitable habitat or environment as seasons change, (typically being Spring and Fall) as some of their food sources may be more limited as seasonal weather variations may limit growth of their food source or insects die off. According to some sources, only about 19% of all birds migrate. And even within species, not all birds of a particular species choose to migrate. Additionally, natural selection can play a role as some species just aren’t suited for long-distance migratory journeys. These migrations take a tremendous toll on the species that pursue it and sadly, not all birds that start the journey make it to their destination.

In this blog, we are mostly going to concentrate on tools that may be useful to helping track birds that choose the migration strategy. As it is in the migration we all sometimes have the opportunity to see different birds that aren’t in our locale year round. In fact a number of birders travel to different locations to go view these birds as they begin their movements. Hopefully, the tools provided below will be useful to you to allow you to do the same. Please feel free to use the comments to let us know how you may either better utilize the tools provided below or what other tools you have found that you can share with us!

Resource Tool #1

Birdcast - https://birdcast.info/https://birdcast.info/

Birdcast is an amazing collaboration of a LOT of groups (Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Oregon State University, was funded by grants from the National Science Foundation and Leon Levy Foundation.to coordinate Weather surveillance radar, with contributions from eBirders and flight calls of nocturnal migrating birds (BirdVox,)…among others. See the website for a full listing.

This is an example of some of the heat maps that provides a geographic illustration of the intensity of the migration.

Here is another tool provided by Birdcast which is a live migration map. More information about how to read these maps to make optimal use of this amazing tool.

Lastly, you can even dial in more local info for local migration bird alerts. Just input your location and you get something like the following:

In conclusion, Birdcast is a great macro tool to help you with the larger picture of bird movement, even down to a local level. It’s a great tool!

Resource Tool #2

eBird - https://ebird.org/home

eBird is an excellent tool that relies on eBird members to report birds they have seen. This provides even more of a local perspective and reporting to provide which birds of the migrating birds are being recorded. This tool is available both using the link above or as an app that can be used in the field.

I am no expert in using these applications but I can put forth the way that I use this tool. I invite other more experienced eBird members to comment on more optimal ways of using either the web page version or the phone app.

Let’s first look at use of the web version. I use this on my computer when at home as a part of my research to determine where I want to go to photograph or film birds.

Next, click on: ”Explore Hotspots.” You will be presented with a world map. Click and drag the map and put the area you want to investigate in the middle of the screen.

In this case I wanted to look north of Birmingham, Alabama, where I am located to see if Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are migrating down towards Birmingham. Then zoom in and get to a level to see local bird location reporting. There is a color code with cooler colors being a lower sighting spot, and the pin colors warm up as sightings increase , with yellow being medium and red being a hot-spot. There is a legend on the right of the page that helps interpret pin color. Also, you can hover your cursor over each pin and source the name of the spot in case you are wanting to go there.

I picked the Swan Creek location and wanted to view details to look to see if any Rose-breasted Grosbeaks sightings were reported.

I scrolled down the list of birds seen, looking for Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and here’s what I find:

Lucky me, I see number 52 is listed a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. And even more forunate for me, the eBirder, added a comment.

So, today the 17th of September that I am conducting my search, I see that on September 10th this bird was at Swan Creek. I could go there and maybe see some of these birds or I can hope that they have flown further south over a weeks period of time. But great information!

One note about using eBird is that they want you to set up an account online so the program or app can collect on your behalf your personal lists to compile overall statistics for not only your use, but the information is rolled up for use in research for the greater good. Some folks don’t like having to put personal information into a program and I get it. I think there may be a way to log in as an anonymous birder or use false information. Anyway, I wanted to get that out in the open.

Another criticism is that if you are out of internet cell coverage, that the app and its companion Merlin ID app won’t work in the field. I have not experienced this, before, but others apparently have. They mention that other birding apps have full functionality with no internet such as Mitch Waite’s iBird apps. (which is an app that I have and use. This app is also covered below.

Illustrated below is the home screen of the eBird app. You can either open your lists by selecting the “My eBird” selection. If you want to check out new locations, select the “Explore” option.

After clicking the Explore selection, you are presented with a view of local locations around your current location. Spots are color coded red that have been visited in the last 7 days. You can zoom in to get more granular locations, especially in a high density sighting location area. To search outside your local area, you need to click on the “Edit” button in the top right of the screen.

This is the screen presented after clicking the “Edit” selection. Click in the “Radius From:“ place that has your current location and key in the location where you want to research.

In this case, I typed in Decatur, AL and was presented the following screen. Clicking on a pin presents the name of the spot or site.

Clicking on the “Details” tab present a listing of the species observed , I suspect in reverse chronological order..

If you want to search a particular species at a site, then type in the bird’s name or partial name and the species will appear if in the list. In this case, I was searching in this North Alabama area for the Rose-breasted Grosbeak and the sighting was displayed. It is interesting that the app appears to have a search function at the site level whereas the web version does not???? Also note that the app had a button for directions from where you currently are located. This is an awesome feature! Obviously, an internet connection from your phone is required.

Conclusion

This first installment blog introduces two tools that one can use for seasonal migration research. Hopefully, this will be helpful to you. The next blog post will address two more tools. Please feel free to let us know how you use the tools in this post, as I’m sure that there are more optimal ways to use these tools that we could all benefit from. Let’s hear from you in the comment section below. Thanks for your support and God bless you and yours!

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]]>Migration ToolsKen LittleWed, 18 Aug 2021 16:00:49 +0000https://www.kenlittleblog.com/blog/the-usefulness-of-a-log60ab2bf4648b4062ad49ce35:60b23ecc195f100ad3d102c8:611c2a885b05595385eba0ef

Introduction

I’m one who has always liked to collect and analyze data for trends. This was useful in my job managing the commercial real estate appraisal and environmental risk functions for my job at a bank before I retired. In fact, I developed database programs to collect and analyze real estate trends. So, it should come as no surprise that in retirement, I carry some of that propensity to collect, analyze and trend information about the bird and critter activity at my bird station.

Why collect information and not just enjoy the birds?

My channel’s mantra is: “Explore, Observe, Learn & Share.” So, for me to learn, I had to explore and observe. When I observe, I like to take notes. As someone once said: “The shortest pencil is better than the longest memory.” Something recorded will generally not be lost or forgotten like it can with my aging memory. Additionally, we can learn from recorded history. This may also be why I like photography so much. I can relive and reinforce my memory and deepen my study of a particular topic. The more I learn, the more enjoyment I get as I can more optimally identify what I am looking at or hearing.

What should go in my log?

The question about what should go in a log is dependent on what your purpose is for keeping a log and how much time that you are willing to dedicate in maintaining the log. My log is not like an eBird.org listing of every bird that frequents my feeder over the course of each day. Since I have a lot of the same birds and same species of birds make trips to the feeder numerous times over the course of the day, I would spend all day logging birds. In other words, a lot of repetitive entries that, unless I am a scientist, don’t carry a lot of weight in my learning. Plus, most birds of the same species look similar and not unique at least in my eyes, so besides me identifying them as male or female, I can’t tell you how many times a day one particular bird returns to the feeder to feed.

So, given that I don’t log even each species, what do I find useful to enter into my log? I enter species that are first time sightings or first time sightings for the season or even the last sighting for a season. I may also log a bird that I heard but did not see, so that I know they are in the area. I usually log what gender they are, what feeder they use, what food they are eating and any other unusual behavior observed.

This information in the log is useful for me to visit and review so that I can learn when to expect certain birds to arrive or leave and what food to put out for them to attract them when they do arrive. Most folks do this for hummingbirds, but often may not think to do it for other arriving birds. Louis Pasteur once said that luck favors the prepared mind. I think that I may be luckier in attracting a wider range of species to my feeder because I know what species may be in the neighborhood and have the table set for them to dine on what foods they favor.

Can we see what you have in your log?

While I gave the pencil vs. memory analogy above, I actually maintain my log in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet so that I can utilize dropdown menu choices to speed up my data entry. A word of advice is if you try to collect too much information too often, then it becomes a job and it is probably not a sustainable practice. So, first decide what information is important to capture, how you will use it and then set up your log. They say that 50% of completing any job is just starting it. So let’s get started! Here is an excerpt of what birds that I saw in this time period last year:

A little closer look:

Now that we know what we saw last year during this period (frankly, no new sightings except for American Goldfinches), we would look forward to what might come, namely the Summer Tanager and maybe Song Sparrow. Around the 20th of September we started seeing the Scarlet Tanagers and on the 22nd the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks (top chart). So, this is useful information that we can use to ensure that we have these birds favored foods out on our feeder to make sure that when they stopped by to check it out, we have the table set for them!

Here is the latest sightings. We can see that the Summer Tanagers arrived earlier than last year and behold a new species, namely the Baltimore Oriole!

And a closer look:

In Conclusion

As mentioned in my introduction, logs can be useful tools to inform and therefore add more enjoyment to watching birds. A bonus is that you may also attract more bird or critter species by doing so, as you accumulate more knowledge on their feeding habits, behavior and when they may be in your area. I will soon create another blog post on complementary tools to use to predict when migratory birds may be heading your way. Stay tuned and thanks so much for your continued support of my YouTube channel and this website. There is a donation link if you feel compelled to help offset my cost. God bless you and your family!

Introduction

First, let’s try to put some kind of definition around what we mean by a “nuisance bird.” In this post we will mainly be referring to birds that will be considered a nuisance, pesky or bully birds. The ones most often referred to as such are European Starlings, Grackles, and Red-Winged Blackbirds. Other birds that may fall into this category could be any aggressive flock feeding bird (Pine Siskins) or even Mourning Doves, & Northern Mockingbirds.

Aren’t all birds pretty and worthy of our care and feeding? Yes and no. I guess we could possibly look at it another way as it relates to pets. If we are trying to feed our pet cat and our pet dog keeps eating the food, then the cat isn’t going to be happy and I doubt we are either. We love them both and want best for their continued well being. However, in this particular case, we can take steps to remedy the situation to where the dog eats its own food and the cat gets to eat its own food. This concept can also apply to feeding wild birds.

While our feeding of wild birds is not quite the same as feeding our pets, it does illustrate a point that we may have to incorporate strategies to ensure that we have the opportunity to feed the specific birds that we want to feed to the exclusion of ones that we don’t want to feed. The cost of bird seed appears to be escalating and by feeding birds that are aggressive flock-feeders (who clean your feeders out in a couple of hours and run off all other birds) can lead to increased cost of our hobby. In this blog, I will try to outline a few strategies that may be of help.

Why a Nuisance?

What are some of the issues that make some of these birds a nuisance?

1. Flock Size - Starlings, Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds often flock together into huge flocks called “murmurations. “ If just a few of he birds from this large flock locate a food source such as your feeder, then you may have hundreds or thousands of birds descend upon your feeders and water sources. This effect scatters your desired songbirds and these new migrating birds will feed until the food is gone, which may not take very long.

2. Aggressive Nature - Most flock-feeding birds have to be aggressive if they want to eat. The peck at each other and also run off your desirable birds. In some cases other birds are injured. Additionally, the size of these birds are equal to or larger than the songbirds that may frequent your feeder. This combination of size, aggressive nature and sheer number of birds wins out in the world of survival of the fittest. See my Feeder Wars series about bird behavior and pecking order.

3. Appetite - They seem to have an endless appetite and will sit and eat until either the food is gone or another bird forces them off the feeder. Additionally, they will eat most any food that you may have at your feeder. However, their favorite is a seed mix that contains smaller seeds without shells (millet and milo), cracked corn, as well as suet (not pure suet), but suet with other ingredients added), and mealworms. This is pretty much what is served at most feeding stations.

4. Disease Transmission - Since these birds mob feeders and feed in close proximity to each other, they can quickly spread disease. With so many birds on the feeder at once, it’s hard to tell which birds are diseased. Additionally, since we are usually looking at a flock containing hundreds or thousands of birds, the droppings of these birds are on many surfaces, including the ground under feeders where ground feeding birds eat. Salmonella is usually transmitted from droppings that are on feeder surfaces (including the ground) or in water sources used by other birds. Also see blog post on diseases for more details about diseases and methods of transmission.

5. Nesting Issues - Starlings usually like to nest in cavities occupied by other birds. One of these birds is the red-bellied woodpecker. I read that they usually wait for the red-bellied woodpecker to leave the nesting cavity and then occupy the nest with both the male and female defending the new nest. Even though the red-bellied woodpecker has a larger beak (which is important in the pecking order of birds), the Starlings are extremely aggressive and have the advantage of holding down their position in the nesting cavity. Starlings will either kill any nestlings that are current occupants, break any eggs and even just nest over occupants or the existing nest.

6. Noise - Large flocks of Starlings, Grackles and Red-Winged Blackbirds can produce a tremendous amount of loud and unpleasant noise. Over extended periods of time, this constant noise can be irritating. No more pleasant bird songs or peace and quiet!

7. Tough on feeders - Grackles are large birds, larger than Starlings and can impact your feeders, especially ones that are plastic and less durable.. Bird deposits not cleaned off feeders can wear away paint and coatings exposing the metal parts of the feeders and causing rust.

8. Cost - Given that the cost of bird seed and other bird food has increased tremendously given effects from COVID, having birds eat all your feed in a few hours can cause one to go through extraordinary amounts of birdseed and other food offerings. This can get costly really fast!

Strategies to Manage Starlings, Grackles and Blackbirds

These type of birds, since they eat a variety of foods, makes it somewhat difficult to establish a strategy. But it is not impossible. We will try to incorporate a number of tips that when incorporated simultaneously, present a strategy that makes your feeder station a less desirable target for the mass of feeding birds. Generally, the tips in this strategy involve choices in food and type of feeder. In other words, let’s make the food choices foods that they do not prefer or find it hard to eat (seeds with harder shells) and offer it in feeders that they find difficult to navigate. This also includes removing some feeders and foods that they do prefer. Let’s address these two strategies:

Food Strategy

1. Starlings and Grackles prefer mixed seed (that include any of the following ingredients: millet, milo, cracked corn), dried mealworms or suet containing other ingredients, mentioned previously. So, if we change the food sources to foods that are less desirable, such as safflower or seeds with hulls, and maybe pure suet (in colder temps only!), then we reduce the attractiveness of the food source.

2. Another option (but more costly) is to set up a different feeding station away from your primary feeder station and then put the food that they do like in this location. These seed mixes and cracked corn are typically less expensive and can be offered on the ground or in a large volume tube feeder or one that holds 5-7 pounds of food. This should draw them mostly away from your primary feeder. In truth, incorporating both these options simultaneously can produce better results.

3. See this article from The Spruce about safflower seeds: (https://www.thespruce.com/safflower-seeds-385835) to get a better idea of how to tailor your foods to reduce bully birds. From this excellent article: “Safflower seeds have a bitter flavor and a different shape than other types of birdseed, and grackles, blackbirds, and European starlings will typically leave these seeds alone. This makes safflower an ideal addition to feeding stations where these "bully birds" might dominate feeders.”

4. I have a whole video about feeding strategy if interested.

Feeder Type Selection Strategy

1. Concept - The feeder type selection strategy leverages the concept that larger birds aren’t quite as nimble, flexible or as small as the typical songbird. As such, we can incorporate feeders that capitalize on these physical limitations.

2. Remove the Platform Feeder - It is easier for these large birds to feed from large flat surfaces such as the ground or platform feeders. So, let’s remove this advantage, by removing the platform feeders and using lightweight seed catchers to keep seed from falling on the ground. Be careful as plastic trays on the bottom of tube feeders provide a larger place for these birds to land, so don’t attach these trays when Grackles or Starlings are feeding in the area.

3. Platform Feeder Option - If you must use a platform feeder, either offer the foods the Starlings and Grackles do not prefer or cover the platform feeder with a dome or do both. I use an Audubon 16” Clear Squirrel baffle (with the center part removed) for this when it rains to keep my feed in the tray mostly dry. But when hung right, larger birds that are less nimble have a hard time accessing the food in the platform feeder. Pulling the dome down to whatever level you think excludes larger birds such as starlings and grackles will help limit their access to the food. I also read somewhere that Starlings don’t like to feed under tight spaces (such as domes), but can’t confirm this personally.

4. Even Mourning Doves can’t get access. Somehow Blue Jays, Northern Mockingbirds and some American Robins can still access it, if they approach from a nearby feeder. But with Starlings around, it should be lowered to where only the smaller songbirds can access the food.

4. Caged Feeders

Caged feeders are regular feeders that offer a cage surrounding the food source that limits access to larger birds. This option allows most songbirds to feed at the exclusion of larger birds (or squirrels). The only con here is that birds such as the Northern Cardinal, American Robin, Northern Mockingbirds, Brown Thrashers, Blue Jays and Mourning Doves will also be too large to access the food source in these type feeders. Here are some popular options of these type feeders from Amazon. I prefer the ones with domes or roofs as it keeps the food more dry.

5. Adjustable Weight-activated Feeders

The adjustable weight-activated feeders work on the concept that birds or critters over a certain weight cannot access the food based on their weight. Most all these type feeders have an adjustment so you can dial in or set the weight limit. Many of these are typically referred to as Squirrel proof or squirrel buster type feeders. But these feeders also work for larger birds if the weight is dialed in correctly. It may take some trial and error to get it exactly right. Be aware and ensure that any weight-activated feeder that you choose is adjustable! There are many that just close with a squirrel’s weight. Also read the reviews on Amazon for these to be sure that it fits your particular needs.

6. Upside-Down Suet Feeders

As with the adjustable weight-activated feeders mentioned above, upside-down suet feeders also capitalize on the physical limitations of the Starlings and Grackles. Both of these species love suet that contains added food such as seed, nuts and mealworms. They are not so inclined to eat pure suet. They will wipe out traditional suet feeders that aren’t caged using the feeders offered above. However, another way to present the suet is in an upside-down suet feeder.

Agile and nimble songbirds that eat suet can still access the suet, as well as most all species of woodpeckers. But, the larger birds have a tough time positioning themselves with their added size and weight to desire to go to the trouble to eat from these type feeders.

Here are some highly rated upside-down suet feeders from Amazon. The top two hold a single suet cake. The third one holds two side-by-side to created a larger feeding area. The last one holds stacked suet cakes. I would only choose this one if the demand was high. While it does keep the suet covered from rain, in high humidity environments with lower demand, I would worry about the suet cakes getting mold. In other words, like overfilling a feeder, without the high demand, the food can get moist.

7. Restrictive-Opening Feeders

These type feeders have smaller openings that the bird has to use to get to the food source. Many are presented as Bluebird feeders, but I have found that nuthatches, chickadees, wrens and tufted titmouse birds also eat food from these feeders. I would think that warblers could as well. The larger birds can’t get through these openings, but the smaller songbirds can.

It’s the same concept as caged feeders without the cage. Another plus is that each has roofs that keep your seed or food source dry. I have put dried mealworms in these and on other occasions, sunflower hearts, suet nuggets or any small seed that may quickly consumed by nuisance birds. Sometimes it takes a while for the songbirds to get used to these feeders, but once they do, it is totally worth it! Northern Mockingbirds, who love dried mealworms also are locked out of feeding from these feeders. Dried mealworms are expensive and using these type feeders ensures that you are leveraging a feeding strategy to feed only the birds that you wish to feed. Here are a couple of popular choices.

7. Finch/Nyjer Seed Feeders

Another strategy in keeping the nuisance birds at bay is the use of thistle/nyjer seed feeders that are typically offered to finches. These type feeders typically have no pegs. The ones that do, offer only small slit openings that means only small amounts of seed is distributed when feeding. Additionally, thistle is not a preferred food of grackles and starlings. As such, even though a number of these feeders have seed catcher trays, the small seeds don’t offer much of a meal, being a non-preferred food.

The Nature’s Way feeder does have the food funnel that more optimally distributes the feed throughout the feeder as seed is consumed. This is advantageous in that there is less crowded like other feeders where gravity pulls all the seed to the bottom and the birds crowd down there to feed, which can more readily transmit disease from bird to bird. However, it also means that only so many larger nuisance birds can feed at the same time.

The Droll Yankee Feeder has no seed catcher tray which is good, as thistle seed can block drain ports in the seed catcher tray and the moisture can wick up the center column of the thistle. Here are a couple of popular thistle/finch feeders that might be considered:

8. Location Strategies

Location strategies involve a couple of concepts. It involves food and location. It leverages the “if I can’t beat them, I join them” kind of strategy. This strategy, by using distraction, uses a method of incorporation of a second feeder at a different location. Set up a second feeder that offers the cheaper food (cheap seed mixes with lots of milo and millet and cracked corn) that the Starlings like. Offer it in platform feeders and on the ground and in old feeders. This distraction feeder needs to be as far away from your songbird feeder as possible. If possible, put it on the other side of the house or in the woods behind your house or put trees or bushes between the feeders so birds on one feeder can’t see the birds on the other feeder. Hopefully, the mass of nuisance birds will flock to the other feeder with the cheaper and more abundant food easily available to be consumed.

This is not the cheapest solution, but when used in combination with the other strategies mentioned above, hopefully the flock will determine that the second feeder is the one to use, leaving you to enjoy your songbirds……hopefully! A downside is that with such free and easy food for the Starlings, are you creating a new feeding mecca that attracts more Starlings/Grackles and they will remember to return to next time they pass through? I don’t know, but it may be worth a try.

9. Other Ideas and resources

• If you are on a budget and can’t afford to spend the money buying an upside down feeder, check out Nancie Waterman’s blog located at: https://birdseedandbinoculars.com/wordpress/starling-proofing-the-suet/ . She also has some a wide array of good ideas and some great information on this topic and even a DIY idea on using an existing suet cage!

• Shorten the feeder pegs or find peg-less feeders. This strategy again plays on the fact that these birds are bigger and not quite as agile to stand on really short pegs to feed. Can you remove the existing pegs or substitute shorter pegs of your own making using dowels? It depends on the feeder, if you can find one.

• Globe feeders that are peg-less and with limited size holes - I found and just ordered the Cling-a-Wing feeders from Duncraft that I think might be a great addition to my feeding station. I will try these out before I get nuisance birds. If interested, here also is the Duncraft direct link. There is also a Super Cling-a-Wing that holds up to 6 lbs. of food, but was not available when I purchased my regular sized ones. I even bought two as I think these may be an ideal addition to my regular feeder rotation. It is more weather resistant than my Perky Pet Green Wire mesh feeder that many birds seem to favor.

10. Northern Mockingbirds

“Wait” you say! Northern Mockingbirds (Mockingbirds) are songbirds and have some of the most beautiful songs. Why would anyone want to avoid these birds? I’m sure that there are many folks that enjoy Mockingbirds may never had them on their feeders, as most times we see these birds running around on the ground like American Robins and Brown Thrashers, hunting for insects and worms. They typically don’t visit feeders that offer just seeds and nuts. True!

However, if you start offering mealworms, dried mealworms, or suet, the mockingbirds may come check out these new offerings and may become regular customers. And as regular customers, you may soon find out that they are bullies! They run other songbirds off the feeder or any other bird that may be on the feeder. See my Feeder Wars video series (that is part of my Nature Series) to get more insight on this type of bird behavior.

Intuitively, we know that Mockingbirds are fearless, as we have seen them dive at hawks, crows, owls, cats and people. They are extremely aggressive if you get in close proximity of their nests. They are also territorial.

So now that we have established that they are fearless, territorial bully birds that run off our beloved songbirds, what can we do? This question is probably the most asked question on my live feeder cam streams.

Strategies:

1. Food Strategy - Quit offering the food they like (mealworms, dried mealworms or suet). OK, if you want to keep serving up these type foods then incorporate the upside down feeders for suet and the restrictive-opening feeder strategies above to continue to offer these foods.

2. Location Strategies -

   1. If your feeder is in close proximity to a mockingbird nest, then the mockingbird will do its best to defend its nest and territory. You have to move your feeder.

   2. Locate a second feeder (a distraction feeder) with their desired food away from your main songbird feeder. Preferably, locate this second feeder where there is no line of sight between the two feeders. If there is line of sight between the two feeders, the Mockingbird, who is territorial, will fly back and forth between the two feeders defending his territorial food source. If the feeder is located out of sight, he can’t see other birds on the other feeder. He can only be in one place at a time. Even if he defends both feeders, at least the birds on your main feeder get more time to feed while the Mockingbird is on the other feeder.

11. Pine Siskins

Pine Siskins as nuisance birds? Ken, have you lost your mind? Maybe! These are adorable birds in the Finch family and almost always are found in large flocks. When you see one, like Starlings, there are more to come….lots more. These birds just spent their winter here and are migratory. However, their wintering period here was about 5 months! So, nearly 1/2 of a year they occupied my feeders. This was the first year that I have had them visit. They were part of the great 2020 irruption, when a lot of states in the south and all over were inundated with these birds that they had never seen before.

So, what makes these birds a nuisance. In my opinion, they, like the Starlings, are aggressive flock-feeding birds. Combine their aggressive nature with the large numbers of birds feeding at once and most of your songbirds head for the hills, trying to find food elsewhere. Given that the Pine Siskins visit is usually in the wintertime when there is a low supply of food, my feeder was one of the few supplies around, where their choices are limited and they need to feed from my feeder. So, we have a clash of species, where the Pine Siskins usually win.

Another issue with these birds is that with feeding in great numbers next to each other, they can easily transmit disease to each other and to the feeders and therefore other birds. Additionally, with their sheer numbers, there are a lot of bird deposits everywhere including on the feeders and in the water sources, requiring increased frequency of cleaning routines. The predominant disease found in these birds is Salmonella. This is a highly infectious disease (see my blog post on Disease and Feeder Cleaning) and can quickly become a problem, forcing one to have to take down their feeders until these birds move on. Salmonella can also be transmitted to humans. So, wear gloves when performing feeder duties. In the wild, birds don’t transmit disease as easily as they are spread out when they feed. But at a feeder, they congregate and disease can easily be transferred from one bird to another and across species if feeders and water sources aren’t cleaned VERY frequently. And by cleaning, after an infected bird is on the feeder, the cleaning has to be a bleach or vinegar cleaning to ensure the harmful bacteria are killed.

Strategies:

There is really only two strategies that come to mind with these birds.

1. Remove the food source - The first is to pull down the feeder and the food source that they feed on and hope they will move on to somewhere else to feed. Caged feeders, weight-activated, restricted access or upside down feeders will not work on these smaller birds.

2. Use a location strategy - If you felt sorry for these birds, you could add another feeder with the food that they do like and place it in another location away from your songbird feeder. However, if you do feed them in another location, try to spread out the food over a large area, (on the ground or in a number of old platform feeding trays). Most any horizontal surfaces will do. We just want to try to create a feeding area where they don’t congregate close together. This method could potentially lower the risk of disease transmission. While you are at it, add a separate water source over there too. Yes, this does mean about twice the work in filling two feeders and twice the cleaning tasks of the feeders. Maybe you’ll win a participation trophy for your hard work helping these little guys without further spreading disease and your songbirds will love you too.

Conclusion

As mentioned in the introduction, I love most all birds. Even European Starlings are beautiful, even though they are a non-native, invasive species. However, we sometimes have to take measures for the good of all birds and feeding flocking birds at feeders causes congestion and the congregants can further transmit disease. Having more feeders at a feeding station can spread birds out and is better than having just one or two feeders. But with some of these type of birds, the flock is so large, it can overwhelm most any and every bird feeding station. In conclusion, it’s best if we develop and incorporate a number of these strategies simultaneously to ensure the health and welfare of both the birds and us. Let me know what you think so that we can develop a set of best practices. God bless you and yours!

Introduction

Feeding birds is a lot of fun and can be rewarding in seeing so many of these magnificent creatures flock to your yard and giving us a glimpse into their world. We also have the feeling that we are helping them by providing food. It is also so relaxing to hear their songs as they dance around in the trees and at your feeder.

However, as stewards of providing this food source, we also have a duty to ensure that the food, the feeders and water sources that we provide remain clean and safe for the birds. Just like restaurants are inspected for their food handling practices, as well as food preparation and serving surfaces, we also have to adhere to a high level of standards. By doing so, we ensure that the birds are less likely to contract diseases from our feeders or water sources. If we don't adhere to this higher level of standards and put in the necessary work to do such, then it's best not to feed birds at all.

First, let's look at some of the consequences that can result from a lower standard of feeding practices, which are primarily diseases. Then, let's discuss some of the preventative practices that reduces the probability of birds contracting disease from your practices. Lastly, let's watch an instructive video on how to conduct a deep clean of your feeders.

Diseases Resulting from Poor Feeder Practices

Lately, here in early to mid Spring of 2021, there has been a lot of press about bird diseases, some of which have also been transmitted to humans, forcing hospitalizations. Part of this problem resulted from the great irruption of Pine Siskins mobbing in crowded spaces on bird feeders spreading Salmonella. Most recently, starting in May of 2021, a mysterious disease has been infecting birds with many bird mortalities reported in Washington, D.C., with the disease also reported in Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. Individuals in theses states who were feeding birds are being urged to take down their feeders to slow the spread of this deadly disease.

Type of Diseases

Let's go over the three main diseases that affect wild birds, that mostly feed at bird feeders and how feeders can potentially play a role in the spread of each disease:

• Salmonella

• House Finch Conjunctivitis

• Avian Pox

• Mysterious Unnamed Disease

Salmonella

Salmonella (Salmonellosis) is a fatal bacterial infection that can rapidly spread through populations of birds via feces-contaminated food and water. Salmonella is also a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be transferred from animals to humans, and vice versa. Pine siskins, a type of finch, have been found to be infected with the same strain of salmonella found in infected humans. So, this disease, while not usually fatal in humans, is fatal to birds. The CDC has recorded 19 illnesses across eight states resulting in eight hospitalizations.

Salmonella starts when bird food gets wet and bacteria grows on the seed, is ingested by the birds and then it spreads through feces dropped in the same place. Any wildlife eating seed in your yard, resident or migrator, can spread or contract salmonella. Infected birds appear lethargic, often closing their eyes more frequently and they puff up, like they do in cold weather, even when it's not cold or they are not cold. On occasion eyes may also appear swollen, red, or irritated.

Humans who don’t wear rubber gloves or wash their hands after touching contaminated bird feeders, or birdbaths are at risk of illness.

House Finch Conjunctivitis

House Finch eye disease (also called Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis) is caused by a parasitic bacterium previously known to infect poultry, known as Mycoplasma gallisepticum. This poultry pathogen made an unexpected cross-species leap, and House Finches debuted a new form of conjunctivitis.

This discovery, made back in the Winter of 1994 by project FeederWatch participants in the Washington, D.C., area, who began reporting that House Finches at their feeders had swollen, red, crusty eyes and in extreme cases, the eyes become swollen shut and the bird becomes blind. Infected birds either recover, or die from starvation, exposure, or predation.

Several other wild bird species, including American Goldfinch, Purple Finch or the Evening Grosbeak have known to also be affected.

In 2018, researchers studying the disease found that the pathogen Mycoplasma gallisepticum is becoming more robust and more dangerous than earlier versions of the pathogen.

Avian Pox

Avian pox is a viral disease (a member of the poxvirus family) that affects a large number of bird families in North America. This virus is a slow-developing disease that can cause mild/moderate skin lesions and rarely causes death. These lesions mostly occur on the featherless regions on the face, legs and feet.

The spread of avian pox virus occurs when active poxvirus particles enter the body of a susceptible host through a breach in the skin, which oftentimes may come from biting insects who have fed on an infected bird and then bite an uninfected bird. This virus may also be spread by direct contact with an infected animal, by aerosol particles or contaminated objects (bird feeders, perches, nesting material).

The wart-like lesions can be found on the beak, eyelids, nostrils and the feet and legs and usually starts as red and swollen and eventually cracks, becoming raised lesions.

Impaired vision, poor respiration, and inability to feed are symptoms that can result from these lesions. This virus is highly contagious and can be easily spread through mosquitoes, contact with contaminated surfaces or ingestion of infected scabs. A program of decontaminating the feeders and birdbaths that the infected bird may have visited is the best remedy in slowing or stopping the spread of this virus.

While there are different Avian Pox strains, they generally affect specific bird species or groups, strains have been known to cross family groups and infect new birds. As of today, no evidence has ben produced that Avian Poxvirus can infect humans.

Mysterious (unnamed) Disease

A mysterious illness has been infecting and killing songbirds across the mid-Atlantic US for months, according to authorities. Since it was first detected in May 2021 in Washington, D.C., the disease also has been reported in Delaware, New Jersey, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and even further south in Florida.

According to authorities in Pennsylvania, the disease has been reported in 11 species: American Robins, House Sparrows, Blue Jays, European Starlings, Common Grackles, House Finches, Northern Cardinals, Eastern Bluebirds, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Carolina Chickadees and Carolina Wrens.

According to a news article “Mystery bird disease update: Tests have found some things that it might not be” from Marcus Schneck, pennlive.com on 7/8/2021 on MSN News - The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources on July 6 reported a list of “infectious agents have not been detected in any birds tested.” These include the following: Salmonella and Chlamydia (bacterial pathogens); avian influenza virus, West Nile virus and other flaviviruses, Newcastle disease virus and other paramyxoviruses, herpesviruses and poxviruses; and Trichomonas parasites.

This is an ongoing issue at the time of this publication as authorities scramble to conduct further research. However, in the meantime, residents of the affected states are being asked to take precautions to stop the disease from spreading, including cleaning feeders and bird baths with a 10 percent bleach solution weekly.

Disease Preventative Feeder Practices

After reading about all these diseases, it nearly makes one too scared to feed birds for fear of either catching the disease yourself or further spreading one or more of these diseases and actually doing harm to the birds! However, most of the risks associated with these diseases can be mitigated with a good program of feeder maintenance and feeder practices. While these may not be all inclusive and some controversial, here are 15 practical tips that can help ensure the safety of both you and the birds:

1. If you can afford it, it is generally better to offer multiple feeders that are spaced far apart. By hanging them far apart, any dropped food isn’t ending up in the same, limited area. Using multiple feeders increases the area the birds have to feed and reduces incidents of close-contact disease transmission. Crowding can also cause stress which may make birds more vulnerable to disease. This is especially good if you get a lot of flock-feeding birds at your feeder.

2. Also, by offering your birds multiple food sources, healthy birds aren’t necessarily feeding from the same one as infected birds.

3. Clean feeders, birdbaths and all hardware regularly, scrubbing and wash feeders with warm, soapy water. Clean out birdbaths by using a brush and replace with fresh water daily.

4. Clear away any debris and bird deposits (droppings or feces) from the feeder and the ground below the feeders as ground feeding birds can also incidentally ingest ground seed that has been contaminated. Consider use of feeding trays under your feeders. See some of the ones that I recommend in the Product section of this website. I also have a video showing the replacement of the ground underneath my feeder if interested.

5. Since sick birds often have trouble swallowing and often drop their food, it is a good idea to place feeders away from water sources. While this won’t eliminate the risk of infected food being dropped in the water (and thus contaminating it), it will lower the risk substantially. This practice, combined with a daily program of changing the water out for fresh water and cleaning out any bird deposits in the water or on the surfaces of the water container can reduce disease transmission.

6. Keeping in mind that moisture is a bird feeding station enemy, always inspect the quality and condition of the seed after rain events or prolonged periods of high humidity. Discard seed that has become wet and is in questionable condition. You know the seed is bad when there are more insects flying around the seed or it smells. One should never let the seed get to this condition.

7. Always limit the amount of food that you provide in your feeders, especially platform feeders. Consider the maxims (supply, demand and weather) in my blog post called Feeding Considerations . Moisture can accumulate quickly in overfilled feeders, especially after a rain event or periods of high humidity. Mold has a better chance of growing when your feeders are overfilled. Using Supply, Demand and Weather maxim, should tell you to put even less food in a feeder if rain is expected. Even In rather dry conditions, only add enough food to last a couple of days at most.

8. When refilling the feeders, always inspect the quality of the food in ALL feeders and ensure that no bird deposits are on feeding surfaces. Also check food distribution as clogged ports can cause seed to gather and retain moisture.

9. If your food does get wet, a method for trying to preserve the quality of the food is to use a tool such as a small pointing trowel to transfer the seed from the corners and sides of a platform tray, turning the wet seed over to be exposed to air, sun and wind to dry out. Only add the dry seed around the edges. If the seed doesn't dry out, discard it as it will soon deteriorate, decay and mold.

10. If you perform a quick food dump from one of your feeders and then rinse it off, even giving it a little scrub to ensure cleanliness, don't immediately put new dry seed in it. Ensure that you dry it first before refilling. Try to remember not to put dry seed in a wet feeder.

11. Store all bird seed in rodent and insect proof containers to avoid contamination. It is even a better practice if these containers are mostly sealed to keep the seed in a more dry condition. Storing seed outside in humid environments in unsealed containers allows humidity to affect the quality of your seed. If you do store the seed outside, do not buy seed in large quantities. This way the smaller amount of seed is used up before humidity takes its toll.

12. Since some bird diseases can be transmitted to humans, protect yourself by wearing a pair of rubber gloves. I found some at Tractor Supply for less than $5.00 that have the rubber covering the knuckles. But you may also consider the use of disposable latex or nitrile gloves. Also remember that gloves won't protect you if you touch your mouth, eyes, or exposed skin while wearing them.

13. During known outbreaks, cleaning as often as possible is recommended. At minimum try to clean feeders weekly.

14. One way to maintain a good program of disinfecting your feeder is a to put it on your calendar. Depending on the level of preventative maintenance you perform on your feeders, try to aim at least every 30-45 days. During disease breakouts, increase the frequency.

15. Here is a video that I made that details bleach cleaning my feeders:

Ken Little Deep Cleans His Feeders

Conclusion:

As mentioned in the opening of this blog, feeding birds can bring a lot of joy into one’s life and should be done responsibly. By following the 15 practical tips mentioned above, we can safely keep both the birds and yourself healthy and disease free. While there are some that advocate cleaning feeders more often and some less often, I think it boils down to how often you are at your feeders, the extent that you limit the amount of food in your feeders, your program of quality control of the feed and feeder surfaces while keeping moisture under control. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks for your continued support of my channel and this companion website! God bless you and yours!

Anyone who has ever put up a bird feeder with the intent on feeding and enjoying birds, quickly discovers that when you put food out, you never know who or what will show up to capitalize on this new food source. It doesn’t matter if you live in a rural area or a tightly packed urban residential subdivision like where these feeders are located. One of the first animals to show up (unless you live in Australia or Antartica) are squirrels as there are 280 different species of squirrels according to one source.

Squirrel Facts

Before we start taking sides, either bashing them or defending them, let’s start with a number of interesting facts about squirrels:

Physical Attributes:

1. Squirrels are technically rodents and as such their front teeth never stop growing, which means they always need to keep gnawing on nuts and hard material to keep the growth or their teeth in check.

2. There are around 280 different species of squirrel in the world. They are found on every continent except Antarctica and Australia.

3. Squirrels are born blind and newborns (called kits or kittens) are about an inch long. Generally, two to four young are born per litter and at 8 weeks after birth, this rodent can see normally. Their life expectancy varies, depending on if living in the wild or in an urban area. The average my be 8 years, but in the wild maybe 6 years and urban life up to 20 years.

4. They have 4 toes on their front feet and 5 toes on their back, with very sharp nails to catch and grip trees and limbs when navigating amongst the trees. Some think that the 5 toes on the back is to gain better purchase when leaping. They also have cushions (or pads) on the bottoms of their feet to cushion the landing when making long jumps or even falls.

5. They have double jointed ankles (meaning that they can turn their ankles 180 degrees), allowing they to make quick directional changes on flat or even vertical surfaces, making them extremely agile.

6. The sense of smell of squirrel is acutely developed and it is said that the male can smell a female up to a mile away.

7. Squirrels eyes are uniquely positioned in a way which allows them to see at wider angles and even behind them making it hard to sneak up on a squirrel. You may think that it doesn’t see you as sometimes their defense strategy is to freeze.

8. Squirrels can jump a distance of up to ten times their body length, using their long, muscular hind legs and short front legs which work together to assist in leaping. I have found that a straight horizontal leap of 10 feet is difficult and a rule that I use. I have found them able to vertically leap up to 4'2"" at my feeder, meaning that I had to raise my feeders to keep them at bay.

9. They can fall unharmed from 30 meters high. This is mostly accomplished by first acclimating their head to view the ground. They then rotate their body to adjust for the landing and flatten out their tails, spreading their legs to flatten out their bodies to create a parachuting effect, slowing the squirrel’s rate of decent. Then, the pads on their feet also cushion the landing, along with their muscular legs.

10. Squirrels can achieve speeds of up to 20 miles per hour, however generally, most squirrels run maybe about half this speed.

Behavioral Attributes

1. Squirrels can collect over 15,000 nuts in one season, store the nuts and seeds at various locations and return to them throughout the winter to maintain their energy levels when food is scarce.

2. They find buried nuts by smell and have been known to find buried food beneath a foot of snow.

3. One estimate is that they lose up to 74% of the nuts they bury. Compare this to a Carolina Chickadee who stores up to 80,000 seeds or nuts in different locations and can remember not only where the food is stored, but what food it is and the quality of that food! Squirrels lose a lot of buried food to thieves. This is why some squirrels pretend to bury food to throw off food thieves.. However, the upside to this is that unfound buried nuts can grow into trees, replenishing the forests they occupy!

4. Squirrels have superb vision, and also have the capacity to learn quickly, copying other squirrels or other animals.

5. Squirrels communicate with each other through various vocalizations, scent marking, as well as use their tails as a signaling device, when uneasy to alert other squirrels of potential danger.

6. Like many other animals, squirrels bulk up to stay warm during the winter.

7. Squirrels are omnivores, although they are predominantly herbivores. They not only eat nuts, but they also have been known to eat insects, caterpillars, and even baby birds.

8. Raccoons, snakes, owls and hawks are considered the main enemies of these rodents.

9. Squirrels mate only twice a year and can be vicious, as they’ll fight to the death over territory or to defend their young.

10. Squirrels often run in a zigzag pattern when trying to escape from predators like hawks.

As one can see from the opening picture, it is not easy to stop a determined squirrel from getting to your feeder, Here is an example of a female squirrel searching for a solution on how to access the feeders above the ground feeder:

Video shot from my feeder located in Alabama, USA

Given that squirrels are blessed with a large helping of abilities to survive and source food, which includes the ability to somehow get to the food at your bird feeder, what can one do? Let us see!

Squirrel Management Tips

Location, Location Location!

This “Location, Location, Location” saying is frequently a factor used in choosing what real estate to purchase. So, what is it doing in a squirrel management tips list? This concept is easily applied to the location of ones feeder, as squirrels jumping ability is top notch. Here are a few locational tips:

A second location tip is that your feeders shouldn’t be positioned too low. Squirrels at my feeder can vertically leap a little over 4 feet high. So, ensure that your feeder pole (Pole Option 1, Pole Option 2) is a tall one and that the top of the pole squirrel/raccoon baffle is over 4 feet high.

A third location tip is to offer a second food source specifically for the squirrels, so they get their fill with this second food offering instead of the expensive food in your bird feeder. Even better is to locate this food source in a location that is out of sight of your bird feeder. This can be around another corner of your house or locate a tree between the second food source and your feeder. This keeps their eyes on the second food source and not your feeder.

Equipment Tips

An alternate method of managing squirrels is to use specialized equipment. Really, if all these locational and equipment strategies are used together, you have a better chance reducing squirrel intrusions. The equipment is broken down into poles, baffles and feeders. Listed below are some equipment choices that may be helpful.

Squirrel Stopper feeder pole with built in squirrel and raccoon baffle:

Baffles - There are a couple of kinds of baffles. Some baffles are used on the pole and others as domes to protect from attacks above. The third kind are built into the feeder and I will address those in the next section. For now, the first picture is illustrated of an effective baffle that I use on two of my poles. The second one is a dome baffle that I use as to prevent intrusions from above and it is also used as a rain shield over my platform feeder.

User tip on the use of domed baffles - These lower your feeders. Ensure that the feeders aren’t now hanging so low that a squirrel can vertically jump up to your feeder or jump off ground feeding trays or any structure that the squirrel can use as a step to jump higher.

Caged Feeders - This next solutions group affords protection if the squirrels have made it past your pole baffle or dome type baffle. These two caged feeders not only protect against squirrels, but also against some larger pesky birds such as Starlings, Grackles, Crows or Magpies. The first one is designed for two suet cakes and the second for seed. Smaller birds can access these feeders, but larger birds or critters cannot. The only downside of using these type feeders is that some of the other larger birds that you are trying to attract, also cannot get food from these feeders. I plan to produce a blog about the management of pesky birds in the future. So, stay tuned and either subscribe for notifications or click on the RSS feeder button below to have the new blog posts sent to you.

Weight Activated Feeders - The last feeder is a type of feeder that shuts the access ports if too much weight is put on the feeder perch. The weight level is adjustable to allow some larger birds, but not heavier birds like crows or critters like squirrels.

Seed Catcher Trays - If you have no ground feeders to attract the squirrels, then seeds are most likely falling to the ground. Seeds on the ground attract squirrels and other rodents or critters that you would rather not have in the vicinity of your feeders. If this is the case, then consider installing seed catchers. However, remember that whatever you strap on to your feeder may lower it to the level that squirrels or other critters can jump to to access your feeder. Here are a couple of seed catcher products that may be of interest.

That concludes my tips for managing squirrels at bird feeders! If you have hung in with me this far, you win a consolation prize! To help reduce your frustration with squirrels (and maybe even get a chuckle), these two videos from Mark Rober prove that us bird feeding folks are pitted against a very worthy opponent. Don’t beat yourself up too bad if they sometimes get the best of you and get to your feeders! Please let me know tips that you use to manage squirrels at your feeder. Funny stories are also welcomed!

Here are your consolation links. Enjoy!

Water could be considered the elixir of life. Most humans won’t live long without consuming a healthy amount of water. It’s only possible to survive without water for a matter of days. You may be susceptible to the effects of dehydration even sooner, depending on certain factors such as climate and/or amount of activity.

For birds, water is even more important. Consider that birds also need water to keep their bodies cool, inside and out. Birds also bathe and rejuvenate their feathers, as this is their mode of transportation and how they acquire their food. Regular baths remove parasites, dust, debris and loose feathers from a bird’s plumage and keep their feathers clean for most effective flight.

Birds can even drink their body weight in water each day or if needed, get by with almost none. In fact, a bird’s urine is concentrated into a white solid with almost no liquid, so that it can conserve water.

Water is even more important in the summer when water is hard to find or in winter in cold climates where water sources may be frozen. Small birds need water at least twice a day. Most seed eating birds have more of a dry diet and need water more often than insect eating birds that can acquire hydration through the consumption of insects. Since birds lose water through respiration and their droppings, it is important that we help provide birds with fresh clean water each day. This may be even more important than providing food!

So, how can we help?

We can help by offering several sources of fresh clean water through the use of bird baths, water dishes, basins or bowls, misters, ponds, waterfalls or streams. For this blog I will only concentrate on some of the offerings that I am able to afford, which is a water bowl, water basin and cascading water fountains.

I offer a water bowl on my feeder pole that only birds can reach. This is a way to allow the birds to drink safely, without fear of predators that may be lurking on the ground. Secondly, I offer a ground water basin. This basin is also a thermostatically controlled heated water basin that won’t freeze in the winter. I also offer three moving water sources, which are a cascading water fountain, a cascading bird bath and a larger water pump type fountain, that has two large containers where the water is recirculated. Lastly, I have a pedestal bird bath with a solar sprayer. These can been seen in our live 24/7 live cams.

Why so many water sources you may ask? Personally, I think that the sound of running water is a large reason for the success of my 24/7 feeder cams, as birds are naturally attracted to the sound of running water. It is not easy to find water with all the thick foliage during three seasons of the year. My relatively loud running water sources make it much easier to locate both through sound and visually through ripples on the water. Also, running water draws less mosquitos and has less ability to stagnate since the water is constantly moving.

What do you mean by fresh clean water?

Streams, rivers lakes and ponds have an advantage over small collections of water in that there is the movement of the water. Small collections of still water, if left on their own can stagnate. This is stagnation process is accelerated when solid materials are deposited in the water such as bird seed, bird deposits or leaves and other deposits from trees. Even water on its own can grow algae, especially if offered in areas that get a lot of sunlight.

In my ground water basin, I get raccoons that like to drink and to wash their hands in this water source. Consequentially, there is a lot of food pieces in this water source. If not replaced, it can be water carrying harmful disease or bacterial pathogens. that can help spread disease among the birds. Just this year there was a huge problem with salmonella and Pine Siskins in most areas of the country. Disease quickly spreads among flocking birds such as these birds. Also, mold, if present, can be deadly to birds. Cleanliness of the water and the source container is critical to a bird’s heath.

So, how do we circumvent some of these obstacles so that we can provide the birds with fresh clean water? First thing every morning, I replace the water in the water bowl and the ground water basin. When I am there, I empty the existing water and using a stiff bristled brush scrub each container, and rinse with the fresh water between scrubs. Here is a clip of my cleaning of the ground water basin:

Cleaning of the Water Basin

When I am satisfied with its cleanliness of both the water basin and the water bowl, I pour the fresh clean water into the bowl and the ground basin. A tip on doing this properly is not to dip the brush in the fresh water or you will contaminate the fresh water source as well. Also, wash your brush thoroughly before putting it up for use again later.

Also, don’t forget to check all your water sources, including bird baths and fountains. Bird baths, that are also vessels of still water can quickly accumulate algae and debris such as bird deposits and matter falling from trees. Fountains, containing small collecting areas can also collect debris that needs to be removed. Be sure and change out the water every week or so.

In conclusion, offering fresh clean water is critical to a bird’s health and will help you attract more birds to your feeder. Thanks for dropping by don’t forget to subscribe if you would like to know when more information is available in these blogs. An even better idea is to click on the RSS Feed link, which will automatically send you a copy of this blog each time a new post is made.

Also, please feel free to leave a comment on ideas or best practices that you incorporate. Thanks for your input!

Enjoy God’s creation!

In my last blog post (Useful Weather Apps), I covered some of the weather apps that I find as useful tools and as one of my three factors that I use to analyze how much food to add to my feeders. The three factors that I consider are: Supply, Demand & Weather.

If you have ever taken any economics classes, you may be familiar with the concept of supply & demand. If not, you can compare this concept to the supply of food that you currently have in your refrigerator. It may be adequate to meet the demand under normal conditions, but when you have a large number of guests over, all of a sudden demand can quickly outstrip supply.

Another factor is the quality of the food in your refrigerator. There may be some items that may be or have old dates on them, further reducing the supply of food that you have to offer your guests.

The same concept applies to feeding birds. You may have your feeders stocked for the typical amount of food consumed daily. Then, all of a sudden a flock of migrating birds flies in and empties your feeders. In this case, demand has outstripped supply.

In response, you may decide to overfill your food trays thinking that flock of birds that just flew in will remain and consume the seed. However, they have moved on and you are left with an over-abundance of food, which in wet or moist environments can quickly spoil.

Similarly, in order to reduce the trips to fill their feeders, many well-meaning folks just pile on the food, figuring that over time it will be consumed. This may well be the case and may be an acceptable practice in extended periods of dry conditions. However, if any rain is in the forecast or just merely having the feeders in areas of high humidity, mold and mildew can appear and accelerate the decay of the food and it needs to be removed. So, in effect, by overfilling feeders, one runs the risk of having to throw out more food which can get expensive. Not to mention the toll it takes on your feeders and all the extra cleaning of your feeders is required.

So, what is the answer? My process is to balance out supply and demand with weather in mind. How is this done?

My Process

1) Weather First - The first thing I do each morning before heading out to refill my feeders is to check my weather apps to know if rain is forecasted for the current day, night or the next day. If it is, I immediately know to refill in amounts less than normal for a given demand of birds, If heavy rain or storms with high winds are forecast, then the demand might even be less than normal requiring even less food in the food trays and I won’t top off any feeders, especially to those feeders that are more susceptible to weather .

2) Supply and Demand (with Weather in Mind) - Given that I have observed the demand (amount of birds and their respective daily consumption) over the last few days, I can fill feeders less if I know that rain is forecast or there is high humidity. If no rain is forecast, and not a period of high humidity, i just fill with only demand in mind.

3) Minimize Overfilling! - Keep in mind that overfilling feeders is never really a good idea, unless you may be leaving for the weekend and don’t have someone to fill them in your absence.

4) Food Quality and Distribution - While at the feeders for the refill, I always make sure and examine the quality of the food that already exists in the feeders. Wearing rubber coated gloves, I usually take a small masonry pointing trowel with me to move the food around in the trays to ensure that there is more air circulation and that moisture is not gathering around the inside sides or corners of the tray.

5) Review Feeder Surfaces - I also review the feeders to ensure that no bird deposits are present on any of the feeding surfaces, in the the food or ant moats, as this step is for disease prevention. Deposits can contain pathogens that when consumed or come in contact with the birds can quickly spread the disease.

6) Review Feeder Distribution - I review the distribution effectiveness of each feeder. Sometimes a larger seed or nut can reduce the flow of seed. Or, if in a tube feeder, even moisture can cause the food to clump together, causing food not to flow. Sometimes just tapping on the tube, reduces the gap and allows the seed to distribute. This clumping should be a sign that the food has retained too much moisture and may need need to be disposed of and the feeder refilled. Seed that is not well distributed at a feeder makes that feeder less effective and the decay of the food source can be accelerated.

7) Suet Considerations - If feeding suet, examine for mold, as it already contains some moisture. If feeding suet nuggets, they more readily absorb moisture and can break down turning to mush, spreading the moisture to surrounding seed. If I know that it is going to rain, I reduce the amount of suet nuggets in my tray mix or use a squirrel baffle over the feeding tray to reduce the amount of rain hitting the food.

8) Special Note about Nectar - When feeding hummingbirds with nectar, weather remains a consideration, even though the nectar remains in the feeder. The weather factor in this case is not moisture or rain, but rather, the heat. The hotter the conditions, the quicker your nectar can spoil. As such, hotter days requires changing of the nectar more often. I usually make 8 cups of nectar (Boil 8 cups of water. Turn off heat. Stir in 2 cups of table sugar. Let cool and pour in container to put in fridge) at a time and store the excess in the refrigerator. Every time that I change out the nectar, the hummingbird feeder gets a full cleaning, inside and out and each flower port is cleaned. See the brushes that I use to accomplish this task on my Bird Care /Feeding Product Page. Hummingbirds being so tiny have a low tolerance to extremes, including even the smallest amount of mold.

9) Seed Tray Drainage - If I know that rain is coming and I have feeders with seed trays, then I ensure these trays are free of seeds, as the seeds can block the drain ports and cause the water to back up into the food in the feeder, causing a wicking effect, with moisture traveling up further into the food in the feeder..

In Conclusion

In conclusion, by applying the Supply/Demand/Weather maxim and not overfilling your feeders, keeping an eye on the quality & effective distribution of the feed at your feeder can not only serve the birds well, but also extend the life of your feeders. Additionally, focus on keeping bird deposits off feeding surfaces as well as an eye out for moisture accumulation. Bleach cleaning takes a toll on all wooden feeders and possibly other feeders as well. You will find that what you trade in time, walking to the feeders more often (you get extra steps for your step count), will cost you less in food costs in the long run and keep the birds and critters healthier. This is certainly a win-win for all parties involved.

Please feel free to share ideas or best practices that you have found effective in managing a feeder. Thanks for your input!

Those who watch my daily feeder talks on my live cam streams know that I am constantly citing my 3 maxims (Supply, Demand & Weather) as a consideration of how much food to add to feeder trays. I’ll post another blog on that topic in the future. However, today’s blog involves tech tools that I use for the “Weather” element of the 3 maxims.

I’ll have to admit up front that I am very fascinated with weather. Maybe it’s because I live in the Deep South, a part of the United States often referred to a the “Dixie Tornado Alley.” Additionally, my family has property at the Gulf Coast, located in the panhandle of Florida that frequently gets hit by hurricanes. In both instances, having foresight and good information about upcoming or current weather events is critical to preserving life and property.

Yes, one can also tell that I am a weather junkie because I have 21 weather apps, each that has some special feature that sparked my interest. So, with all those apps, which ones do I find that I use most often? The answer would be Weather Mate, Dark Sky and Radar Scope. Yes, I’m sure everyone has their own favorite weather apps as well as just going to the NOAA site for your area to get good intel, and I welcome you to post these in the comment section. Give us the app and the reason you like it. Apologies up front that this blog only applies to apps used on my iPhone. I’m sure there are either sister or comparable weather apps on Android. Please let us know what they are and if different, why you find them helpful.

One of the first things I do each morning (even before I look at the YouTube streams) is look at Weather Mate to examine not only the weather for this day, but also for the next couple of days. While Zig Ziglar once said “Don’t judge the day by the weather,” (which I find an optimistic maxim to abide by) I do find that I do have to judge my refill strategy by the current and upcoming weather.

Here is a screenshot from the Weather Mate site:

For instance, this morning, when I opened it I saw the following information on today’s weather and for the next 14 days. Of course we all know that reliability deteriorates as time goes on, but this is useful information as to the general weather pattern, which includes probability and predicted amount of precipitation and temperature (important for how long nectar needs to be replaced):

If I want more detail, I click on the little square drop down to get more detail:

Dark Sky

The next app that I review when rain is present or expected is Dark Sky. Dark Sky is a hyper-local weather app that gives you weather not only in the area, but where you are at the moment, which is awesome! Dark Sky also sends me notifications of when rain is expected for my immediate location. This is good for on-the-go birders in the field as well. I can also open Dark Sky to more accurately see when and how much rain is expected and the level of wind. This information allows me to know when and if a rain hat is needed over my platform feeder as in my feeder are suet nuggets which quickly absorb any moisture and quickly break down into a mushy state. Here are a few screen shots from my Dark Sky app today, which is a rainy day. This first screenshot tells me what the rain scenario is for the immediate hour and what the probabilities are over the next 12 hours.

Dark Sky also presents the following information on a 12-hour basis: Temp, Feels-Like Temp, Precip. Prob., Precip. Rate, Wind Speed, Wind Gust Speed, Humidity %, Dew Point, UV Index, Cloud Cover, & Pressure. The next screen provides me how much rain to expect. Even the one hour chart shows levels of the rate of rain falling (light, medium or heavy) within the hour.

Lastly, important to me is also wind speed, as a short duration of light rain with no wind is no big deal, but if there is medium rain expected with higher wind speeds or wind gusts, then the rain hat becomes more of a consideration. Here is a look at Dark Sky’s view of wind speed.

Radar Scope

Radar Scope is more of an app for true weather geeks and also has subscription levels. So, I won’t spend too much time on this one. It is used by a friend of mine who is a Red Cross Regional Director who needs good on the ground information about impending storms. One who is not well versed in weather may need to read up on meteorology to use this app. I know that I did! There are also YouTube videos that are also helpful here. This app is also useful in not only early spotting of tornadoes, but also presents timelines on intense storm cells on the map, so I can see when a bad storm cell will arrive at your immediate location of anywhere else that you want to follow a storm. This is not only useful for preserving the state of the feeders, but also for the preservation of life and property .

I hope some of this tech information is useful for you as a feeder owner, birder or just someone who participates in a lot of outdoor activities and likes to plan accordingly for upcoming weather. No one likes to take a hike, ride a bike, fish, or take a walk and then be caught out in the rain. Let others know what weather apps that you use and why. This is a learning site and we can all learn from each other! Be sure and subscribe to this channel if you wish to be notified of any future information added. God bless you and yours!

Welcome to my first ever blog! Plunging into the YouTube world was part of my learning curve, as you have to have something to offer or something to show the world. Given that the site mantra is Explore/Observe/Learn & Share, I have applied this in other areas of my life. When I studied the Bible and related commentaries, I shared what I learned through a website that I created called SwordNotes. When I plunged into photography, I began to share and eventually sell sports action pictures on my Ken Little Photography website on Zenfolio.

When I made the leap into YouTube, I just jumped into the content production mode, expanding on my photography background and experience learning how to shoot and edit videos. But then YouTube limits each page description to only 5,000 characters. While that sounds like a lot, it is not enough when you are trying to organize content and try to link videos and also provide a product page, in each YouTube page description. I knew I needed to set up a new webpage to better organize and share content from a lot of different areas, but then I didn’t want to go back to the same web development software, as it seemed to have its limitations. Time to learn something new.

Enter Squarespace! Squarespace is new to me, but appears to be intuitive. From the reviews that I read, Wix seemed to have a bit more flexibility, but Squarespace seems to also have a lot of power under the hood, but tried to help you more on the design front with some custom templates. This has helped me tremendously, by letting me focus on getting my thoughts more organized and on paper (a web page that is).

Anyway, this is the first blog post I have ever created. I can’t say that I will be blogging more than one or more times a week, as I already produce a lot of my information in video format. However, this website complements or is a companion to my other information sources. But I can tell that it will soon be the operation center as it is the pathway (with links) to my other data and actually presents a more organized and effective way to take in more digestible bites of information. This website is also an optimal way for me to receive and respond to comments from those interested in any part of the information found here.

In conclusion, this website and related blog will continue to be a work in progress, so please let me know of any areas that don’t work or have bugs as constructive criticism is a good way for me to learn how to improve. Thanks again for checking us out and leave a comment! God bless you and yours!