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Help Me Get Birds At My Feeder


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2012 Jun 14, 2:53pm   3,387 views  6 comments

by bmwman91   ➕follow (5)   💰tip   ignore  

So, the people that used to live in the apartment next to me would toss bird seed out into their little back yard. It attracted all sorts of birds, like dozens of them. They moved away, and I figured it would be fun to do the same (although it has been a good 4 months since they left). So I hit the local Home Depot and got a bird feeder thingy and 10lbs of cheap "wild bird seeds." Nevermind that it is labeled in such a way that one would think planting the seeds will grow wild birds.

I filled the feeder up and mounted it on a post. For good measure, I tossed a bunch of seeds on the patio to get the party rolling. Yet, two days later, not a single goddamn bird has shown up. Fucking ingrates. Maybe they all forgot that there was food to be had here or something. The little assholes are all up in my neighbor's giant oak tree chirping away, but not eating the stuff I bought. How do I get the message out that there is free fucking food in my little yard area?

Being that I live in the SF Bay Area, I do realize that I might need to let the birds know that my yard is a safe one for them. These things come to mind in that respect:
- Put out an Obama 2012 sign?
- Acquire a sticker that assures the birds that all of the seeds are locally grown & organic (they aren't, but people fall for that BS at restaurants all the time)?
- Post a notice that lets them know that it is a LGBT-friendly feeder?

Beyond that, I can't really think of any other way to entice some Bay Area birdies to come eat at my feeder. Any suggestions?

#politics

Comments 1 - 6 of 6        Search these comments

1   TMAC54   2012 Jun 14, 4:00pm  

http://www.youtube.com/embed/Wu67HS_5uGg
Bittner tells you how he did it.

2   bmwman91   2012 Jun 14, 4:08pm  

You make it all sound so fun and exciting! Throngs of birds, squirrels and cats. If squirrels start showing up & pilfering, I will pop them in the ass with an airsoft gun.

Does choice of seed have an impact? I grabbed a cheap-o bag of seeds from Home Depot. So far, a blue jay comes through and sorts through a pile of seed I put on the ground, only taking one type of seed. It is totally uninterested in the other 99% of the seeds.

3   HEY YOU   2012 Jun 14, 5:04pm  

Sunflower seeds seem to work great in the feeder or on the ground for most birds. Start with small bag then move to 40-50 lb. bags.
Squirrels could be a problem.

4   bmwman91   2012 Jun 15, 3:01am  

There are no issues with the number of small/songbirds in the area. The little bastards are everywhere and wake me up. There is one that starts its mating call around 11PM in a tree next door, and it keeps it up until well after 2AM. During the day, the whole area is full of birds singing. So no, at least in this area, there is no shortage of birds. The little fuckers are just too good for my free food. I can't speak for the rest of the country since I don't live there. In China, at least the parts I go for work and an occasional vacation to visit in-laws, I never see birds thanks to the insane pollution.

Anyway, I will go find some higher quality bird feed and report back with any findings. I know they are there...the neighboring property has MASSIVE oak trees and they are loaded with birds during the day. They have to notice the food dammit!

5   Tenpoundbass   2012 Jun 15, 4:47am  

Park a new car under the feeder.

6   Bap33   2012 Jun 15, 8:09am  

do what capn said, or:

a shallow body of water may fix your issue. And the more open the area, the better the birds like it.

At my house the blue jays and magpies seem to really like my dog's dry food.

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