She said the squirrels would move on if the food was gone. I tried it last month, and it just made them more desperate. They started chewing on my deck railing and digging up my potted plants. After the week, they came back to the feeder twice as fast. I'm back to using a hot pepper seed mix, which works way better. Has anyone else had a plan to deter pests totally backfire?
I was at the hardware store last week and a guy was buying a feeder, telling his friend he only wants 'cool' birds like cardinals. He said robins are just brown and boring. But I watch a pair in my yard every spring in Portland, and they have this whole drama with worms and nest building. Last year I saw one fight off a squirrel for 45 minutes straight. Isn't the point to watch what they actually do, not just what color they are? What's a common bird in your yard that you've learned to appreciate more?
I was at the garden center in Springfield yesterday and heard a woman tell another customer, 'If it's not native, it's basically useless for birds,' which made me pause. My yard has some non-native butterfly bushes that are constantly covered in hummingbirds and finches from dawn until dusk. Has anyone else found certain non-native plants that actually support a lot of bird life?
Last fall, I visited a friend's cottage by a lake. Watching warblers flit through the reeds made me see my own yard was too tidy. I came home and let a patch grow wild, and now I have chickadees nesting. Sometimes you need to get away to see what's missing at home.
I started leaving orange halves on a platform feeder a couple weeks ago, and now orioles are showing up every morning. I mean, idk if it's the right time of year or what, but they're totally new to my yard. Maybe it's just me, but should I swap the oranges for something else once they're gone? I don't want to scare them off.
Ngl, I thought it was just lazy landscaping until I saw how many birds it shelters.
It made my day after a tough morning of emails lol.
For weeks, a red cardinal would tap on my kitchen window every morning. I thought it was seeing its reflection and fighting it, which seemed silly. I tried putting up decals, but it kept coming back. Then, I noticed it only did this when my feeder was empty. Now I fill it at night, and the tapping stopped. Guess it was just a hungry bird with a loud way of asking for breakfast.