Category Archives: Backyard Wild Bird Feeding

Bird Camera – Getting the Exposure Right

Everyone is buying their mothers and fathers these fabulous wild bird cameras. A couple of names you may have heard are #Birdbuddy or #Berdz as well as a 100 more cameras coming to a store near you. And for the most part, they are fabulous!

They do come with a small warning which is don’t put in direct sunlight. This video show why. Nothing bad is going to happen (at least in what we know now) but too much or too little sun results in bad videos. Watch and Learn

What Happens When You Change Seed Blends

What happens when you change wild bird food blends

I get asked a lot about changing seed blends during different seasons. The answer is “Yes” but with an asterisk (*).

Yes, in the fall and winter seasons it is much easier to offer blends with fruit in them. The dehydrated fruits used in wild bird seed don’t tend to get sticky when it’s cold. And as a bonus, there aren’t any ants climbing the poles trying to get at the fruit. In the summer, it’s another story.

But we also must apply an asterisk to the statement. As the picture shows the corn I added to my sunflower/nut mix isn’t being eaten. Now there are many birds that like corn. Larger birds like woodpeckers, cardinals, doves, crows, blue jays and more will eat whole corn (pictured). Smaller birds like finches and sparrows eat cracked corn. Many people buy corn from us to feed ducks and geese.

However, when you change food or add ingredients to the food the birds “may not like it!” This feeder is a perfect example, I basically put nuts in it for the blue jays. I know they will eat corn but… what the heck.

Well to put it bluntly birds are creatures of habit. And like you and I they know what they like and where to find it. Unlike you and I they don’t have quite the number of taste buds as mammals (humans up to 10,000 taste buds vs. birds up to a few hundred). So humans rely on taste more than birds, but birds do use taste as a sense.

So, the moral of the story is yes, go ahead and change seed blends (if you wish) during the different seasons. But *** don’t be shocked if everything isn’t eaten right away. The right bird may not have found that new ingredient yet!

Assembling and Filling Berdz Camera Feeder Combination

We’ve been using and selling the Berdz wild bird feeder / camera combo for a few months. Great units, well packaged and built. Easy to install and use.

Well, it turns out Berdz wasn’t done they created a new unit specifically for hummingbird. Now that we have been using it for a few weeks I wanted to create a video on how to take it apart for cleaning, and how you should fill the unit.

Where have all the birds gone?

  berries on a dogwood tree
I love to do this post every year. Here in NE Georgia the birds stop eating bird seed and suet right around Labor Day. The wild birds don’t completely stop eating but it is a noticeable difference in consumption.
 
Why…
 
The answer is simple. 1st the great fall migration is happening. Wild birds are leaving (towhees, catbirds, hummingbirds, etc) and new ones haven’t quite arrived (millions of sparrows, juncos, warblers, etc).
 
The 2nd reason is hiding in plain sight! The trees and bushes are fruiting. The picture shown here is a dogwood, those red berries will be bluebird crack in just a few days. My serviceberry in the backyard is about to pop with 1000s of berries. Frost grapes will be coming soon. Acorns, and tree nuts in general are dropping.
 
Yep, it’s a darn good time to be a bird in NE Georgia.
 
So, no… there is nothing wrong with your suet or seed right at this moment. Your feeder now has a lot of competition. Don’t worry, the wild birds will come back!

Stop the spread of Red Eye Disease

To help stop the spread of red eye disease and avian pox in your backyard wild birds make sure you are regularly cleaning your bird feeders.

Clean your wild bird feeders regularly

Please remember bird seed is FOOD and food can spoil. Especially here in NE Atlanta. Over the last few weeks we have had a ton of rain. Rain just adds to the spoiling problems.

When cleaning I suggest you let them soak in a 95%water/5%bleach solution. This will kill all the germs. Then use a mild soap to and a long handle brush to scrub the inside of the wild bird feeder.

Clean your feeders regularly! (please)