Wordless Wednesday: I Saw Red

Mouths to Feed

Summer is a slow time at the bird feeders in My Florida Backyard. Many birds change their diets in the summer to focus on the insects that are available in abundance; insects offer high amounts of protein and that's what nesting birds and juveniles need in the summer. When cooler weather arrives, insects are a little more sparse (not that it necessarily feels that way on a mosquito-filled evening) and some birds will drop by feeders for seeds instead. We have two common feeder visitors in My Florida Backyard - northern cardinals and tufted titmice, like the ones shown below.

The titmice are especially fun to watch, as they crack each seed delicately, holding it between their feet and using their beaks to get at the goodness inside. Experiments have shown that titmice will make an especial effort to select the largest seed available, and are also known to take cracked seeds off to store in a separate location for later.

Tufted titmice always seem especially colorful in the fall, most likely because they have one yearly molt sometime in August and are still flaunting their rust-colored and clean white breast feathers. Many birds have a spring molt to prepare for mating and nesting season, but tufted titmice do not.

We'd like to attract some additional feeder birds to My Florida Backyard, but haven't had much luck except for the aforementioned cardinals, mourning doves (in droves), and the occasional woodpecker (though never at the suet feeder - that seems to go untouched). Do you live in Central Florida and have any feeder tips for us? We'd love to know if anyone has any luck drawing finches with a thistle feeder when they're down here for the winter, or any other advice you can offer!

Life in a Northern Town

Visiting family up north in Ohio is always fun, partly because the birds that visit their backyard feeders are so different than the birds that visit ours. At my dad's house in Canton, Ohio, dozens of small songbirds visit his feeders each day, most of which we never have a chance to see in Central Florida. His yard is flanked by tall trees, so even in an urban setting, it's not unusual to have 10 or 12 birds at his feeders at a time, waiting for their turn and fighting off the squirrels.

Finches especially are fond of nyjer thistle seed, like this American Goldfinch pair. The males are a brilliant yellow during mating season, with females only slightly duller. This species is known to winter as far south as Florida, and this year we plan to try a thistle feeder and see if we can't lure a few to My Florida Backyard.

Finches will eat black oil sunflower seed too, and this red-headed House Finch joined a White-Breasted Nuthatch in a search for dinner. Nuthatches are very fun to watch, as they frequently feed head-down both at feeders and along tree trunks. Neither of these birds are seen in Florida, so we have to enjoy them when we're out of town.

Perhaps our favorite Ohio backyard visitor, though, is the Black-Capped Chickadee. Another bird we'll never see in Florida, these little guys are so friendly they're often known to eat out of people's hands. Their call is easy to recognize... they sing "Chickadee-dee-dee!" early and often, and their adorable hopping behavior endears them to nearly all backyard bird lovers.

As much as we love My Florida Backyard, a trip to another backyard is always fun. The birds at my dad's are very different than those at home, and we truly enjoyed the chance to watch them for a few days!

P.S. There was one familiar visitor to this Ohio backyard... this little Tufted Titmouse dropped by to remind us of home!

Over My Shoulder

We were a little startled this evening by the bird perched on our backyard feeder. He was most definitely not there for the safflower seed...  that's just not part of the diet of a juvenile Red-Shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus).

We made our way outside to see him a bit more clearly. We knew he was juvenile because of the white coloration of his breast. Adults have reddish-brown breast feathers. The tail feathers also show distinct bands, a characteristic of a younger hawk of this species.

Red-shouldered hawks are a common predator in My Florida Backyard. They've been responsible for picking off plenty of baby ducklings, and last year we watched one take down a crow (click here to learn more). If this one continues to haunt the bird feeder, we will most likely see very few songbirds for awhile, but tonight the sight of this hawk was enough to fill us with awe... and that's enough for one day.

Bird and Squirrel

My most recent post over at the Birds & Blooms Blog has been very popular. We've been discussing how to keep unwanted squirrels away from bird feeders, and it seems everyone has an idea. Won't you click here to drop by the post and offer some suggestions of your own?

While you're there, take a look at some of my other recent posts, including information on native species like Baltimore Orioles and Monarch butterflies, and weekend projects like installing a rain barrel and creating a "living wall" with air plants. There's a lot available there - I hope you'll come by and check it out!

Diner

One of My Florida's Backyard favorite Christmas gifts is finally up and ready for visitors... our new bird feeder!

We've been on the quest for the perfect feeder for a long time. We've tried a variety of options, and found that a platform feeder filled with safflower seed seemed to draw lots of birds without squirrel interference (squirrels don't like safflower, for some reason). However, there was a problem... the open feeder was an invitation for muscovy ducks to perch and hoover up all the seed in one sitting. We needed a fly-through feeder, which is essentially a platform feeder with a roof, but it needed to be well-designed - the ducks are very persistent.

The male and female cardinals have been our most frequent visitors so far. It takes birds a little time to get used to a new feeder, sort of like when a new restaurant opens. Our feeder is in the same place as the old one, so the birds know its there. They just need to build up a little trust so they know they're safe when they feed there.

This feeder has so many great features - the roof protects both the seed and visiting birds from the weather. The screen bottom is designed to slide out for easy cleaning. The arch supports allow easy access for smaller birds, but keep out larger birds that often feed in flocks, like mourning doves. It's built of cedar, so it will withstand the weather while turning a nice silvery-grey color. And best of all... it's definitely duck-proof!

The roof is high enough that perching ducks can't get to the seed, no matter how much they stretch their necks, but it slopes down so it's low enough at the sides that the ducks can't get inside to feed that way. Our seed is safe from duck invasions! (I can't help feeling like the cardinals are laughing...)

So My Florida Backyard is sending out a big "THANK YOU!" to Father Christmas (and we mean that very literally - thanks, Dad!) for designing and building us the perfect feeder. We're looking forward to seeing what kind of winged visitors will drop by the feeder this winter!

Out to Lunch

Ah, good, a big tray full of seed. It's been at least 15 minutes since my last snack.

I wonder what's on the menu?

 

Ah, safflower seed. I do enjoy some nice safflower. This one looks nice.

Now, if I can only crack open this tricky shell. First, I'll hold it between my feet...

 

Now, a little beak action.

Hey, did you hear something? Because this is my seed. Stay away, interlopers!

 

Now then, back to work. This sucker is tricky!

A little more...

 

Almost got it...

Ta da!

Oh, yeah, that's some great safflower!

 

Now, what's for dessert?

Little Bird, Little Bird

We've lately noticed a new visitor to the feeder here in My Florida Backyard. We generally fill our feeder with safflower seed to discourage squirrels, and this can sometimes limit the variety of birds that visit. We mainly see cardinals, tufted titmice, and woodpeckers, but this winter we've had warblers stopping by, and today we finally managed to get some pictures.

After a lot of page-flipping in the Sibley Guide, we identified our latest visitor
as a very adorable yellow-rumped warbler.

This species is a winter visitor in the southeast U.S. It flies far north to breed in the summer.

 

The yellow-rumped warbler loves to eat insects, but often feeds on berries
from shrubs in the winter, and is sometimes known to visit feeders.

With spring coming soon (at least according to the calendar), it's likely this little guy will be leaving soon to head north for summer. In the meantime, we'll enjoy the flash of cheery yellow and the sweet trill of music from the trees nearby!

Feed the Birds

We have a lot of bird visitors to My Florida Backyard. The lake helps - we get a lot of wading birds like egrets and herons, as well as fishing birds like cormorants. Of course, we throw cracked corn to the ducks (more nutritious for them than stale bread), so there are always plenty of those hanging around.

For a wider variety, though, we needed a feeder. As with many things in My Florida Backyard, it took some experimentation to get it right. In the Midwest (the land of our childhood), you can put out a thistle feeder and draw finches by the hundreds, or a simple black sunflower feeder and draw dozens of other colorful visitors.


Things are a little different in My Florida Backyard, although, like many backyard birders, the first real problem we encountered was the squirrels.





There are about a gazillion supposedly squirrel-proof feeders out there. I chose one with a weight-sensitive design, the idea being that when a light bird lands on the feeder, the feeding ports stay open, but when a heavier squirrel tries to use it, the cage slides down and the ports are closed. We hung it from a shepherd's hood and filled it with black oil sunflower seed.


There were, however, several problems with this feeder.

1.) Squirrels in Florida are a lot smaller than squirrels up north. They are also a lot lighter. You can adjust the cage to be more weight-sensitive, but then some birds will actually activate it and defeat the purpose.

2.) Squirrels are much smarter than people give them credit for. Our squirrels just leaned over from the pole, stuck their paw into the feeding ports, and scooped out the food without ever getting onto the feeder itself.

3.) (And this was the big one) No birds really seemed to like this feeder style. We got the occasional cardinal, and that was it.


So, the research continued. The first great discovery was that although squirrels love to eat sunflower seed (and most commercial mixes contain this), squirrels don't like safflower seed. No one is sure why this is, but it's absolutely true. Once I filled the feeders with safflower seed, the squirrels couldn't have been less interested in the food. Safflower seed costs a little more than sunflower seed, but it lasts much longer because the squirrels don't eat it.


I had solved the squirrel problem, but my feeder still wasn't getting many visitors. Finally, I decided that based on the types of birds we were seeing (mostly cardinals), we needed a platform feeder. This type of feeder works well for birds who generally prefer to eat on the ground. I ordered a hanging version from Duncraft, a company with a really great selection of bird feeders and seeds. We decided to mount it on a pole instead of hang it from the provided chains. I filled it with safflower seed, and we had visitors almost immediately!


The cardinals, male and female, came first. In the beginning, they'd come one at a time, but now that they're comfortable, a pair will often feed together, especially in the evening.

In the winter months, we had a tufted tit-mouse* or two. They pick up the seeds one at a time, hold them between their feet, and crack them open.


And just recently, a red-bellied woodpecker has started stopping by for the occasional snack.


The cardinals visit almost every night while we eat dinner out on the porch. Even if they were the only birds who came to My Florida Backyard, their cheery plumage would be enough to thrill us every time.

I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries,
and very frankly give them fruit for their songs.
- Joseph Addison (1672 - 1719)

*Why is it that, even though I'm grown up enough to know better, I still giggle like I did in seventh grade when I talk about the tit-mouse?