Bird feeder in snow

[Frank]

Bill's post on winter when it snows prompted me to upload this taken yesterday:

made bird feeder temporarily rests on deck rails as I take it down in the spring when I start container gardening. Had to rebuild and secure with a bungee cord as raccoons have knocked it down.

[Phisherman]

I no longer feed the birds. It draws too many undesirable varmits onto my deck and makes a seed/poop mess. I still get lots of birds because of the large trees, berry bushes, pond, etc.

[kate]

I feed the birds etc out by the compost pile. Everything is welcome, including the poop. :)

[raymuser]

My bird feeders are hanging from a tree, including a water tray. Problem for me in So Cal is the squirrels. I also have raccoons in the area, but they haven't tried getting into my bird feeders yet, although they have been seen climbing this tree in the past.

I have come up with some solutions that seem to be working now. One of my earliest attempts that failed was a cage to surround the feeder. As shown in this YouTube video, this squirrel had to problem jumping on the cage and reaching his target. Other videos show a progression of designs and obstacles that have been attempted and have worked at least to some extent. This feeder hangs over a brick terrace that can easily be cleaned whenever needed.

[kate]

It's so nice of you to provide entertainment for the squirrels, Ray. :)

I just toss the seed, bread and nuts on the ground. I toss a little in the front yard so I can actually see the birds and squirrels, but the main feeding is under bushes etc so they aren't lunch for the hawks.

Diversity is a good thing, I think.

[raymuser]

We also have hawks (red tail) in this area, who occasionally land within 50 ft of our bird spa, but so far they haven't taken an interest in the feeders, birds, squirrels, cats, etc., in this spot. I used to leave cat food outside in my back porch for the raccoons, but no more ... they're too messy and eat more than I can afford to give.

Trying to create an environment where all these critters, birds, squirrels, cats, etc., can peacefully co-exist and thrive. The scenes on my videos were shot from my bedroom window. Every change I make to the feeders is also guided by the objective of photogenic value.

Ray