Brome, the manufacturers of the BEST squirrel proof feeder, is having a contest. Come into the store for a secret code. Enter online often for your chance to win one of 150 Squirrel Buster bird feeders.
We carry 5 different styles of Squirrel Busters. The Plus, peanut, finch, classic and mini. Visit our website to see all 5!
CHEX TV air date: Fri. Jan. 25th, 2013
Click here?to watch this episode of The Garden Gate.
This episode of The Garden Gate discussed how to attract specific birds by choosing the right feeder and also the most attractive seed to each bird.
Cardinals, woodpeckers, finches and many others each have a favourite food and a favourite style of feeder.
CHEX TV air date: Fri. Jan. 11th, 2013 Click here to watch this episode of?The Garden Gate. Episode 3 of The Garden Gate discussed the difference between big box store bird food and Mill Creek bird food, which we carry. Birds don’t like stale food any more than you do. Tune in to learn the difference! ?
CHEX TV air date: Fri. Dec. 28th, 2012
Click here to view this episode of?The Garden Gate.
This episode of The Garden Gate focused on different baffles that can be used to stop squirrels from getting to your bird feeders. If you already have bird feeders and don’t want to replace them with squirrel proof feeders, there are alternatives available.
CHEX TV air date: Fri. Dec. 14th, 2012
Click here to watch the FIRST episode of The Garden Gate.
Late in 2012 I began a short TV spot on The 5 o’clock show on CHEX TV.? The first episode was on Squirrel Proof Bird feeders. YES, they do exist!
I’ve had a great response so far and will continue with more episodes!? They will be on CHEX bi-weekly on Fridays and also available on my YouTube channel.
Besides nectar, Hummingbirds consume protein in the form of insects which they find inside flowers, on plants and in trees, in spider webs and in midair as they travel through your yard. Consider that when using pesticides in your yard and gardens. Hummers also drink water.
Hummers feed 5 – 8 times an hour.
Hummers have the greatest energy output, gram for gram, of any known warm-blooded animal. If your sugar water freezes, replace it immediately (even at dawn). They rely on established food supplies.
A Hummingbird’s wings can beat 200 times per second during courtship!
A Hummingbird’s tongue is roughly twice the length of its beak. It licks the nectar. (Approximately 13 licks per second!) You might see its beak and think that it can’t reach the nectar in the bottom of the feeder. Look closely with binoculars to see the tongue.
The Bee Hummingbird is the smallest hummingbird in the world at 2 inches long, weighing 1-15th of an ounce!
Under no circumstance should insecticides or other poisons be used at Hummingbird feeders.
By: Droll Yankees
Choosing a Hummingbird Feeder:? There are many varieties of hummingbird feeders available today. Most feeders are made of plastic or glass. If your birds seem to prefer one style feeder over another, it’s probably a simple matter of familiarity. If you change feeders, they may not feed immediately from the new one, but they will adapt; it may help to hang the old feeder, empty, next to the new one.
Any feeder can attract hummers, so perhaps the most important design feature to look for is ease of disassembling and cleaning. The basin-style feeders are much better than the inverted-bottle types. I recommend the Aspects HummZinger or the Droll Yankees Little Flyer for their durability as well as their ease of maintenance. Hummingbirds will come to any feeder that holds fresh syrup, so you might as well buy one that’s easy for you to keep up.
Location, Location, Location: Where to hang your feeder? A new one may be found sooner if hung over or near a garden of hummingbird plants. Hang a red scarf or flag until the hummer finds your feeder. You can hang them near windows, where you can watch and enjoy them.
Filling the Feeder: The sugar water we use to fill hummingbird feeders is only a supplement to the birds’ natural diet. Use only white sugar in hummingbird feeders at a ratio of 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Premade mixes can also be purchased.? Many mixes often contain extra vitamins and make them more appealing and more nutritious for the hummers.? Heat until the sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool and fill your feeder. Store the excess syrup in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Please, do not put honey, Jell-O, brown sugar, fruit, or red food coloring in your feeder! Honey ferments rapidly when diluted with water and can kill hummingbirds. The effects of red dye have not been not scientifically tested, and it is not necessary to color the water to attract birds to your feeder.
Cleaning:Clean your feeder in hot water each time you refill and more thoroughly at least once a month.
Ants:Ensure your feeder has an ant moat to prevent problems with ants. Hummers will not drink from a feeder filled with dead ants.
Bees, Wasps, and Yellowjackets:These insects are attracted to the colour yellow. Look for feeders without yellow flowers. If they are a serious problem try moving your feeder or reducing the sugar ratio.
At The Avant-Garden Shop we have a wide variety of basin/saucer style feeders, with ant moats, nectar guards and BPA free plastic that won?t yellow or crack. They are leak proof and guaranteed for life! Drop by soon for a look and hopefully you?ll be able to enjoy these little gems!
If your thistle feeder is not as busy as normal, there could be one of a few things happening.
The finches have found natural food and are enjoying that source for the time being. They’ll be back once that source has been depleted.
Another reason they may be avoiding your feeder is stale or dried up seed. Drop by our store for some fresh seed and your finches, chickadees and their friends will return very quickly.
And a third reason the birds may not be at your feeder are blocked ports. Sometimes the seeds get jammed up around the tiny feeding port and the birds can’t reach the seeds. Out of frustration they go looking for a better source. Clean your feeder and refill or try giving the feeder a shake to dislodge the seeds.
Use one of Droll Yankees brand or the Aspects brand feeders for best results. Both brands now come with quick release bases making the feeders easy to clean and refill quickly. These great feeders will really impress your dinner guests. Both come with Lifetime Warranties.
Does this sound familiar? You’ve just filled your bird feeders and you’re successfully attracting a variety of songbirds to your backyard. But that’s not all you’re attracting: hordes of marauding squirrels are threatening to eat you, or at least the birds, out of house and home. With the price of birdseed these days, you can’t afford to feed those ravenous rodents, so what can you do to squirrel-proof your bird feeders?
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The best way to discourage squirrels is to make it difficult for them to access your bird feeders. A very effective method is to protect the feeders with a baffle. Squirrels can climb smooth poles and run along narrow clotheslines, but they cannot get by a strategically placed baffle. A conical or tube-shaped baffle, which is positioned approximately four feet off the ground, can protect a feeder that is mounted on a pole. A feeder that hangs from a line or tree will benefit from a top-mount baffle. When using baffles, you should ensure that the feeder is positioned at least 12 feet away from walls, fences, and tree trunks to prevent the squirrels from jumping to the feeder.
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Another effective strategy is to buy a bird feeder that has been designed to be squirrel-proof or, at least, squirrel-resistant. There are a couple of variations on this theme. One style has a feeder surrounded by a cage that allows small birds in, but keeps squirrels and large birds out. This style is great for small song birds such as chickadees, finches, siskins and red polls, but could prevent some desirable species, such as cardinals, from feeding.
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A second style of squirrel-proof feeder is weight-sensitive. When something heavy, such as a squirrel or a large bird, lands on the feeder, its weight causes the feeding stations to close, thereby preventing the critter from feeding. There are a number of models on the market, some of which are more effective than others. One of the best is the Brome Squirrel Buster Plus, a bird feeder with features too numerous to mention (see photo). It comes with a lifetime factory warranty and is guaranteed squirrel-proof.
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If you don’t want to upgrade your bird feeding equipment, you can try thwarting squirrels by using blends of birdseed that they find distasteful. One of the best is Squirrel FreeTM , packaged by Mill Creek, a firm located in Newmarket, Ontario. Through observation and experiment, the nature lovers at Mill Creek have been able to identify types of seed that squirrels will avoid, but which birds will still enjoy.
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Finally, you can try keeping squirrels away from your bird feeders by distracting them. For example, you can install a box feeder filled with corn kernels or hang a corncob “trapper” for the squirrels to feed from. If your squirrels have their very own feeder, situated well away from any bird feeders, they may stick to their own turf and leave the birdseed alone.
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There is no question that squirrels can be a nuisance around bird feeders and a costly one at that. However, keep in mind that squirrels are just being themselves. You shouldn’t let your desire to keep squirrels away from your bird feeders result in any harm to them. Don’t use poison or traps that will kill. Don’t use sticky material that can soil squirrel fur and bird feathers. Never add cayenne pepper to your birdseed (if a squirrel gets it in the eyes, the resulting misery and scratching may result in blindness).
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Whatever you do, don’t give up on feeding the birds. Squirrels may be intelligent but, with careful thought, it’s not hard to foil them. After all, we’re smarter, right?
The Avant-Garden Shop is a retail store specializing in backyard birding supplies and gardening accessories. Visit them at 165 Sherbrooke St. in Peterborough, online at www.avantgardenshop.com, or contact them by phone at 705-743-0068 (toll-free 877-886-0869).
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Feeding birds in your back yard can be fun and rewarding. Songbirds will add colour, life and vibrancy to your garden. Attracting and keeping songbirds, however, can depend on a number of factors including the type and quality of seed that you provide.
The most popular seed is black-oil sunflower, which is accepted by the greatest variety of birds. Black-oil sunflower is an oil-rich food that is a good source of energy. Its thin shell makes it easy to open, even for small birds. This seed is a particular favourite of cardinals, chickadees, evening grosbeaks and purple finches but is also part of the diet of most other songbirds. You can’t go wrong with a hanging tube or hopper-style feeder full of black-oil sunflower seed.
Blended mixes should also be part of a back yard feeding program. Good blends will contain black-oil sunflower, in addition to other ingredients that will provide variety and nutrition. The blend you choose will depend on the birds that you wish to attract. For example, blends that contain millet will attract juncos, mourning doves and sparrows. Blue jays favour peanuts and striped sunflower, while cardinals like safflower. Some blends are adjusted seasonally to provide birds with the nutrition they require at different times of the year. Retailers who specialize in wild bird feeding will be able to help you select the blend that is right for you.
If you are interested in attracting gold finches and other finches, then nyger seed should be at the top of your list. Nyger is a small seed that is also rich in oil. Alternatively, you can opt for a wild finch blend, which contains nyger, red millet and other seeds preferred by finches. This is a cost-effective alternative to pure nyger. For nyger seed and wild finch blends, you will require a tube-style feeder with tiny feeding ports.
When it comes to selecting birdseed, it’s wise to keep in mind that not all brands of birdseed are the same. Not only should you know which seed is favoured by different species of birds, you need to be aware that the quality of birdseed can vary greatly between different brands. The old maxim “you get what you pay for” is true even for birdseed.
Selecting top quality birdseed is not difficult when you know what to look for. Here are a few basics:
Look for birdseed that appears fresh. The fresher the ingredients are, the more likely that all of the food will be eaten and not wasted. Store your seed in tight-lidded containers to preserve freshness.
Look for seed that is clean and dust-free. Powder that is created during processing adds weight to a bag, which you pay for but which the birds won’t eat. Be wary of opaque packaging that doesn’t allow you to inspect all the seed.
Pay attention to ingredients. Avoid blends that contain wheat, milo (sorghum) and other “fillers” that birds won’t eat. Look for sunflowers, nuts, corn, millets and fruits to attract the most birds.
Discount brands tend to have sunflower seeds that are immature. Good quality blends have sunflower seeds with greater kernel density and thus more food for the birds. Avoid sunflower seeds that appear flat, which is a sign of immaturity.
Avoid buying bird feed with a powder-like appearance on the grains. This is a sign of mould. Once contaminated, mould will spread quickly through a bag of seed. No birds will eat mouldy seed.
Finally, once you are attracting birds to your yard, keep them coming back by ensuring that they have a clean and fresh supply of food. Inspect and clean your feeders on a regular basis and dispose of any seed that has gone mouldy. By providing birds with a good quality seed in a well-maintained feeder you will enjoy weeks of enjoyable bird watching in your own back yard.
The Avant-Garden Shop is a retail store specializing in backyard birding supplies and gardening accessories. Visit them at 165 Sherbrooke St. in Peterborough, online at www.avantgardenshop.com, or contact them by phone at 705-743-0068 (toll-free 877-886-0869).