For The Birds

First Time With A Birdfeeder

Last fall, I bought a plastic bird feeder at a fleamarket for twenty-five cents.  I have a hallow metal post in my yard that attracts a number of hornets that nest there each year.  My hope is that the added bird traffic might discourage the hornets.



 I put the feeder up about two weeks ago and it already has drawn quite a few birds to it.  I've seen a few small light tan colored birds,  some light and dark (with a bit of a blue tint), some a bright yellow (finches?), and the most numerous have been red and black.  At one point, I had two red and black birds on the feeder while five were on the ground below.

Occasionally the feeder has been a source of entertainment for me.  At one point, a squirrel ran up and across the post and then climbed down the wire unto the feeder to help himself to a snack.  Another time several birds were feeding when a much larger black bird swooped in.  All the smaller birds were frightened away.  The feeder was tipping to quite an angle with the weight of that one large bird.



I can't say what my results will be about the hornets, but it is at best an experiment.  There could be other potential changes too perhaps some that I haven't yet thought of.  The birds could also potentially make a mess of any laundry when it dries out there too.  We'll see.