posted October 27, 2004 03:44 AM         

i'd like to feed the birds in my yard, something i haven't done before. Can anyone tell me a few basics, or secrets, that the birds like or about their dining preferences?

i bought some all purpose wild bird seed, but from so many different kinds to choose! i don't have very much to spend on a bird feeder....so i hope to get the best kind, that will feed in style, and generously. and still be unavailable to my super-agile kitties (10 of 'em).

do feeders come equipped with water dispensers as well?

posted October 27, 2004 03:44 PM         

I don't know where you live, and what species of birds are in your area, but what our wild bird friends like are;

The larger birds, such as Blue Jays, Crows, Doves, etc. really like Sunflower seeds.

posted October 30, 2004 12:10 AM         

http://www.hsus.org/ace/19639

I looked up some articles on winter feeding for birds for ya', Saffron. It seems the type of food depends on the type of bird, but you should have available some form of seeds and some form of suet available at varying heights. And don't forget the water! The links above are very informative and I do hope you find some useful info. in them. Happy Feeding!

posted November 01, 2004 10:17 PM         

Bird-lovers in record attempt

Northern Ireland bird-lovers are out to set a world record.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is hoping that the bird pudding they created in Belfast on Saturday is the longest in the world.

Volunteers helped put together the record 50-metre long feast at the Ulster Museum.

More than 150 kilograms of bird seed, 125 packets of lard and some length of guttering were used.

The event was part of the annual UK-wide "Feed the Birds" campaign by the RSPB.

It aims to encourage people to put something out for birds over the winter months.

Stephanie Sim of the RSPB said: "We're absolutely delighted with the response that we've had both to the bird pudding as well as the mask masking competition.

"We had over 200 entries of the most fabulous masks from schools all around Belfast and every mask will be displayed at the Ulster Museum on Saturday for a week."

posted November 14, 2004 02:29 AM         

i thought i should confess that my ininital reasons for feeding birds weren't entirely altruistic....although i find myself now truly concerned for their well-being. it all started with the following page from an astrologer's web-site that i've so enjoyed. she reminds me of Linda in some ways, her personal, intimate style and her livley manner. i posted her website in other forums; please read if you're interested....she's fun.

Anita Sands

anyway, here's her bird feeding take -- it's good for you karma:

quote:

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HOW TO GET LUCKY and CHANGE YOUR KARMA

The very sensitive, aware 'sighted' Hindus knew that you could 'hondle' God. You could win him over to your point of view, and suggest he give you the really good luck by doing 'good works' that would improve your karma. You know what the Hindus came up with as the prime method? Feeding and putting water out for the wild birds.I'm STARVING UP HERE!
Yep! Thru a friend, I got an actual file telling of an ancient Indian guru, talking of ways to change your luck, your personal 'police record', (the akashic record) of any bad karma. From other lives, even. It involves An Angel or something, going into your actual past akashic record and entering into the record your deeds, which clean matters up, and then, instead of suffering more insults from fate, that angel shows God that you paid the karmic bill off! HOW? The sole trick to change your karma was to give fresh water and food to the birds daily.HUH? Well, hey! That's do-able!

So I DID IT! And let me tell you, after a few weeks of leaving birdseed around the garden, my luck changed, bigtime! I got a huge movie star, rock star client. My income went way up. So may I suggest a basic LUCK-ACHIEVING technique: Get on a chair out there and place a plate way up high where cats cannot get it or get the birds and there you leave leave crumbs and wild bird seed, CANARY seed is a very good one, or parakeet, as it's small-ish. Bird feeders are great but if you don't have one, a pie tin placed on a horizontal jutting lanai or car port roof or in a tree works.

I have added considerably to my birdseed collection and saved money by going to the baker's huge trash dumpster on my way back from market. He throws about 30 loaves there Thursday night, (he supplies markets, so it's one night a week that he picks up unsold loaves. Most bakeries throw away a few loaves of bread nightly.) This particular bakery left the loaves on top of the many bags of flour, crates of onions and onion waste (he makes onion pizza breads, stores send the excess back.) I freeze these bags, take out one iced one a day. When I finish boiling turkey burger and carrots for the cats, I use the broth for the bread. This mush gets thrown to the crows. I carry the soaked bread to fence, yell 'caw caw' imitating the birds' cry for "I've found food gang!" And one crow will come and she'll start cawing to the others. And soon, they're all eating bread and chopped carrots. This keeps them so fat they don't have to kill baby birds of smaller species, which crows do in hunger times.

So do hit bakeries for their stale bread. Mold, I am told, is not a problem for birds. Most bakeries are full of workers all night, and they will find the 'throwaway' loaves. There are usually dozens. One night they were so fresh that I began distributing them to tramps sleeping on bus benches. Motor running, I leapt from the car, as I handed it to the sleeping, homeless old lady, a guy in a Mercedes gave me the highsign. I made the finger rubbing money sign, and said 'you give me money for her,' pointing to the supine woman. He pulled out a buck. I darted out into traffic, which was stopped at a red light, got the money and gave it to the old lady while he watched. One of life's neat moments.

We don't have the homeless L.A. has but we have huge flocks of crows out here in the valley to the north of L.A. The other eve I saw a huge racoon with a mask climb the tree outside on my curb strip after dining on my soaked bread. I made a mammal happy! That little guy probably ate up a few lifetimes of my worst karma.

So as you look at the little yellow bird below, let his eyes tell you how little food is out there in spring, just when they're building nests and laying their eggs. And motivate you to check bakeries in your area, and find out what day the bread returns come. Or maybe make an arrangement with baker about old bread or even unused dough. Roll it in to a thin sheet, bake. Then soak in your vegie water, vitaminized! or broths from cooking for your pets. Serve to a chorus of happy peeps!THANK YOU SO MUCH! MISTER HUMAN BEING. NEXT LIFETIME I'll be your personal friend! This lifetime I just can thank you and beg the Gods treat you real nice, cuz YOU SHARE! (munch munch!) DELICIOUS!

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posted December 01, 2004 03:38 PM         

i've had my bird feeder open for business for a few weeks now and have not got one single customer! it hangs just outside my kitchen window, right above my sink, so i can watch it quite often.

and nobody has attended my feast! we have many trees surrounding us and live on a semi-rural property, so we don't lack for any birds.

i do have many cats roaming the yard, but my bird feeder is out of their reach.

posted December 27, 2004 03:27 PM         

We hardly ever have any birds around here in the winter, but I have noticed a lack of other wildlife. Squirrels have been out and about though, so we've been throwing nuts out for them.

posted December 27, 2004 09:58 PM         

I have Mars, Pluto and Uranus all tightly conjoined in Virgo in the 6th. (I mistakenly typed 5th house previously)

Saffron,

posted December 31, 2004 01:09 AM         

i've just discovered that the bird feeder hangs almost directly over a septic system....it may be that the birds feel a negative energy there. that, and all the magnificent trees and foliage surrounding the property....they probably don't need to come this close to the house.

our cats stalk the perimeter of the house as well, and they climb the trees in our yard, so i'm not sure how welcome the birds really feel here!

thanks for that info Eleanore....i hope to start a kitchen garden soon (didn't you say elsewhere you want to do that?)....so i will try to add things they like.