You will be amazed, I purchased a bird feeder. I will have to give up one meal a day to make up for the cost of the pole, feeder and feed. I can't believe how much of that feed those creatures eat.

Now, tell me again what you are supposed to do with the birds once you get them attracted.

Well, my birdfeeder didn't cost a thing.
I put a margarine container on the top rail of the 6tf fence that divides the neighbours. In front is the grapvine so it is secure.
The birds love the contents. They have eaten a 3/4 of a pottle in 2 days.
When empty I will fill it with their birdie-pie which they just love.

I have starlings, sparrows and wax-eyes visiting the feeder every day.
They are there 1st thing waiting for breakfast. I put out fresh every morning so the frost doesn't get it.

What do you do once you get them at the feeder?
You watch them enjoy.

This week there was also a photo in the paper of a 12 year old boy out in the country holding a granny-smith apple with a wax-eye sitting on it, and surrounded by other wax-eyes all eating apples.
It has been an exceptionaly cold winter this year and the birds are really feeling it too.

Wax-eyes are the size of a humming-bird.

Zita

DrD,

I didn't see your post until today. I don't know why I missed it earlier.

Congratulations on your purchase of a bird feeder. Now you need to get yourself a good field guide. I recommend the Golden Guide to Field Identification of Birds of North America. There are other very good ones, maybe better than this one, but it is the one we've been using for years, and we have never failed to find any bird we've seen in it.

Once you have a field guide, then when you see a bird at your feeder that you do not know, you can look in your book and find out what it is. In this way, you will learn to recognize them whenever and wherever you happen to see them. Sometimes when I feel tired or stressed, I sit in my rocker next to the French door in our bedroom, and just watch the birds at my feeders. It's a good way to relax for awhile, and to me, a lot more interesting and enjoyable than television or other man-made amusements.

Be sure to tell us what kind of birds you are seeing at your feeder.

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The Lord is the strength of my life and my portion forever.

I can't believe it! I spend a weeks earnings for a feeder, feed and a pole, and then I'm supposed to buy a book, install french doors, and sit around and identify a bird, and if I can't identify it, I look in a book for a picture of the bird I am watching through the french doors, so I can yell "there's a black winged, blue eyed northeastern pink throated wheat bird"! What about just buying a cat to see if the birds or the cat is smarter?

I guess I'd better go out and fill the feeder again, cause those ravenous little devils have about emptied that feeder again!!

Oh, great idea, as long as the cat has a bell round it's neck!

The only trouble with feeding the wild birds is the big birds come and scoff the food first and leave the little wax-eyes wondering where it all went!

Can be a very relaxing activity this bird-watching.

Don't forget to buy a pair of binnoculars too.
Have you heard of Geoff Moon? He is a brilliant photographer in nature.
So maybe you could add a camera to the list as well!

Have fun with your feeder DRD

Zita

How can anyone afford the hobby of bird feeding? Binoculars, and a camera too! I thought golf was expensive!

Why would you want to put a bell on the cat? Are birds so slow that they need an advantage in addition to flying?

You mean we also have to determine good birds and bad birds? I guess the big birds are the bad birds and the little birds are the good birds. Is that right?

Do birds from "down under" eat upside down?