Here are some good photos of common backyard birds.
Beaks
The beaks of birds determine how they eat, which suggests they were created that way. I find it comical to imagine this developing over millions of years, with the right beaks rewarding birds with full bellies and healthy children.
Cardinals are spectacular for two reasons. One is their distinctive plumage, whether muted in the female or bold in the male. The other is their powerful beaks. The birds with tiny beaks (chickadee, titmouse) grab one seed and flit to safety to peck it open, holding it in their feet while they crack it with a quick jab from their beaks.
The cardinals use their enormous beaks to break open the seeds and enjoy them on the spot, without leaving the supply. Since they are larger, they also tend to dominate the scene.
The combination is fun, because the little ones dash in and out when they can, while the cardinals eat and seem to smirk, looking at the window for excess movement. They tolerate some movement in the room and quickly return to feeding when disturbed.
An undisciplined bush grows near the feeder, so that serves as the waiting room. I trimmed it to make room for the feeder, so some shoots grew extra long. The small birds will use one fragile branch as their crow's nest. They have a great view, and the branch is too weak to support feline threats or another creature. Our bonus is seeing a chickadee, titmouse, or finch swaying on his watchtower.
The safflower seeds lasted a long time, but they were expensive per pound. Mr. Squirrel has abandoned attempts at the bird feeder altogether. Now the pure black oil sunflower seeds are being fed from the protected feeder. They are the best buy, especially in 25 and 50 pound bags. I am going to use a plastic garbage can for the opened bag, to keep it dry and vermin free. The squirrels and chipmunks found the bags last year and left me with pounds of seed hulls to clean up.
Mixed Seed
The mixed seed bag is being used for the front door area, so birds can feed on the ground in the rocks and also at waist level. The squirrel visits the flower box and selects sunflower seeds from the mix. I left an ear of corn for dessert, but he ignores that. Cold weather will make him less fussy. The backyard deck area has the old corn feeder, which the squirrels from the woods empty on a daily basis. I would rather not corrupt their greedy souls, but I wanted our grandson to see the squirrels feeding again. I put on a fresh one for today's family gathering, but the flint-hearted squirrels left it alone. They may be skipping corn in the back for sunflower seeds in the front.
I also scatter seed by the garage door, which is where I leave to do feeding chores. Last winter I always left a donation there. Today I forgot, so when I came back with the mixed seed bag in hand, birds were exploring the ground for their food. They are not dense. I have learned that birds will hint about their needs, becoming suddenly visible and noisy when they feel neglected. I left them a double helping for their trouble.
Window Ledges
That is also why I leave feed on window ledges. When they get used to food appearing there, they will light more often and look around. Birds are more easily enjoyed when they appear close-up at different windows. An ideal window location will also have a bath. Birds love to sip water with their food and take a bath to help preen their feathers. Multiple bath locations also increase the visibility of birds, especially in very cold and very dry weather.
Sheltered Areas
After one very cold night in Phoenix, all the doves were lined up under the deck roof, cuddling one another in bunches, against the warmer windows. They were still asleep and clueless when I saw them all. They managed to stack themselves for warmth.
A roofed area open to birds will always be attractive for nesting and shelter. We have had two nests near the grill, tucked into lights, since the metal holders form a structure for the nest. The blue jays also built a nest in the bush outside the bedroom window. We got to watch them feeding their young, the nestlings trying their wings, and an empty nest on Mother's Day, 2010. I began bringing seeds to that area during the nesting. The parents would take turns with one as a sentinel as I approached. I knew how nasty jays could be with their young at risk. However, these parents knew I was bringing seed. They were wary but never attacked. Whether they nest again in the same bush will be fun to determine. If they do, I will probably spring for peanuts.
Peanuts
A peanut feeder can be a lot of fun. A hinged lid will challenge a squirrel to open it, and he will. Blue jays love peanuts in the shell, too.
Seedy Suet
The little suet basket has proved to be a better buy than the gourmet suet ball from Duncraft. The raccoons stole the suet ball twice in a row, ending a lucrative relationship between Duncraft and our household. Instead I bought a wire basket and cake of seedy suet, for $3, at Walmart. The birds have pecked at that for weeks, with plenty left for another month or more of feeding.
If all goes well I will upgrade to mealy worm suet for the blue birds. Blue birds are the beauties who enjoy a free lunch on their looks alone. They are worth it. Blue birds are abundant here, but getting them close to the house is the reason to pamper them.
Frugal Feeding
The most frugal feeding methods, attracting the most birds for the least amount of money are:
1. Large bags of black oil sunflower seeds, available at hardware, farm, and other stores. A squirrel-proof feeder is a good buy; cheap feeders - goodbye.
2. Wire baskets of suet, for woodpeckers and other insect eating birds.
3. Scraps of food enjoyed by birds: old fruit, berries, grapes, bread products, and good old-fashioned suet in a citrus bag.
4. Water in shallow pans.
5. Food on the ground and at waist level.
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bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Birds We Love To Watch - Check Out the Beaks":
Squirrels will eat sunflower seeds over walnuts and corn any day, and I suspect over acorns. The reason is black sunflower seeds have 10 times the oil content (see links below).
A problem is all the feeders SAY they are "squirrel-proof." Only some are. For instance, one had a cage fence around it, ostensibly to keep the squirrel from eating with its mouth, but that only made it easy for it to hold on and feast hand to mouth.
Claims of being squirrel proof is similar to how they have to put a cardinal picture on all the bags of seed or anything bird-related, or they don't sell. Also, they won't tell you on seed bags that they are even better at attracting squirrels and chipmunks.
Now that the 10 inch long Hairy Woodpeckers are coming to the suet, it only lasts a month. The smaller Downy Woodpeckers don't put much of a dent in the suet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairy_Woodpecker
If one puts a shiny galvanized chimney pipe over the pole going up to the feeder, that helps. Then one doesn't need a squirrel-proof feeder, or feeders. Everyone should have at least two, I think.
We have one squirrel that really likes suet, and he saw we had some chunks in our tray under the suet cage/basket. He studied how to get up there for days, sitting on the picnic table sizing the situation up. He's the same squirrel, I think, that meant the end of hanging a feeder from the garage eave. It found two ways of getting to it climbing the garage, and the other way was jumping five feet over and two feet up from the picnic table. Quite the long jumper!
Last week we made the error of putting the shepherd's crook with warm water within five feet of the feeder. We knew he could jump five feet, but figured the sway of the pole would cut short his jump. One acrobatic jump later he's steeling suet cubes. So we had to move the bird watering pole. That took heating a gallon of water and pouring it out on the ground to unfreeze a new spot in the yard.
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http://www.oilmillmachinerysuppliers.com/oil_seeds_sunflower.html
The oil content in sunflower seeds is 32-40%
soybean have oil content ranging from 18-22%
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/plymouth/cropsci/docs/high_oil_corn97.html
regular #2 yellow corn. Typically #2 yellow corn has from 3.5 to 4.0% oil. Ideally, high oil corn should contain 7.0 to 8.0% oil.
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GJ - Bird food companies can extra money from customers two ways. One is the squirrel-proof feeder. The other is selling squirrel food and squirrel feeders to bird lovers, who are encouraged to entice the rodents away from the sunflower seed.
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bored has left a new comment on your post "Birds We Love To Watch - Check Out the Beaks":
speaking of Squirrels: Elton Stroh accepted a call to St. Andrews Middleton. Source:the Church and Change listserve.
Not that this case is particularly interesting or surprising, but when I read about it I was struck by something Big Picture: I have never seen a so-called Divine Call that wasn't completely the result of off-stage political machinations by the people involved. Divine? um... yeah...Right.
I don't believe that God calls a false teacher via a false congregation.
How about it Dr. Jackson? And to that end, how can a church ask Laymen to believe in something named the "divine call" when son follows father to the ministry? Wouldn't that be more like a divine guild?
And if the WELS pastors have not really been Divinely Called, but rather encouraged by Dad, how can we have any confidence that these pastors have a legit right to lead the church?
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GJ - Guilds happen for a reason. My family is heavily invested in teaching. Was it genetic or nurture? I grew up in a classroom, often going early with my mother. Sometimes a school library baby-sat me during a teachers' meeting, so I was weaned on C. S. Lewis, historical biographies, and Freddy the Pig. We often discussed the public school system and teaching at home.
However, I have been impressed (negatively) by all the politicking for calls in the ELS, WELS, and micro-minis. The meddling that goes on is shocking and disgusting, causing great harm. Why would the previous pastor get involved in calling the new pastor? It happens all the time in those sects. Deals are made. One alcoholic is protected by his connections. Another one is canned for being a drunk - OK, not likely in WELS. As they say, there is no such song as "What shall we do with a sober sailor?"
One deal in the ELS and WELS is giving an adulterous pastor a call after being caught in the act. Or, there is a two-year waiting period before resuming another adulterous call. The official ELS rule is "Two strikes and yer out." That means anyone kicked out for adultery is already on his second mistress.
The Syn Conference splinters do not believe in a divine call because they do not believe in the efficacy of the Word. They think in terms of feeding their fat tummies, so there is a divine call, but they do not observe the divine mandate.
That is their punishment for electing spineless nice guys who reward their pals and respond to blackmail. Only do not question them, because the Left Foot of Fellowship is just quivering to spring into action.
The guild is keen on shunning anyone judged outside the fellowship for attitudes unbecoming a robot. These guildings or geldings are quite serious about enforcement, but never show the same censorious attitude toward those unfaithful to the Word.
