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Small Cabin Forum / Nature / Bird feeders
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xtolekbananx
Member
# Posted: 13 Apr 2019 17:51
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Hello. I'm gonna build a few bird feeders so I can enjoy them watching when at the cabin. Basically I will use pallet wood and was thinking about putting some kind of glass bottle upside down so the seeds wont come out at once just little as they feed. Does anybody have any pictues of their bird feeders, I'd lime to see your setup. Thanks

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 13 Apr 2019 20:27
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Draw back to bird feeders is most seeds end up on the ground around it and it brings in loads of mice and rats and other unwanted pest. Oh, they will chew on engine wiring under the hood of a car if its near by too. Plus the goofy stuff that starts to grown like thistles etc from the seeds germinating.

silverwaterlady
Member
# Posted: 14 Apr 2019 15:12
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Be careful on the pallet wood.
It can be sprayed with pesticides.
I think the wood that is sprayed is marked. You can Google it for info.

Be careful on where you store the seeds. I put mine in the shed in a metal garbage can and leave it in my shed. When I fill the bird feeders I make sure I don't drop any seeds. I also use up all the seed before I leave for the season.

A hungry bear will tear your shed apart to get to a leftover bag of birdseed!

I posisition the feeders well away from the cabin. They must be suppended in the air. We lost a very nice expensive bird feeder our daughter bought us for Christmas because we mounted it on a tree!
We looked everywhere for it. Never did find it. So that was our bird feeding learning experience from last Summer, the first full season spent at our cabin!

I found in my area the birds had no interest in the birdseed until the second week of September. Probably because they had enough to eat before than.

I also found out that Sept 1 is the time in Northern Ontario to remove the hummingbird feeders or the birds won't migrate. They will stick around because there is a food source and freeze to death.

silverwaterlady
Member
# Posted: 14 Apr 2019 15:14 - Edited by: silverwaterlady
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Sorry, no photos.
I used wire dry cleaning hangers straightened bent on one end with a hook to hang the feeder, bent just enough to be able to remove the feeder to fill (the hanger part bent in to accommodate the size of the tree branch) to hang a lightweight plastic bird feeder I bought in town to replace the beautiful gift from our daughter. Hung from a sturdy branch well away from the trunk of the tree.
I did the same with the hummingbird feeder.

FishHog
Member
# Posted: 14 Apr 2019 17:41
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My mother loves feeding her birds, but complains about all the mice and squirrels.. She actually wanted to borrow a pellet gun to shoot the squirrels. Can't have one without the other so be careful.

silverwaterlady
Member
# Posted: 14 Apr 2019 18:23
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I'm surprised I haven't seen any mice.
Our squirrels are cute. They look like chipmunks. They can't get to my bird feeder and just eat the seed that falls on the ground.

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 14 Apr 2019 19:51
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Quoting: silverwaterlady
They can't get to my bird feeder and just eat the seed that falls on the ground.



That might be good, one reason for no mice. Squirrels are leaving them nothing.

old243
Member
# Posted: 15 Apr 2019 08:59
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Enjoy seeing the birds. The squirrels are another matter. Keep trees trimmed back from your buildings they will set up housekeeping , in your soffit or attic.old243

creeky
Member
# Posted: 15 Apr 2019 11:51
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I had squirrels in the attic looks like all winter. and now. no squirrels. no mice.
huzzah least weasel huzzah

BrittanyAustin
Member
# Posted: 18 Apr 2019 02:06
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My bird feeder is supported by commercial solid iron (about 5/8") or 3/4" electric conduit. I placed a beam near the bottom of the feeder to support an aluminum flash cone that was about 12 inches long and 10 inches in diameter. The cone may flip in some places. Squirrels can't cross it, and some people go crazy and bite the edge of the cone (must taste very good). The only problem is that the cone is highly visible and may be more aesthetically pleasing. I guess I can draw them, but that might
Give the squirrel some traction.

Jebediah
Member
# Posted: 19 Apr 2019 09:48
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Bird feeders should be made from a material that can be cleaned.....one sick bird can kill many. And you should clean your feeders often.

KinAlberta
Member
# Posted: 19 Apr 2019 10:13
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Not many people will actually do that.

So there’s an interesting design challenge. A feeder that minimizes contamination risk.

KinAlberta
Member
# Posted: 19 Dec 2021 15:30
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Last spring I finally sent most of my collection of worn out snow shovels and pushers to the landfill.

So of course I now had the idea of repurposing / recycling old plastic snow shovels into bird feeders. (I’m sure someone must have done this but I haven’t found any pics yet of plastic snow shovels being upcycled.)

Anyway pull off the handles and use one to hold bird seed and use a second as the roof to keep snow off. (Drill some drain holes in the bottom.)

Maybe use four chains at the corners or cut up a handle for corner posts.


Note. Could do the same with surplus garbage can lids.

gcrank1
Member
# Posted: 19 Dec 2021 17:15
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Or those boat battery box covers I often see along the road shoulder......

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