Grosbeaks at My Feeders

This morning I had a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak pair at my feeders. I had positively identified a female one yesterday with my Mom (they can easily be mistaken for an overgrown sparrow!). We could then hear the male in the woods, but never found him. Today, he not only came to the feeders with the female, he posed for a photo for me! They seem to like the safflower seed in the hopper feeder. Actually, the male liked to scrape around in the tray feeder for dropped safflower seeds more. The males have really striking markings.


So what kinds of birds can you expect if you have feeders in your backyard? Well, if you live in a suburban area in Southern Indiana and put out a variety of feeders, including nuts and suet, you can attract quite a variety. If you live in a rural area with some sort of water and woods nearby, the list is longer. I have 122 birds on my life list and 56 of them have been right here in my yard or on the lake. I'm working on getting that list on the blog.


What do I mean by a variety of seeds? Well, I have a feeder specifically for the finches that I keep nijer seed in. I have two different suet feeders, one upright "tail prop" feeder and an upside down one. My woodpeckers are particularly fond of the Naturally Nuts suet from Wild Birds Unlimited. Of all the ones I have tried, it attracts the most variety of woodpeckers: Downies, Hairies, Red-Bellied, and Flickers. Other birds like Chickadees and Titmice like it, too.


A basic hopper feeder with a blend of sunflower, safflower, and black oil sunflower seeds attracts a wide variety of birds. Everything from Sparrows (English, Chipping, Song) to Wrens (House and Carolina) to Cardinals. If you live in a rural area or at least in a suburb near the rural areas, it may be worth trying an oriole feeder. It usually has a place to put some grape jelly and a spike to put an orange half on. We get Orioles here, but I have never actually seen them come to the feeder yet. Of course, anywhere you live you could attract hummingbirds with a hummingbird feeder. Don't bother buying the commercial food. I just microwave a cup of water to 1/4 cup of sugar to dissolve it, let it cool and pour it in. NEVER add food coloring. It isn't necessary and there are some who believe it might even be harmful to the birds. The bright color of the feeders will attract them.


Wow! I now have two Grosbeaks here at once, as I write this! That's a first for me. This is what is fun about feeding birds. Research shows that even birds that frequent feeders still get the majority of their food from natural sources. There isn't any danger of them becoming dependent on the feeder food. The primary reason to feed them is to get a chance to see them up close instead of having to search them out far and wide (and high up in the trees!). I frequently just sit at my kitchen table watching them at the feeders.