Project FeederWatch Begins November 14th/Exploring Tube Feeders

 Welcome back.  As I have mentioned in the last several posts, Project FeederWatch begins on November 14th.  There is still time to sign up for the season, which continues through mid-April.  This is a great family activity, especially during these trying times.  The project involves counting for two consecutive days of your choice each week, or less often if desired.

I have participated in this project for many years.  Project FeederWatch began during the winter of 1987-88 with over 4,000 participants.  Today, more than 20,000 people participate across the US and Canada.  So join today and let the counting begin.

In my last post I began a series highlighting different types of bird feeders.  In that post I covered platform feeders, one of the most common types.  As I mentioned, platform feeders work well for attracting larger birds and multiple birds at once.  This can be conducive to good photo opportunities.    

In this post I will cover tube feeders, another popular feeder type.  As I started doing in the last post, I will provide links to purchase these feeders for your convenience if you are interested.   Be sure to also check out the tab at the top of my blog titled "Bird Watching and Gardening Supplies" for more products. 

I have two tube feeders outside the kitchen window.  One holds regular bird seed mix, the other is designed only as a nyjer (thistle) seed feeder.  

Tufted Titmouse

The tube feeder above has 6 perches for birds to feed.  This feeder is designed for the common bird food mixes.  Some feeders come with alternate ports that allow use with nyjer seed.  These feeders typically hang thus are fairly easy to install.

The next photo shows both of my tube feeders, the one on the right is a nyjer (thistle) seed feeder.  It is constructed with a fine screen that allows the small seeds to poke through just enough to allow the birds to access them.  This feeder is visited most often in my yard by goldfinches and house finches.  Occasionally, however, a chickadee will feed from the thistle feeder,  Chickadees typically prefer sunflower seeds,  Its fun to watch them take one tiny njyer seed at a time, go to a branch, and open the seed,  I'm not sure how they are able to do so!

As I mentioned in my last post, tube feeders are preferred by smaller birds, as they give them a chance to feed away from the larger, bossy birds.  Occasionally larger birds will try yo feed from tube feeders, but they usually aren't successful.

So fill up your feeder or feeders, and get ready to enjoy Project FeederWatch.

Finally, a photo for your enjoyment.

Northern Cardinal

Until next time.