hsapiens: strutting human skeleton (RDA -- w/ Whiskey the Lucky Dog)
hsapiens ([personal profile] hsapiens) wrote2010-05-23 09:35 am

Ideas for feeding woodpeckers?

Anyone know of anything vegetarian I could put out to feed woodpeckers?

I know, I know: they're insectivores. But there's a gorgeous woodpecker that's hanging out in my backyard, eying the seed and peanuts I put out for the birds and squirrels. I want to encourage him to hang around but I'm not willing to go the suet or beef tallow route.

Ideas? Obviously, I want something stable in our heat/humidity because I don't want to kill the little guy.

not sure how much you'd want to spend... but thought these might give you some ideas...

[identity profile] janiekins.livejournal.com 2010-05-25 05:03 am (UTC)(link)
http://www.duncraft.com/Tail-Prop-Woodpecker-Feeder-P4432C0.aspx

http://www.duncraft.com/Peanut-Sunflower-Steel-Feeder-P1793C0.aspx


this one's good cause it's metallic... i *hate* squirrels... they chew up so many of my feeders grrrr!
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Re: not sure how much you'd want to spend... but thought these might give you some ideas...

[identity profile] hsapiens.livejournal.com 2010-05-25 05:20 am (UTC)(link)
That metal ones looks interesting. I'm at peace with the squirrels. I think they're cute and since I offer good eats, I have two species in my yard: gray and fox. What I don't want is to spend money to put something out there that they're just going to destroy; pointless, that. As a result, my feeding strategy has been the ultra-advanced, high-tech method called, "broadcast spreading." That is, I throw the food on the ground and the animals clean it up.

I feel so smugly superior when I read so many people cursing out the squirrels who raid their feeders because I took an animal behavior course in college and I know it's a losing battle. I watched a film of a squirrel figure out a Rube Goldberg set-up in under an hour for a single friggin' peanut. Why would anyone think that a tube on a pole would defeat these wily adversaries?!? I show my mastery of SG-1 made-up philosophy in that I deny the battle.

They are very annoying in their chewing, though. When I first started this endeavor, I bought special feeders for ground feeders, feeders for squirrels, and a tube feeder for small birds. They all became squirrel feeders and they destroyed every one of them. Even the squirrel feeders. Hmph.

Maybe metal could survive the onslaught? I'm not certain as I expect to see squirrels with tiny blow torches because they are just that resourceful.

p.s. O HAI! Long time no chat. *huggles you* Hope that life is good to you, yes?

Re: not sure how much you'd want to spend... but thought these might give you some ideas...

[identity profile] janiekins.livejournal.com 2010-05-25 04:16 pm (UTC)(link)
things are going much better thank you :) *huggles back* :)

i don't know which made me LOL harder... the image of little squirrels with blowtorches or a really, fat woodpecker who couldn't get off the ground...

what annoyed me most about the squirrels was that i had read somewhere that they don't like niger seed, and i had a few out for the finches... the damn things chewed the tubes up

we had one of these http://www.duncraft.com/Droll-Yankees-Flipper-Squirrel-Proof-Feeder-Save-1000-P2080C91.aspx (the video is cute, if i remember it correctly) and it seemed to keep them off...
unfortunately one year it snowed so much that the feeder became the perfect height for the deer in the woods LOL!!

needless to say, it didn't work so well after that :)
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Re: not sure how much you'd want to spend... but thought these might give you some ideas...

[identity profile] hsapiens.livejournal.com 2010-05-25 04:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Poor little flightless woodpecker. :(

If we have finches around here, I haven't seen them since I don't offer niger seed. Or thistle seed. Or any of those really tiny options. And it's for the very reason you mention: squirrels.

$140 for a bird feeder?!? I paid like, $15 for my dog's bowl and he LIVES with me! And snuggles. That's the sort of thing I would put on a Wish List, though. *goes off to add it my Amazon list* It was very thoughtful of you to spend so much money to feed the pretty deers. You Bambi lover, you.

Snow? What is this snow of which you speak?