Thru my window

[JaYbIrD1969]

This was the 105mm nikkor micro. Uncropped

Thank you!

 

[Nina51]

ohhhh WOW!!! so stinkin' jealous!

Nina. I think I should probably say, I dont think it matters. They notoriously search the bases of trees but are very mobile. Its possible mounting it low will only let ground dwelling wildlife raid it. And/or dogs and pigs LOL

well, the dogs are not allowed in the pig pen so that's not a problem. mounting suet low enough to the ground could be a problem with the pigs. arnold will eat anything that won't eat him first and a suet cage would be a wonderful challenge for him. he got SO PHAT over the summer because he spent all day, every day, eating acorns! i swear!!

 

[xtm]

105 micro?? how close were you to the bird?
Nice feather detail..

 

[JaYbIrD1969]

About 18 inches. I'll post a close-up crop so you can see some really nice detail when I get home tonight

Nina I would just put the feeder at a convenient height for you. The woodpecker will find it

 

[Misled]

 

[woodnaquanut]

Cool Nina! They're actually known for feeding at the bottom of trees. So actually the lower the better

I've never seen one anywhere but neck achingly high in trees. Maybe our left coast birds are just a bit different! :thumbsup:

 

[JaYbIrD1969]

You can see my window in his eye. LOL

 

[jroovers]

That's what you call an extreme close-up!

 

[JaYbIrD1969]

 

[Nina51]

jay, the detail you get is incredible!

i tried 3 places for that squirrel repellant and no luck. i'm going to the big city on thursday, gonna see if wild birds unlimited has anything. i could order it online but the shipping for a $14 bottle of spray is $13. that'll be a last resort.

 

[NTP66]

jay, the detail you get is incredible!

i tried 3 places for that squirrel repellant and no luck. i'm going to the big city on thursday, gonna see if wild birds unlimited has anything. i could order it online but the shipping for a $14 bottle of spray is $13. that'll be a last resort.

If you find a squirrel repellent that actually works, please let me know what it's called. I've tried next to everything, and the only thing that I've found to work is a high powered Super Soaker.

 

[Nina51]

the squirrels are so bad here, i don't even put seed out on days i won't be home. days when i'm home, i can walk by and knock on the window to disperse them once in a while but even then, they ravage my bird feeders.

 

[JaYbIrD1969]

I was telling Nina that I have gone thru ridiculous hoops to eliminate the squirrel problems. The only fail safe Ive come up with is to put your feeders where they cant get them. I know that sounds like a no brainer, but its easier said than done. Right now I only have one feeder and its a window box. It hooks on my window sill and because of the topography on this side of my house, its about 8' off the ground.
But another thing that works great is I string a thin, coated cable between two trees and hang my feeders from it. I have it about 8-10' high and service the feeders with a hook on a pole.
Ive seen squirrels try to make kamikaze leaps from the tree to get to a feeder but they just cant. The squirrels have resolved to just scavenging the ground underneath.

 

[Nina51]

we have never, ever allowed hunting on the farm but i am almost to the point of saying yes, come and sit at my window, i'll take the screen out, have at it. mmmm, squirrel gravy.

i love the idea of the cable between the trees but if did that, the feeders would be too far away from the house to be able to enjoy the birds. so, you never have a squirrel go from the tree across the cable to the feeder?

 

[JaYbIrD1969]

so, you never have a squirrel go from the tree across the cable to the feeder?

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! There may be squirrels reading this thread. LOL They did not figure that out but they may over time. Greasing the first couple feet of each side of the cable might deter that.

 

[MiNdErAsR]

I lubed up the shepherds hook with vaseline. No more squirrel problem for jimbo. It also adds to the entertainment factor watching the squirrels jump to the pole, then slide down fireman style.

 

[NTP66]

I actually tried the cable running between branches idea, but other branches were simply too close. The bottom of my feeder is roughly 7' off the ground, and I have watched squirrels jump from the ground and grab hold of the bottom bars. It's amazing how agile those furry rats really are. Crisco covered hoods didn't do much, either - they simply used them as slides en route to the bars. I'd try one of those feeders that spins them off if they weren't so ugly.

 

[woodnaquanut]

Great pics, even CSI style window in eye reflection! The squirrel comments are just too funny!

When we got our feeder we spent about six months figuring out where we could put it that we liked and the furry rats couldn't get to! It's on a pole with a cone and the feeder has a dome. I think one squirrel even had those little aviator goggles like Rocky. Just amazing how determined they are.

My wife liked the wire idea. It might be a real hoot to see if they can 'walk the wire'!

 

[JaYbIrD1969]

This guy is my neighbor http://www.jurustic.com/marshcreatures/index.php He is 80 years young and is the coolest, craziest, most inventive guy Ive ever met. Hes got bird feeders on poles all over the place and he's got them all wired with some kind of mild electrical current (just the poles not the feeders). So the vermin get a heathy jolt if they touch it. Problem is, he's solved the problem so thoroughly he's driven the critters to my land.

 

[Nina51]

oh sheesh, that's hilarious!! the ole guy must be a ton of fun.

i even resorted to putting eared corn out in 3 places away from the bird feeders, thinking it might keep the tree rats busy and away. turns out they like sunflower seed a whole lot better than corn. drat!