Cooper's Hawks are the usual feeder predators in the area, and they are protected - so resist the urge to get the BB gun out. If you really want to discourage the hawk, stop filling your feeders for about a week. The birds will find other feeders in the interim, and the hawk will look for better hunting grounds. But on the other hand, take a good look at the hawk.

We often receive questions regarding smallish, gray-brown birds that are observed preying upon small birds at feeders. The bird described is almost certainly a Cooper's Hawk or Sharp-shinned Hawk. Both are members of the accipiter family; forest dwelling birds that are designed to chase prey through dense vegetation. They have long tails that act like rudders to steer with, and short wings that help them fly in confined areas.

The same thing everyone wants in a good restaurant... a place to relax and enjoy a good meal. Mounting or hanging usually provides protection from curious cats. After that, good service and plenty of mixed seeds such as thistle, millet, safflower, dandelion, primrose, goldenrod, and sunflower will attract songbirds as well as cardinals, blue jays, and morning doves. Click here for more information about types of feed.

Avian influenza viruses are readily transmitted from farm to farm by the movement of live birds, people (especially when shoes and other clothing are contaminated), and contaminated vehicles, equipment, feed, and cages. People should avoid contact with chickens, ducks or other poultry and related equipment and materials unless absolutely necessary. This is the best way to prevent infection with the bird flu virus. As with any Influenza virus, good hygiene is an important part of prevention.

How do you know it is making them sick? There are hundreds of different forms of E.coli, only a few of them are a problem (Enteropathogenic). Be very careful about blaming E.coli for your birds illness. If the E.coli is the problem, then special antibiotics are necessary (eg. Amoxitex). The best thing you can do to control E.coli in an aviary is to have a good hygiene program. Bacteria cannot survive in clean environments.

At this time, there isn’t evidence to indicate that humans can get infected directly from an infected bird. However, it is recommended to always follow general hygienic procedures. Birdbaths and feeders should be washed or disinfected regularly. Wash your hands with soap and water after touching the baths/feeders. To prevent mosquitoes from breeding on your property, empty and clean birdbaths at least once a week and eliminate any other standing water in your area.

If this is the first time you have a feeder in your yard, you may need to wait several weeks for birds to discover it. It may help you to put a shiny pie pan with some seed in it underneath the feeder to attract birds flying through your yard. Black oil sunflower seeds are a favorite among most birds. Water is also a natural attractant.

The best thing to do is to stop feeding the birds temporarily. Remove the feeders and throw out all of the seed. Thoroughly wash your feeders as suggested in Tips for a clean feeding station. Remove all debris from under your feeder. Do not touch the sick birds. Refill all of your feeders and resume feeding.

Make sure you have the correct feeder. Example, it is difficult to get Cardinals to come to a tube feeder. Tie a small piece of tin foil on your feeder so it glints in the sun. The birds will have an easier time spotting the feeder.

Birds with summer ranges normally far to the north of where most A.T. hikers live are often found in the mountains, where the altitude makes the climate resemble that of Canada. Insect-eating birds such as whippoorwills, flycatchers, and swallows rarely show up in back yards but are common along the Trail. The songs of deep-woods birds such as the ovenbird, kinglet, veery, pewee, and red-eyed-vireo will provide an ongoing chorus for summer hikers.

Giving your cat a collar fitted with a bell or a sonar device will reduce the number of birds it catches. You can buy collars that are fitted with a quick release mechanism that is safer for your cat. Keeping your cat indoors at dusk and dawn, when birds are most vulnerable, will also help. If you keep your cat well fed, they are less likely to hunt and are more likely to stay close to home which may curb their hunting instincts.

Sometimes it takes birds quite a while before they use a new feeder or bird bath. If after ten days, no birds are visiting, think about moving the unit to another location in your yard. I don't have any suggestions. Hopefully, this bird will quickly pass through whatever season is causing this behavior or move to another location. Even if you succeeded in chasing the bird out of a particular tree, it would probably choose another location equally close.

You're not doing anything wrong. It takes time for birds to locate a new feeding source. A spell of bad weather always drives birds to concentrate at feeders. Try putting your feeder in a new location far from your house and the portion of your yard where you are active. Put the feeder in or near a tree that the birds regularly use.

Birds will come to balcony feeders, but it may take a while to attract them. Much depends on the surrounding habitat. If there are lots of trees and some water, your success rate will be higher. City dwellers may have to content themselves with sparrows as their primary visitors.

It probably is more important to the birds what kind of seed is offered than what type of feeder is being used. Generally, use low platform feeders to serve mixed seed to sparrows, doves, towhees and other species that prefer eating close to the ground. Hanging feeders filled with sunflower seed will attract cardinals, nuthatches and chickadees. Put Nyjer® seed in a tubular style, hanging feeder for the finches.

To discourage House Finches, remove the perches from your feeders. For Blue Jays and large aggressive birds, the Havahart Squirrel Guard (model 2105 ) is an ideal feeder. It has wire mesh surrounding the seed reservoir that prohibits larger birds from flying through the mesh openings and eating the seed. Blackbirds and Sparrows love cracked corn, refrain from offering the seed. Do not put mixed seed in your feeder to prevent Doves and Sparrows from feeding. Check out the Bird Seed Chart (www.

Larry and TOOTIE Sometimes an individual or family acquires a bird, not realizing the time committment and amount of care involved. It does not help that some pet stores wanting to make a sale will not explain just how much work and responsibility is involved, and still other pet stores have no idea themselves, or simply don't care. People often have the best of intentions in mind, but when it comes to the day-to-day grind, sometimes those good intentions deteriorate.

The following is an excerpt from a pamphlet on Athlete's Foot by the American Academy of Dermatology, April 1994: Athlete's foot does not occur among people who traditionally go barefoot. It's moisture, sweating and lack of proper ventilation of the feet that present the perfect setting for the fungus of athlete's foot to grow.

No. Acne is a glandular complaint not an infection. You can't give it to your friends by touching or kissing. However, bacteria on the skin's surface can certainly irritate the condition for you that's why regular, thorough cleansing is essential. The same circumstances that are producing too much sebum in your skin, may also produce too much sebum in the hair follicles on your head that's why greasy hair and, occasionally, dandruff go handing hand with acne.

Birds sometimes take a period of time to find and start using a feeder. Meanwhile, make sure that you have the right set up, which includes not only the feeder itself, but also plantings around the yard. Also, activity at a feeder changes with the seasons. In fall and early winter, the abundance of weed seeds and berries keep the birds fed. During breeding seasons, birds are busy with nesting activity and are dispersed in their territories.

There is nothing in aluminum itself that would be harmful to birds. Because it is a soft metal, however, it bends easily and could be crinkled if a squirrel were to land on it. Including a screen beneath a feeder will help reduce the amount of debris that attracts squirrels when it falls to the ground.

Different birds have their own preferences, both in types of food and style of feeders. Perching birds such as chickadees will grab a single sunflower seed from a hopper-style feeder and fly off to the nearest branch to crack it open. Goldfinches, on the other hand, will cling for several minutes to a perch on a tubular feeder as they repeatedly take and eat sunflower chips or Nyjer seed.

Believe it or not, they will be able to feed. The Niger/Thistle feeder is specially designed to only attract birds that will feed from thistle. You can review our seed chart to find out what birds will be attracted to this feeder.

Just check the seed that you put in the starter dish to see if the seed is gone or any seed husks are left behind.

You would be surprised to learn how many emails I receive, essentially saying, 'I like hawks, but not in my back yard' Unfortunately, I only know of one solution, and no-one likes it, but here it is. Discourage the prey, and the predator will have no cause to come. However we all want to feed our wild birds, and we should feel very privileged to see the full cycle of nature. We are in affect creating a takeaway in our back garden. A deterrant may be to place a feeder in a protected position e.g.

Granted seed moths are annoying little pests, but they are far from dangerous. Just put the bag of bird seed in your garage or refrigerator. The cold will keep them from hatching. If they are in the garage, well at least they aren't inside the house. Use traps to catch the ones flying in your home. I suggest you do a trap and kill them tho. If they lay eggs before they die, you'll have a lot more little moths in the months to come.

Some are relatively easy to remove. Check out my links page for guidance. Others are more troublesome, and seem to keep coming back no matter what you do. If you’re experiencing any of the above problems, please consider using our services. We’re happy to help.

Since this feeder is a neat and clean-looking feeder that doesn't make a mess, it can be left up all year 'round.