http://bird-bath.net Fri, 13 May 2011 04:55:04 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 http://bird-bath.net/why-arent-wild-birds-eating-my-suet/194/ http://bird-bath.net/why-arent-wild-birds-eating-my-suet/194/#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:02:20 +0000 http://bird-bath.net/why-arent-wild-birds-eating-my-suet/194/ I started feeding wild birds this summer (or in the spring actually, but didn’t really start eating anything until summer). I have a pretty good crowd, and enjoy it.
Mostly they seem to like the black oil sunflower the best, I go through the most of that, maybe 5lbs in a couple weeks. I also use some safflower, they like it OK, seems the ground feeding birds like it more than the birds using the couple hanging feeders I have around. I also have a bag feeder with thistle seed that gets used a little by some finches.
I also have some simple water trays out, which will be tough to try to keep unfrozen this winter (although I want to help them, I think a heated birdbath is more than I want to spend, both for the bath and electricity, any tips on keeping them watered cheaply? Anyone ever use one of these “solar” birdbaths?). My real question, is I bought a suet feeder and have had suet out for a few weeks now, but has hardly been touched. What gives? They’d rather have the seed?
Andrew:
I’m in Wisconsin (USA) and temps here will get below zero (F). Yeah, if it’s not heated it’ll freeze. Unless this solar thing will work, or at least create open water during the day if the sun is out. I can’t see keeping the water heated at night in the dead of winter. One person I talked to says she just empties her regular birdbath in the morning and fills it with hot tap water (not boiling hot) and the birds, she says, are smart enough to know they need to get water before it can freeze up again?

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