Feeding Wild Birds

[ValerieJ]

I just adore Blue Jays, we have Scrub Jays and Pinyon Jays out here in this part of New Mexico.

The Scrub Jays hang out in small groups of 6 to 8, not enough birds to clean out a feeder or tray. When they come in screaming for a peanut, it's like Jay TV, the entertainment never ends as I watch them pick up each peanut to haul off the heaviest one.

The Pinyon Jays have always stolen my heart, they travel in groups to 30 to 100+ birds. Their food of choice is Sunflower, Milo and Suet. Not a single seed survives after these birds descend on the feeders and ground beneath. They are struggling as a species now due to the decline of their main food source of Pinyon Nuts, due to climate change, drought, forest fires and habitat loss. They say these birds are in danger of extinction. These trees are dying at alarming rates out here, so I am doing my best to keep this particular group alive. Years past this group numbered close to 100 to 150. It's down to 35 or so now.

Pinyon Jay looking into the trail cam...
View attachment 4049470

That is exactly what they do here! Pick up every peanut until they have just the right one. We really only put peanuts out for them. No one else would have a chance at one anyway.

 

[TwoCrows]

That is exactly what they do here! Pick up every peanut until they have just the right one. We really only put peanuts out for them. No one else would have a chance at one anyway.

I've seen Titmice carrying off the small peanuts, but it's mostly Jays. I'm allergic to peanuts, so I'm glad somebody gets to enjoy them.

 

[Cebarmlds]

Do you feed shelled or whole peanuts?

I've never seen those type jays. We traveled into Canada a bit and came across Grey Jays, they were fun. Pretty tame, they'd come right to you for a bread crust or whatever you had.

 

[ValerieJ]

Do you feed shelled or whole peanuts?

I've never seen those type jays. We traveled into Canada a bit and came across Grey Jays, they were fun. Pretty tame, they'd come right to you for a bread crust or whatever you had.

I feed whole peanuts in the shell. It's also fun to watch them crack one open and take out the nuts one at a time.

 

[TwoCrows]

Do you feed shelled or whole peanuts?

I've never seen those type jays. We traveled into Canada a bit and came across Grey Jays, they were fun. Pretty tame, they'd come right to you for a bread crust or whatever you had.

Peanuts in the shell here too.

Grey Jays are pretty birds, I wish they ranged this far south but they don't.

 

[R2elk]

Happy Valentine's Day!!!​

 

[fuzzi]

Our squirrels here are quite chubby, they eat bird seed that falls from the feeders or gets swept from the feeders by those annoying blue jays. We put out a lot of suet for wood peckers and any bird that will go after it. We have Downy, Hairy, Red bellied, Pileated. We also put out black oil sunflower and a seed mix for the Juncos and Finches.

A lot of Purple finch have hung around all winter, they usually are just fall and spring. And the Juncos all winter this year, though not as many as come through spring and fall.

Chickadees and Nuthatch always, and the annoying Blue jays.
Crows too, I love them. Cardinals, don't see many these days/years.
Turkeys, now and then... as the ice starts to melt we'll see Bald eagles daily. Trumpeter swans too, all them looking for fish that didn't make it through the winter.

I haven't seen a Pileated woodpecker here in years, but I do hear them. That "jungle cry" is unmistakable.

 

[fuzzi]

I have a variety of feeders to keep the bigger bullies from hogging all the seeds.

What I really enjoy is when the parents bring their newly fledged offspring to the feeders. At first the adults will grab seeds and feed them to the youngsters, but then let the fledglings figure out the rest.

 

[Cebarmlds]

I have a variety of feeders to keep the bigger bullies from hogging all the seeds.

What I really enjoy is when the parents bring their newly fledged offspring to the feeders. At first the adults will grab seeds and feed them to the youngsters, but then let the fledglings figure out the rest.

That's a favorite time for watching the birds for me! You would love watching the Pileated parent grab suet and then stick it into the bark of an oak tree, then the kids come eat it from the tree bark.

 

[Cebarmlds]

Peanuts in the shell here too.

Grey Jays are pretty birds, I wish they ranged this far south but they don't.

The Grey Jays don't even come this far south! (central minnesota) Maybe someday they will.
Several years ago, actually it was probably close to 20 years ago, we had an influx of Great Grey owls from Canada because they had deep snow and the owls couldn't find enough to eat, it was cool to see them everywhere.