Wild bird feeding and blue jays

[sourland]

I am located in West central NJ and have 3 hanging bird feeders and several cage style suet feeders in operation. I have fed the wild birds ever since we moved here in 1965. With the upsurge in Coopers and Sharpshin populations I feed far less than I initially did. This year I have one interesting finding. There are no blue jays coming to my feeders. None at all. Has anyone else noticed a decrease in the blue jay population in their area, or is it just here.

 

[res]

This has been my first winter feeding the birds here in southern MD. I have 3 or 4 blue jays that routinely visit the feeders, and several more that hang out down the road at the school bus stop that I walk my kids to each morning. I don't know if that is a "normal" amount for this area, but they are here...

 

[Eggsoteric]

We are overrun with Blue Jays. What are you placing in the hanging feeders? We find whole peanuts to be a favorite food of Blue Jays.

 

[sourland]

50% BOSS and 50% wild bird mix. Every other year you couodn't beat them off with a stick. This year there are none. On the other hand the cardinal population seems to have exploded. Earlier thisyear when the big pin oak tree in our hedgerow was loaded with acorns, there were none harvesting them. Any other year there would be a dozen at a time taking and hiding the acorns.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

This year I kept my feeder stocked with mostly just BOSS because tractor supply sells them pretty cheap. I had an AMAZING variety of birds this year. Lots of house sparrows and goldfinches but plenty of other not so common small birds. Also quite a few wood peckers, flickers, and nuthatches. We did have some blue jays but I think the way the feeder is made makes it difficult for the jays to cling to the feeder. They seem to fall off and have to hover to take seeds. I see them a lot underneath we the feeders. The jays, doves, and squirrels often fight for fallen seeds! Lol

 

[res]

I am only feeding Purina Scratch Grains.... I recently purchased a bag of Southern States scratch grains, but it is 90% wheat, which isn't going over so well. But the Purina Scratch Grains completely dissappear - I am going through about 5 lbs a day now - feeding only to the wild birds. I switched to it vs. "bird seed" because the grains are identical, but the scratch grain is way cheaper than "bird seed".

Our local hardware store had a good sale on the fancy bird seed right after Christmas. So I picked up several bags of the variety containing all sorts of shelled nuts, berries, seeds, etc. Made no difference to the birds - they didn't eat it any faster, and it didn't attract any other varieties. So I am sticking with the Purina scratch grains.

 

[sourland]

Finally today a blue jay has shown up. Probably forced here by yesterday's snow storm, he is loading up on sunflower seeds. He is collecting a gullet full, flying away to secret them somewhere, and then coming back for another load. Yes, I am spending entirely too much time looking out the windows on this 'snowed in' day.

 

[fowl farm]

I love feeders. Ever held a Chickadee?

 

[sourland]

I've never held one, but I have had them land on my hand, shoulder and head while filling the feeder. I taper off on feeding and do not feed through the summer. Sometime late autumn when I return home and exit my truck a chickadee or two will buzz me with a "dee dee dee" and fly back and forth between the feeder and me as if to say, "Time to start feeding us." I always listen to their requests. Two years ago a pair raised a clutch in one of my blue bird houses. They made the neatest nest out of golden retriever hair gleaned from our dog.

 

[Eggsoteric]

Speaking of blue birds, saw several blue birds (both male and female) in our area yesterday. We love our birds. One of my highlights was to see a piliated woodpecker hammering away on one of our old oak trees about a year or so ago.