Anyone still feeding birds?

[rsvman]

We lived there from 2012 to 2017. Then we moved back to Richmond, VA to be closer to home/family. I loved my time out there, seemed we had a new hiking trail every weekend. We were in Cedar City which is about 3 hours south of Salt Lake and 2 hours north of Vegas.

Cedar was great, in the summer you could drive 1/2 hour up into the mountains and the temp was 15 degrees cooler. In the winter you could drive south toward the desert for 1/2 hour and the temp was 10/15 degrees warmer.

I was born in Cedar City. My maternal grandfather was the editor of the local paper there. They closed down the entire town for his funeral.

Last time I was there in July we drove up to Cedar Breaks and there was still snow on the ground; it was about 40 degrees up there, and it was about 90 in the valley.

My paternal grandparents lived in Orderville, not far from Zion National Park. My family moved to Provo when I was 11, and I lived there until I headed off to medical school in New Orleans.


Hmm....guess that wasn't much about birds. Sorry for the threadjack. On Sunday my wife and I saw a bird at the feeder that I have only seen a couple of times before. Not sure what it was. Size was at least as big as a blue jay. Color was brown with white markings especially on the breast. I will have to look it up in our bird book and see if I can figure out what it was.

[sagegrouse]

Hmm...guess that wasn't much about birds. Sorry for the threadjack. On Sunday my wife and I saw a bird at the feeder that I have only seen a couple of times before. Not sure what it was. Size was at least as big as a blue jay. Color was brown with white markings especially on the breast. I will have to look it up in our bird book and see if I can figure out what it was.

Not a Brown Thrasher?

[DUKIECB]

Not a Brown Thrasher?

Hard to say for sure without pics but I would agree that it sounds like a Brown Thrasher from the description.

[rsvman]

Not a Brown Thrasher?

Yeah, I think that's what it was. I remember looking it up before. Thanks.

Yep. Just Google imaged it. That's exactly what it was.

[sagegrouse]

Yeah, I think that's what it was. I remember looking it up before. Thanks.

Yep. Just Google imaged it. That's exactly what it was.

Fun birds. They are all over SC, especially on golf courses in the Low Country. Sing like a Mockingbird (close relative), but very good at staying hidden.

[bundabergdevil]

Found sunflower seeds in my ski boots. The feeders have attracted mice (big surprise, I know). Need to work on some anti-mice strategies because I like the feeders too much to remove them completely.

Here is your golden tip for the day, if you can deal with the side effects: cotton balls moistened with peppermint oil.
Years ago we had mice invade an air conditioning unit, and it cost us $500 to fix (they ate wiring, as they do).
So I get online, and many state extension agencies lauded peppermint oil as a great mouse deterrent (I put some cotton balls under the hood if I'm on vacation during the winter to keep them out)...

Funny thing was, I get the peppermint oil from Amazon, via Now Foods. All the sales pitch was about aromatherapy, soothing nature of peppermint oil, etc...but the first 15 reviews were ALL about the effectiveness as a mouse deterrent.

Just get a bag of cotton balls, gently upend the oil container to moisten the cotton balls, place them where you wish...good for several weeks at least...

We had marmots eating flowers on our deck. They like to sit on exposed perches that provide views -- and the flowers were there. Cayenne pepper solved that problem -- they never came back.

Mix red pepper corns in your seed, the rodents will leave it alone.

I know you all have been anxiously awaiting my mouse shock and awe strategy. So, after the sunflower seeds in the ski boots I trapped/killed 7 mice in about a week in various basement locales. In parallel, I removed one feeder that was right next to the house and put a basket under the second one in the yard to hopefully catch most seeds and keep them off the ground. I also added a lot of cayenne pepper to my bird seed. I took some foam and filled a few gaps around electricals and dribbled some peppermint oil around my external fan. In the basement, I doused some cotton balls in peppermint oil and scattered them around in key areas. Place smells like one of Santa's elves ate too many candy canes. Brought down everything off the top two basement shelves except traps.

Wife says if my defeat and deterrence strategy doesn't work, I have to call the exterminator. We'll see. Incorporated lots of suggestions from this crew so thanks!

[budwom]

I know you all have been anxiously awaiting my mouse shock and awe strategy. So, after the sunflower seeds in the ski boots I trapped/killed 7 mice in about a week in various basement locales. In parallel, I removed one feeder that was right next to the house and put a basket under the second one in the yard to hopefully catch most seeds and keep them off the ground. I also added a lot of cayenne pepper to my bird seed. I took some foam and filled a few gaps around electricals and dribbled some peppermint oil around my external fan. In the basement, I doused some cotton balls in peppermint oil and scattered them around in key areas. Place smells like one of Santa's elves ate too many candy canes. Brought down everything off the top two basement shelves except traps.

Wife says if my defeat and deterrence strategy doesn't work, I have to call the exterminator. We'll see. Incorporated lots of suggestions from this crew so thanks!

peppermint oil (the real thing) will definitely work, you just have to replenish periodically to keep up the smell.

Another part of my Mouse Maginot Line is the good old Victor mouse trap (sounds like you're doing this), with a dab of peanut butter as the lure. If you catch a mouse or the bait gets nibbled, you know you have an incursion..otherwise you're operating
on faith alone. My traps in the garage have gone un-nibbled for weeks now, so the Maginot Line is holding.

I don't think the exterminator has any better technology than you do...Onward!

[bundabergdevil]

Looking forward to seeing birds on the snow in the AM. Lots of juncos hopping around the base of my feeder now with the first flakes falling.

[Devilwin]

We had some freezing rain early, but it's gone now. The birds are hitting the feeders hard though. New faces are a pair of white crowned sparrows.

[rsvman]

My wife texted me this morning to tell me that this morning there were at least four or five bluebirds at our feeder! We haven't seen any bluebirds at the feeder for a very long time, maybe 10 months or more.

[aimo]

My wife texted me this morning to tell me that this morning there were at least four or five bluebirds at our feeder! We haven't seen any bluebirds at the feeder for a very long time, maybe 10 months or more.

My feeder is hanging outside my kitchen/dining bay window. One morning several years ago, thee was a little bluebird on my windowsill looking in at me. I came right up to the window and talked baby talk to him. He wasn't scared, he just stood there and looked at me. The next morning, there were two little bluebirds sitting on my windowsill looking in at me. I think he wanted me to meet the missus. They were not staring at their reflections, they definitely saw me.

[TeacherTom]

Today I watched a woodpecker try to figure out how to partake of the sunflower seeds in my tube feeder. He first lit on the perch but couldn’t bend low enough, he then fluttered to the dome and slipped immediately off. Finally, he flew to the bottom upside down and raised his head to the entrance of the tube and grabbed a seed.

[bundabergdevil]

peppermint oil (the real thing) will definitely work, you just have to replenish periodically to keep up the smell.

Another part of my Mouse Maginot Line is the good old Victor mouse trap (sounds like you're doing this), with a dab of peanut butter as the lure. If you catch a mouse or the bait gets nibbled, you know you have an incursion..otherwise you're operating
on faith alone. My traps in the garage have gone un-nibbled for weeks now, so the Maginot Line is holding.

I don't think the exterminator has any better technology than you do...Onward!

Friggin caught a mouse again! The heavy snow/cold may have sent them in but I’m surprised! Thought I’d made progress.

[budwom]

Friggin caught a mouse again! The heavy snow/cold may have sent them in but I’m surprised! Thought I’d made progress.

Stand tall in your fight! Remember the cardinal rule of The Mouse Wars: there is never just one mouse. Somehow I seem to be a bit ahead of the game now, no mice in several months, but they could be
lining up for a mass assault, who knows?

[bundabergdevil]

Stand tall in your fight! Remember the cardinal rule of The Mouse Wars: there is never just one mouse. Somehow I seem to be a bit ahead of the game now, no mice in several months, but they could be
lining up for a mass assault, who knows?

If pressed, I would have no problem resorting to Tyler’s solution in Never Cry Wolf.

[DUKIECB]

Not at my feeder but I was lucky enough to spot an American Kestrel yesterday near Stone Mountain State Park. Got to watch it through the binoculars for several minutes hunting a field from a wire. Very cool bird from the falcon family.

Also, saw two red tail hawks fly into the same tree and pose for me for a couple minutes. Only problem is all I had with me was my iphone so the pictures didn't turn out well. Still cool to see though.

[Devilwin]

Kestrels are common here in winter. But are declining. Beautiful little falcons..

[budwom]

Kestrels are common here in winter. But are declining. Beautiful little falcons..

They spend the summer with us up North (we've had I believe the same nesting pair for several years now, they've been productive in producing young ones each year), then they visit you guys down South.
Yeah, they can really zoom around, and they chatter up a storm...

[Devilwin]

We do have a year round resident population, but in winter their numbers double.

[bundabergdevil]

Not at my feeder but I was lucky enough to spot an American Kestrel yesterday near Stone Mountain State Park. Got to watch it through the binoculars for several minutes hunting a field from a wire. Very cool bird from the falcon family.

Also, saw two red tail hawks fly into the same tree and pose for me for a couple minutes. Only problem is all I had with me was my iphone so the pictures didn't turn out well. Still cool to see though.

Gives me a chance to re-post my kestrel chick banding pictures from earlier this year!


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