Inspired by our friends Steve & Jewel, I then decided to upgrade the quality of our stale big box store black sunflower offerings to include finch food, nuts, dried fruit, sugar water for the orioles and hummings birds, homemade plugs for the suet feeder with lard, oatmeal, raisins & other secret ingredients the ladies (Jewel and Mrs. T) threw into the mix. Here are some of the results.
From left to right. Indigo bunting, downy woodpecker, chipping sparrow, gold finch & female rose-breasted grosbeak. 
Brown Thrasher
Catbird 
Indigo bunting, male northern oriole 
Swainsons Thrush
Swainsons Thrush
In addition, this spring, we also saw at the feeders, the usual bluejays, northern flickers, yellow bellied sapsuckers, hummingbirds, chickadees,robins, white throated sparrows, juncos, northern cardinals, grackels, & starlings but alas no bluebirds yet. To see waterfowl, warblers and other songbirds I've got to go futher afield.
Feeder watching in the spring.... what fun!
Quite a banquet ... And quite the results!
ReplyDeleteYou and I are on the same wavelength today, TB. I just posted bird pics myself. I must try the orange slices and see what I get.
ReplyDeleteI have suet cakes with orange peel in them and the orioles love them. Haven't had to dish out the oranges or jelly yet.
ReplyDeleteHappy for you that you have so many neat birds at your feeder, TB. It is fun!
You know the old saying: "If you build it, they will come"....Well, if you feed them, they will come! Nice shots, and nice variety of birdies!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your beautiful birds with us. I am so envious of those Orioles. Have a great rest of the weekend.
ReplyDeleteAdding so much variety seemed to work well for you. I need to try that!
ReplyDeleteAh, birdwatching is always a fun way to spend one's time.
ReplyDeleteLovely collection, it is fun when you see all the variety.I went out for 4 hours today.
ReplyDeleteI'm so jealous of the indigo buntings! I love the variety of stuff you put out and the results were certainly well worth it.
ReplyDeleteSeeing all kinds of different birds at the feeders always makes my heart sing. I really need to put a little more energy into their food this year so I can get your kind of results. I did have a Rose Breasted Grossbeak last week but the camera battery was dead :(
ReplyDeleteYou have a good variety of birds. I did feel sorry for the tree in the first photo..but I suppose it is for a good cause. (I have a "thing" about pieces of metal in trees)
ReplyDeleteYour feeders sound like a smorgasborg:)
But... but... where are the squirrels? :-)
ReplyDeleteThose are some great pics and great sightings. I love when the Orioles come back around.
ReplyDeletelove those fruit-loving birds! we don't get many here at all. i've only seen a few glimmers of orioles.
ReplyDeleteI've tried oranges, jelly, and an oriole feeder and I have yet to see even one! And you slap up some orange slices and there are two before you get back up on the deck. I am so jealous...
ReplyDeleteI do believe we attract better birds with the more expensive seeds.
Wow, you have a virtual (birdtual?) color wheel of birds. I've heard that the orioles are here, but I haven't seen any, even with some grape jam out there. We have at least three pairs of rose breasted grosbeaks, and they are a treat. And we have a white throated sparrow which insists on plinking his beak on our windows. I'm wondering what his problem is.
ReplyDeleteLook at all your pretty birds!!! Fun!! I never thought of putting real fruit out for them!
ReplyDeleteRight now, I am trying to keep the Crows and the Grackles out of my yard. They are scaring away my Finches and Nuthatches, though the Doves are giving them a run for their money. I know they have to eat too but I think they are big enough to fend for themselves!!! :)
Oh yes... bird watching... I could sit all day and watch them!!
xo Catherine
I don't have near your luck at attracting birds. Apparently I can't even put out a good spread for them, let alone people. I do have one loyal pair of chickadees who think I'm da bomb.
ReplyDeleteI always smile when I see Oriole feeders for sale here in Georgia. In this region, all we'll get is the occasional migrating one, but that's about it, and oh, how I'd dearly love to see that at my feeders!
ReplyDeleteLove it! Spring birding is the best and since I'm rather a lazy birder a lot of the time, when the birds come to the yard....can't get much better than that
ReplyDeleteI don't know what that secret ingredient is, but it obviously works in attracting the birds.
ReplyDeleteI usually feed just standard mixed and black-oil sunflower. At one point I decided to offer a special treat; an expensive bag of seed mixed with various, semi-dried berries, nuts, etc. The birds rejected it completely and only came back once the raccoons ate the "special" stuff. Nice to know they're cheap dates, anyway!
ReplyDeleteWow, you're spoiling 'em--they'll be wanting bacon & French toast to go with those oranges.
ReplyDeletewonderful photos! We have about 25 goldfinches at our feeders at a time .. and we fill 6 quart feeders a day for the hummers who enliven our days each year...as near as we've been able to count there are about 20 at each feeder as dusk falls!
ReplyDeleteBirds can make one's day .... and a good book too !