The bird feeder thread

This morning I had a pileated woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker, and a downy woodpecker visit my suet feeder all within 5 minutes.  Managed to get a pic of the pileated with my iphone.  Can anyone ID the other species in the photo?

It shows up vertically when I view it.  I rotated and saved it vertically in MS Picture Manager.  Everyone else see it sideways?  Sorry

Northwest Wisconsin...not a goldfinch.  Pileated is closer to the camera so bird further back is blurry

correct...and I just had a hairy woodpecker at the feeder so that makes 4 wp species this morning

Depends on where they are mounted.  If on a tree I doubt you can keep them out.  If you can mount them on a pole (away from trees so that can't drop down from above) you can install a cone shaped predator guard on the pole (see my pic above) that prevents them from climbing up.  The size you see on mine will keep out squirrels but its maybe too small of a radius to keep raccoons out (they don't bother mine)...they can reach around and up if its too small.  My problem is bears if I keep the feeders out too late in the spring when they emerge from hibernation.

I can't help but roll over with laughter after reading that sentence.  I can not contain myself.  Sorry, Birkie.

We have one similar tube feeder (green capped) as you and get yellow (male and female) finches all the time.  The males are so brilliant in yellow and pretty.  No squirrel problems even though we live out of town.

I've seen a couple of hummingbirds whizz by in our flowers, and one brilliant red cardinal hiding in the pine trees (always great to see).

I quit feeding last year, because the squirrels destroyed the feeders to get to the food.  We usually do hummingbird feeders in the summer, but I built a wire frame(clam shell) for shade that we let trumpet vine grow on and it usually brings in hummingbirds also.

Usually we get house finch and goldfinch, blue jays, robins, cardinals, nuthatch, and of course sparrows.  Once the squirrels took over, I quit feeding to try and get the squirrels to find somewhere else to destroy feeders and eat all of the food.

I would like to feed the birds but we have two outdoor cats and I'm worried they will get after the birds. Do I need to worry about this or can the birds get away on their own?  Honestly, the cats are  lazy and pretty much only get up to stare at us through the door until we feed them.

We do feed the humming birds in the summer. They are VERY entertaining.

I was going to make the old fashioned pinecone/peanut butter/birdseed feeders with the kids over Christmas break and hang them from our pine trees.

give safflower seeds a try...supposedly squirrels don't like it as much and birds will eat it

I've been setting up the feeders more lately, like another poster said, probably because my mom did it.  It also gives the cats (indoor only) something to watch.  Squirrels are pretty well handled, between the baffle and a squirrel proof feeder.  In the summer we get yellow finches, they love thistle.  They're gone for the winter.  We get the occasional flicker or woodpecker, and once in a while I hear an owl, though never see them.

But lately deer have been a problem; they figured out how to tip the feeders until the seed dumps out/spills.

At one point we had 5 fawns in the back yard, and they found out that water lilies taste pretty good as well.

My back yard is half maintained, half feral, along with my neighbors, so it's a good are for deer and other wildlife to hang out.

(Backyard_Deer_birdfeeders_small.JPG)

(Water_lily_buffet_small.JPG)

OMG, are you my long lost twin?!?  I always say the same thing when referring to our little black-capped friends!

Edited to add: nice set-up and bird assortment to the OP!