Bird feeding, bird feeders, attracting woodpeckers

Today started out windy but warm and became progressively colder as the hours went on. First thing in the morning all feeders were filled with seeds and corn, and soon after the feeders were covered with birds...lots of birds...birds of many types and varieties.  The American Goldfinches are getting more yellow by the day. They come in a huge flock, first a few come an gradually the entire flock joins the starters.   It is not unusual to have thirty or forty birds on two feeders at the same time. They are quite lovely, and cooperative birds who share space nicely...too bad we humans can't seem to emulate them. My other sightings today were a pair of ground doves, a passle of about eight Cardinals male and female, an overpowering gaggle of red wing Blackbirds, a smattering of Chickadees and Tufted Titmouses.  As I watched out my kitchen window I saw these birds at my feeder, when I went to work at the sink I glanced out that window and saw a Bald Eagle feeding on an Osprey platform out in the water, a short distance away from the house. The Chesapeake Bay is absolutely amazing!

A couple of days ago I placed some suet out in a suet cage, in hopes of calling in some interesting woodpeckers. I haven't put a suet cage out for about two months. Last time I put it out in a snow storm, I put out a suet block in a cage. I attached it to the hook, a two foot long hook that hooked the cage to the tree branch, and when I came back to check it the next day it was gone...suet, suet cage, hook....GONE! I have yet to find it, my guess is a raccoon absconded with it in the dark of night. Quite dramatic. Needless to say, I felt I needed a better system....the missing cage is the real problem.

 After giving it some thought I conjured a new installation for the suet and so far so good. It seems to be working well. I took a suet cage, a dog leach hook (like on the end of a dog leach) and a dog choke collar that is about twenty four inches long.  The suet cage was filled with a suet block, the door of the cage was then latched. I pulled the choke chain through the loop to form a circle, like I would do to install it on a dog's head, but instead of putting it over a dog's head, I slid it over the end of a thick heavy branch on my white pine tree.  There are many branches to stop it from slipping off the end of thelimb, and the weight of the suet and feeder will put weight on the chain so that it drops straight down from the branch like a pendulum. I chose a branch that is just above my head, and when I installed the chain around the branch, the choke chain hangs down below the branch, clear of the branch, so that it can be seen by the birds. Attached to the bottom of the choke collar is the latch/hook which has been arranged to hook through the door and side of the suet cage. This locks the door closed and prevents it from being opened by a squirrel or a raccoon. The suet hangs like a chandelier from the bottom of the choke collar, making a good perch for small birds and woodpeckers who have no aversion to hanging upside down to feed. If you look closely at the two pictures above I believe you can see the set up for the chain. The photographs are deceiving because this feeder is at least five feet off the ground and is not accessible to any creature, but those who fly, or possibly a very adept squirrel. Surprisingly squirrels have not been a problem.

This unusual installation has brought many woodpeckers to my feeders. I have had two red bellied woodpeckers at the same time, two Downy (?) woodpeckers at the same time, a Nuthatch or two, and two Carolina Wrens. None of these birds were regular visitors before I installed the suet. There is no question that the suet attracted them to my feeders and yard. They are all very beautiful birds and I am delighted to have lured them up close for viewing. The suet is a small price to pay for the pleasure of watching them. I'd call this bird feeder set up a giant success!