does it look something like this Elaine ?

krobra said:you but here is a , two for one

chickadee hanging upside down and a padlock on our suet feeder



I'm starting to think the squirrels maybe used to mess with the suet until we started twist tying them shut
and when I found a small padlock laying around , I started using it. I have not seen any squirrels on my suet in a very long time.

Kurt yes mine is similar to that although the suet sits parallel to the roof, and mine never NEVER has that fluffy white plague on the top.

oh no not the plague it's not that bad if you can shake it off in a day or two.
it's only when it sticks around for weeks that it truly starts feeling like a plague

As a follow-up to Melanie's questions - does suet spoil? I have no-melt suet that seemed to be pretty popular, but I've noticed that the birds have mostly stopped going to the feeder. It hasn't melted, but I'm wondering if it's gone bad in all this heat?

It goes rancid, just smell it and you can tell.

Thank you, Margaret - I probably should have done that sooner!

Your welcome Ibis. I think I have to change mine today, I saw a Western Tanager on there yesterday but it didn't eat much of it, same with a Chickadee.

My squirrels loved my suet! As did raccoons, and even the chipmunks. So I highly recommend a pole system with a raccoon baffle.

Yesterday DH and I sat outside to drink a g+t in the pleasant warm evening. This song thrush was directly above our heads, feasting on the berries.




It apparently didn't like having its photo taken, because it immediately then pooped right into my drink - how charming!

Like a good luck charm - charming. It's a very pretty bird. I say that because I've been told that it's good luck for a bird to poop on you. I don't know if that applies to in your drink. lol

They say the same thing here about good luck if it lands on you - I always assumed it was a way to try to assuage the anger of the 'victim'! Luckily for me, it made a splash in my drink so I looked before I drank - but from now on I'll think I'll check both above me and in the glass before I sip.

I do not drink out of anything outside that doesn't have a completely enclosed lid on it , usually gatorade or coke in a empty gatorade bottle ,
ever since I drank a bee a got stung on my lip or tongue (can't remember it has been so long ) before I spit it out.

Ouch!

What a nasty surprise to get when innocently drinking your drink. I wonder what a bee was doing in there...usually it's other pesty bugs that try to get into drinks here.

Not sure which is worse, a bee in the drink, or bird poop dropping in there. I do leave my drinks outside uncovered, and have seen the odd bug get in there, but usually I leave my big tumbler of cold water on the table inside the pool cage, so fairly safe from any but the smallest bugs.

Red Winged Blackbird and possibly a Goldfinch way out in the middle of nowhere (agronomic fields of corn or soybeans as far as the eye can see).

I was picking spinach next to Mama bird's nest, she does not like me to get too close to the nest and is not afraid to let me know. She landed within two feet of me and just looked at me-- I dare you to go close. She does not back off. I don't think I will ever get to look in the nest again but will looking for an opportunity.

Anole

Handsome bird! She's definitely got that eye wide and focused! Watch out!

I was outside the other day - Friday? I'm losing track of the days again. Anyway, I was taking butterfly pictures when I heard a bird squawking much more loudly than usual. I looked around, and realized I had a Carolina Wren stuck in my orchid house. (I don't grow many orchids anymore so it's more like the orchid house of death covered in skunk vine.) I opened the door and then walked around to the back to try to get it to move toward the door. It got out, but you know I had to try to get a picture. They hop around so fast normally, and this one was pretty aggravated to boot, so I only got one pic. But you can see the attitude!



Over on the feeder, it's the usual suspects. The Carolina Chickadee.



The Tufted Titmouse. They take their seeds up to the tree to eat.



Don't let their innocent faces fool you. I was reading my field guide today and it says how Tufted Titmice are usually seen one at a time. And I'm thinking, "Well yes, on the feeder. They do take turns. But that doesn't count the three I saw chasing each other through the yard."



Cardinals are still hanging out. They don't even seem to mind the squirrels feeding next to them.



So we had the baseball game on this afternoon but the Rays keep losing so I was watching the birds through the sliding glass door instead. I learned a lot about caterpillars and butterflies through observation, and today I learned about birds. The male Cardinal was spotted on the feeder itself, and stuck his beak in to get a seed! No longer confined to the ground! Also, I have some potted plants (mostly Canna Lilies) right on the outside of the patio. The Carolina Wrens seem to like hopping around in there and picking the bugs out, I guess. Well today, there were two and one was following the other and squawking like crazy. I wondered if it was a juvenile following a parent. And sure enough, the one grabbed a bug, turned and fed it to the slightly smaller one! It shut up for about thirty seconds before starting up again. I told my Mom I would feed that thing just to make it hush, too! And maybe that's why, for the first time ever, I saw the Carolina Wren get on the feeder! Now, I just need to get pictures of them!

I also saw a squirrel chase another squirrel away from the feeder! Dad said the females can be very territorial when they have babies to feed. I've seen two or three squirrels around the feeder at the same time before. I guess this one wasn't part of the tribe?