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Daily Bucket- Amazing Advancements in Bird Feeders [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2024-01-24  

I recently started feeding birds in my backyard after a hiatus of several years. My yard seemed to be ground zero for feral cats for a while, so after some trapping and removal this spring felt it was safe for the birds to start to lure them back.

I found one old feeder in my shed, but really, I’d like to have a couple of them spread around the yard. The online selections were, let’s say- really impressive!

First off, there were these, which not only attract common eastern backyard birds like Cardinals and Blue Jays, but can even attract Eurasian Blue Tit from across the Atlantic Ocean!

Or how about this one featuring a Western Bluebird just hanging out with a European Great tit?

Even more exciting is this one with the lighthouse motif, capable of luring macaws to dine with your Cardinals and Titmice.

Those Macaws really get around! In fact, here’s one stopping by to visit with an Eastern Bluebird, a Canary and some kind of swallow. Even in Florida, where a combo like this might be an every day occurrence, a swallow bird feeder would be pretty impressive.

Now here’s a really impressive combo- a feeder worth its weight in sunflower seeds, with a South American Fork-tailed Flycatcher on one end and one of the Asian Dwarf Kingfishers on the other. In between, the poor hummingbird is trying to figure out how to eat a seed!

Of course, if you want kingfishers, I suppose your going to need a supply of feeder fish! Here’s a Eurasian (Common) Kingfisher enjoying some filets. The bluebird coming in may be a bit confused.

For those backyard birders who like to live a bit more adventurously, there are these feeders for Bee Eaters-

European Bee-eater asking the age-old question- Where’s the Bee?

Here’s another- just hanging out with a Blue Jay

And speaking of Blue Jays- I never realized how widely they range in size, from the Greater Blue Jay, several times larger than a Cardinal

To the Lesser Blue Jay, about the same size as a Saffron Finch

Maybe they just shrink when wet?

Of course, if you buy a big enough feeder, the birds just LOOK small. I wonder how many people it took to carry this suet cake?

I also found feeders that have special defenses against unwanted visitors- This one repels squirrels and flying chipmunks.

Or you might elect to just embrace the flying varmints, as long as there’s still room for your Macaws and Eurasian Jays.

So, one thing I’ve learned from my online shopping experience- there’s no need to travel the world looking for exotics. Just buy the right bird feeder and they’ll all show up right in your backyard.

Note:- I didn’t doctor up any of these pictures! They are really all from bird feeder sites!!

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/1/24/2139777/-Daily-Bucket-Amazing-Advancements-in-Bird-Feeders?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web

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