Gotta Feed the Birds

Gotta get out there and feed the Doves. I have been offering heated water and seed to the doves every morning before they show up at 6:15 AM for the last 5 years. The Mrs. takes care of the Goldfinches. We have a dozen thistle tubes for these cuties. Anybody else feed the birds?
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Only our garden visitors and only in the winter.

I love to watch Jaz chattering at the robin and blue tits through the lounge window, she is so funny

We dont feed them in the spring/summer months. We dont like to encourage them into the garden at this time as Jake hunts them. Although during the last 2 years he has not been taking as much interest as he used to. He is 12 now so perhaps he prefers to sit in the sun rather than run around bird chasing

We do seem to have a pair of blackbirds that have returned the last 2 years, and successfully raised their chick. It does get very noisy as the cats sit in the garden and the pair yell curses at them from the top of the hedge Perhaps we will see them again this spring.

Anyone know whether it is the same pair, do blackbirds return to the same nest site?

I feed birds on my backyard and only during winter: If birds are fed during summer, when they're supposed to be eating bugs, the won't get all the necessary nutrients, because they prefer the easy seeds to hunting insects.

I feed my birds (and a rather well behaved rat) sunflower seeds and peanuts.

Ours get suet and black oil sunflower in the winter. Lots of starlings and crows the last couple of cold days, but will also see chickadees, tufted titmice, sparrows, finches, cardinals, red bellied and downy woodpeckers, juncos, mourning doves, nuthatches, ... and others.

If I don't feed the birds, they pretty much stare in the windows until I do. Bird watching is also Abby's #1 form of entertainment! We have 7 feeders in our yard, but only feed in the cold weather. I will probably put out a hummingbird feeder when it gets warmer.

Ari and Topaz both watch the birds and both "talk" to them in short meows. Others we had would do the "chatter".

We feed them everyday. What pigs they are. Then at night the deer and coons finish everything off . I saw a bluebird yesterday (not at the feeder). I thought they migrated south but I guess they are year-round birds.

I loove the visiting birds. We don't have the right type of space to use a hanging bird feeder and if I use a section cup one to the window the cats will throw themselves at teh feeder. So now I throw seed out on the patio every few days and have suet laying down on the patio as well. I love it!! The other day we got our first bad weather of sleet and it seemed to excite all the birds. Everything I had ever seen at the patio I saw in ONE day!! This is exciting to me . What I saw:

12 Dark-Eyed Junco's (never seen that many all at once)
3 Cardinals (1 male, 2 female)
2 Mourning Doves (The least scared of the cats)
1 Purple Finch (such beautiful color..)
1 Mockingbird (goes nuts over the suet!)
1 Song Sparrow (most easy to startle)