Bird Feeder Guilt and Nate James
My latest dilemma: Should I only feed the pretty birds? Do ugly birds have a right to eat at my feeder? Am I a shallow bird lover?
The starlings have taken over the bird feeder, the suet cake and are scaring the birds away from the thistle feeder.
Starlings are not pretty in any sense of the word. We don’t spend as much money as we do on “bird grub” to attract them.
They in turn harass and intimidate the birds that are pretty, the ones like the purple house finches, the goldfinches, the variety of wood peckers we get and the assorted birds that have something going for them in the looks department.
I feel guilty if I shoo them away. I feel guilty if they shoo away the other birds as it’s my responsibility to keep the feeding area a safe, clean place to eat. Right? But in truth, if they were pretty I’d never shoo them away.
Having been brought up Catholic, I can even find guilt at the bird feeder which is saying something.
Nate James, who the heck are you?
I issue Blogshares stock and you buy it. I issue more and you buy more. I issued 50 thousand shares of stock and you bought them all up.
Is that because you have great faith in my blog? Maybe you do, but that’s because you haven’t seen my stats lately!!
If I issue 50 thousand more shares of stock will you buy them up like candy?
I don’t know how to play the Blogshares game and I don’t know why you have this magnificent obsession with my stock…care to share the reason why?
All I know is I am able to do one thing that you can’t do, and that’s issue stock.
So what’s the deal, Nate?
posted by mary bishop | 10:01 AM
9 Comments:
I have bird feeder guilt, too. We have a real problem with starlings eating our dogs' food too. Of course, the worse problem is that birds who hang around the yard and eat Science Diet are birds who hang around the yard and poop Science Diet. It's worse than you can imagine.
We've tried all sorts of Starling deterrents to no avail.
You have no idea how much hate I have in my heart for that blasted creature.
Summer...it is good that I am not alone in my Starling intolerance. I do have bird bigotry I guess...they are not all created equal.
If they were prettier or less pesky - then I'd give them more respect.
I love birds, but I'm not happy when any of them eat my blueberries then poop on my convertible top...or when the top's down...oy!
I'm not into the starlings either. I've never seen a purple house finch but I adore the cardinals and goldfinches and the tiny woodpeckers winding up the tree.
This from http://www.sialis.org/suet.htm
Deterring Starlings: Upside down feeders (with a roof, where the bird has to hang on the bottom of the cage) may deter starlings somewhat, but are acceptable to woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice and nuthatches (they probably won't be used by bluebirds).
* Bill Stump recommends tying a piece of monofilament line about six inches long with a small weight on it from the center of the underside of the feeder. The starlings get annoyed with the string and weight because they can't "hover" but the woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches and titmice don't seem to have a problem with it.
* Fawzi Emad's DIY design for a woodpecker-only feeder reportedly deters blue jays, starlings, crows and squirrels ~95% of the time. He also designed a bluebird jail-style feeder to prevents starling entry.
* Ed Mahoney uses a regular suet cage suspended from a square foot sheet of hardware cloth, with pieces of electrical wire attached to the edges, about 1" apart, hanging down. The starlings were unable to fly between the hanging wires, but other birds had no trouble.
I've given up. They're a pain in the ass. I cut out the food till they move on then re-introduce it for a while - but the lil bastards always come back.
I wonder if somewhere, in a dark basement, some guy using the name Nate James (the letters in which name, incidently, can be rearranged to form " A Mean Jest") (not to mention "Seaman Jets", so we won't) is sitting in front of a lovely little shrine, waiting for you to issue more stock so he can make another offering to his Goddess.
Yeah, so ... sleep well.
MB, you're too funny. Don't worry about the birds. Or your mystery blogshare buyer.
AMK - Starlings may not be pretty but they are prolific!
Sangroncito...the Catholic thing would have put your guilt over the edge. I fight with it every day and still can't believe that other religions (not that I like religion at all) are supposedly based on good when all I heard growing up was how bad I was.
Nilbo, your comments were better than my blog entry and for this I thank you. You always make me smile and if you were a bird you wouldn't be a starling. I see you more as a red bellied woodpecker and this is a compliment because they are my absolute faves.
HI Along...nice to see you on my blog. Yes, you're right I worry too much about things I can't control.
What is blogshares anyway? I see that my blog is there and open for trading, but how does it work?
HAHAHA, yes, this is the Nate James who has been buying the stocks. Why? Because they are there to buy... when i see there is stock to be bought in any of the blogs in my protfolio i buy them. I have no idea who you are, and this is really the first time iv ever been to this blog. I was very shocked to scroll down and see my name in large lettering.
Nilbo your only half right. I AM in a basement, cause its where my room and my computer is... although its quite well lit. and Nate James is not my real name, but only a pen-name i use to blog with.
Hey kids, Nate James is here!!! Yeahhhhh!!!!!
Kimananda...I don't know how it works...but Nate James does...maybe he'll explain here. I think I'm cool because I found the issue stock button.
Nilbo...what a seer you are!
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