Bird feeder is Fun !

[Royall]

We were at Costco yesterday and found birdseed for sale and bought some on a lark (pun intended). Where do you buy birdfeeders? What shape are they and have you seen any plans for feeders that would work here in Hawaii? I’ve got enough scrap wood to build one if I was sure what works best here. We talked to a man that was buying four 45# boxes of seed and he said that he just throws the seed out on the ground! I asked him about drawing mice and rats to the area but he said his cats take care of them. I wonder how many birds they take care of too! He also mentioned they don’t have many scorpions or centipedes around the house since they started feeding the birds.

Royall

What goes around comes around!

[nanasohana]

Alas, we too have befallen to the nonstop feeding of hugh groups of birds. It all started with just a few but the word got out and now I think every bird on the northside of Ainaloa Blvd. knows about our feeder, and maybe the south side too! I try to keep up with them but they can empty my feeder in one day. They are great fun to watch too and I sure haven't seen any centipedes for awhile so that would make it worth the 5# bag of seed a week for sure! I bought a plastic feeder from walmart that can be washed out because of the mold that occurs in the bottom and I get the seed each week at walmart when I am there. If I run out towards the end of the week, the birds just go to the seed on the high grasses around and seem to wait for the easy pickens to come back.

[Royall]

How much is seed/feed at Walmart? It was $12.00 for three 15# bags at Costco.


Royall

What goes around comes around!

[nanasohana]

I think I pay about $2 for a 5# bag...

[Les C]

Carrie, the bird you describe sounds like the Yellow-billed Cardinal. It's sorta like a Red-crested Cardinal without the crest, and it has a yellow bill. It's an introduced species, like the Red-crested Cardinal (aka Brazilian Cardinal) and the Northern Cardinal. The Yellow-billed is limited to the Big Island and, while it's mostly been on the Kona side, it has been spreading around to the east side. I've seen them at Whittington and Onekahakaha beach parks.

Nancy, it's good that you mentioned mold. If you use feeders, do be sure to clean them frequently. The mold could be detrimental to the birds.

[David M]

We are fortunate to have some birds in our area. Saw both male and female cardinal a few days ago. We have mynas as permanent residents, usually seeing just a few perhaps half dozen tops, but there are times when I brushhog the pasture and apparently a call goes out - swarms of them, sometimes 50 or more all picking in the freshly mowed grasss. Just amazing.

David

Ninole Resident

[Carolann R]

Royall, interesting that you mentioned bird feeders...we were just discussing that very thing yesterday. I like the idea of a plastic one - easier to clean it. Also...Hazen for all his teasing me about pedes earlier this year will find this one fun. I went out to the garage to put a bag of garbage in the can...THREE, count 'em THREE big fat giant pedes on the floor in close proximity to each other...I froze. Then I called Tony to come out and kill 'em!!

I have only see four and they were all in the past two weeks! Needless to say, we are gonna SPRAY, SPRAY, SPRAY...those muthers are huge and very FEISTY! I don't know that sleep will come easy to me until we finish the spraying. LOL! They are so ugly.

Les, I wondered about the cardinal connection, but since this little guy had so many other colors on him I passed over that thought quickly. Thanks again for the info. Also that bird I saw with the orange beek/bill...whatchacallit, could not have been as large as I originally thought, I WAS lookin' at him through the binoculars, so maybe I overestimated...I say this 'cause I thought I saw another one the other morning in the backyard.

Carrie

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