CBS Sunday Morning
Notice anything missing from this picture I took this morning:
April 25, 2010 8:58 am
Posted in: Open Thread
73 Comments
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73 Responses
Linda Featheringill - April 25, 2010 | 9:01 am · Link
Where are the dandelions? I want the dandelions!
Oh! The vegetation!
Cat Lady - April 25, 2010 | 9:02 am · Link
The terrorists have won.
/dandelions
A Mom Anon - April 25, 2010 | 9:02 am · Link
Maybe the birdies have another food source right now and don’t need your seeds? Try throwing a few handfuls out where you do see birds to lure them in.
Or not,hell,I’ve never seen birds ignore a feeder before,lol.
If it’s dandielions you speak of,then I say congrats to you Mr Cole. You’ve won. For now. Mwahahaha.
Brian J - April 25, 2010 | 9:04 am · Link
Just in case the weather is as miserable near you as it is near me, here’s a picture of some dogs on skateboards.
numbskull - April 25, 2010 | 9:05 am · Link
Tunch isn’t in the window? The dawg finally had enough?
OK, OK, dandy lions. You’ve caught and caged all your dandy lions. Looks great!
PeakVT - April 25, 2010 | 9:05 am · Link
Lily? Tunch? Dandelions?
The birds were obviously scared away by the weirdo taking pictures of his house at 8 AM on a Sunday. :)
John Cole - April 25, 2010 | 9:08 am · Link
Not one bird at either feeder.
jeffreyw - April 25, 2010 | 9:09 am · Link
Missing is the neatness that our blog host has been noted for. The porch clutter belies that notion. Is he not the neat freak we have been assuming? It would be irresponsible not to speculate.
John Cole - April 25, 2010 | 9:13 am · Link
@jeffreyw: I’m not neat freak. Been trying to explain that for about five years now, but you all keep believing what you want.
John Cole - April 25, 2010 | 9:14 am · Link
BTW- is egg yolk bad for dogs? Because one of Lily’s favorite things in the entire world is licking breakfast plates. She loves her some egg yolk.
Svensker - April 25, 2010 | 9:21 am · Link
You have the bird feeder too close to the house. Birds can see through the window and they ain’t going anywhere near the humans and the carnivores.
If you can’t find a spot farther away from the window, you might look for this window thing my parents had that let you see out the window but nothing could see in. They got it in the 80s, tho, so no idea about availability now, but it was specifically designed to fool birdies.
P.S. Egg yolk is excellent for dogs, gives them shiny coats.
SGEW - April 25, 2010 | 9:21 am · Link
@John Cole: But what about the naked bathroom mopping incident? It was freakish while being neat.
Therefore: Neat. Freak.
Mike E - April 25, 2010 | 9:21 am · Link
The trick to attracting loads of birds is to put in a moving water source, like a birdbath w/pump, or one with a drop off—the sound of cascading fresh water alone will bring them in by the bushel load. Now, a lack of cover may make them wary, so put it in a spot that gives them a nearby tree/shrub to escape to when the raptors stake out the place (oh, they will, too) but keep it away from a neighbor/feral cat’s hiding spots—house corners, large tree trunks, anywhere a feline serial killer might be lurking (Tunch excepted, of course!).
RedKitten - April 25, 2010 | 9:24 am · Link
I agree with Svensker. Birds like a certain amount of cover. Place the feeder a little farther from the house, and near some trees, if you’ve got ‘em.
jeffreyw - April 25, 2010 | 9:27 am · Link
So, does Mr Cole wash the dish after Lily or does he deem it clean enough? Inquiring minds want to know. Lonesome Dove, also.
Violet - April 25, 2010 | 9:30 am · Link
@Svensker:
Agree with Svensker. The bird feeder is too close to the house. Put it another five or six feet away from the house, at least. Once the birds find it, you can gradually move it back towards the house a little at a time. By that time, they won’t care as much because they’ll be used to coming to the feeder.
R-Jud - April 25, 2010 | 9:31 am · Link
@John Cole: Egg yolks are fine for dogs. My sister gives her mutt Luke the yolks when she’s clarifying stock with the whites. He’s all shiny because of it. I do the same for the cats.
I am baking these in the oven right now. They smell amazing.
beltane - April 25, 2010 | 9:33 am · Link
@John Cole: Egg yolks are very good for dogs. They are full of vitamins, minerals (like iron) and omega-3s. The fear of cholesterol in eggs is a misguided one.
Whenever our chickens give us more eggs than we can use, I just crack one over the dog’s food in the morning. It gives her a beautiful, sleek coat.
SteveinSC - April 25, 2010 | 9:34 am · Link
Onions, don’t give a dog onions. They are poisonous to dogs, even cooked. Bird feeder and no birds? Tunch?
Honus - April 25, 2010 | 9:36 am · Link
Move the bird feeder out in the open a little. Think of the way that looks to a bird- in a restricted area, low, near bushes and railings where lots of things (cats, snakes, dogs) could bite you while you were getting a bite.
Jean - April 25, 2010 | 9:36 am · Link
@John Cole: Both of my dogs and all three cats love egg yolk and do lick the plates. Can’t hurt them.
Monkeyfister - April 25, 2010 | 9:37 am · Link
They’ll be back… They always come back!
Looks nice, John!
—mf
SteveinSC - April 25, 2010 | 9:39 am · Link
@beltane: I read some book in the doctor’s office that said that while eggs (for humans) are not as dangerous as once thought, the cholesterol they have is rapidly converted to LDL’s. Sort of like Cap Weinberger’s “It’s not that we don’t have enough medical schools, it’s that the ones we have are over-applied for.”
Toast - April 25, 2010 | 9:43 am · Link
@John Cole: Dude, I’ve had dozens of feeders over the years, and that style in the pic – the mesh grate around the feeder tube – was hands-down the least popular with our local dinosaurs. I bet if you tried a more traditional style with perches below the seed ports you’d have better luck.
Toast - April 25, 2010 | 9:44 am · Link
How come my @’s never show the names as links?
Toast - April 25, 2010 | 9:48 am · Link
@John Cole: I’ll second what Honus said. Proximity to the house combined with low height is not attractive to most birds. Our main feeder array is about 6 feet from the house and our pole is about two feet taller. That gives the visitors a much better sense of security and makes them less vulnerable to any neighborhood predators you might have lurking about.
debit - April 25, 2010 | 9:59 am · Link
@Toast: The @ won’t linkify unless you use the reply button or (when wordpress is being broken) manually link it using the handy link, er, link.
@thread: After putting dry rub on your ribs, don’t rub your eyes. No, not even after washing your hands. Ouch.
gbear - April 25, 2010 | 9:59 am · Link
My daily birding troll. Haven’t even had my caffine yet. Appologies if I’m repeating stuff already said:
1. The birds can’t fly in to your feeder without seeing their own reflection in the window. They’re probably getting scared off before they even get to check it out.
2. That’s a nice feeder, but it looks like there aren’t any perches on it so you’re limiting the feeder to clinging birds. Great for woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees and most finches, but you’ll never see a cardinal at that feeder.
3. That bag of food may have been stale. Birds hate stale food. Go buy a couple pounds of fresh black oilers and see if that doesn’t improve things.
4. That’s a great location for a second feeder, but you really need to get that one out in the yard further (hopefully near a tree) if you want to get them into your yard in the first place. They’ll be more willing to come over to the window once they feel comfortable in your yard and know that there are treats to be found there.
5. You’ve given that location most of a week now. If the birds aren’t responding, move the feeder. You don’t get to blame the birds. They’re not pets.
6. Birdbath.
Mike E - April 25, 2010 | 10:01 am · Link
Now I smell like spam? FYWP! Go to Audubon and click on backyard bird feeding on the lower right side for some good tips. Holly bushes and dogwoods are excellent natural sources of food, with holly bushes being great shelter as well. Also.
ETA 4 things: Food, WATER, Shelter, Places to raise young; put in a moving water source, they love that!
patty gann - April 25, 2010 | 10:01 am · Link
dandelions! well done!!
MikeJ - April 25, 2010 | 10:07 am · Link
@Toast: Because other people are making the links by hitting Reply.
Toast - April 25, 2010 | 10:09 am · Link
@MikeJ: Well I’ll be damned! Thanks, man. I thought it was like Twitter and just typing the @ would do the trick.
HRA - April 25, 2010 | 10:11 am · Link
Yes, the birds are missing. It’s even worse than I envisioned and commented on earlier in another thread. You have the feeder not only near the “shiny” window, you have it near the door.
We had a honeysuckle near our front door. The humming birds would stop there until someone opened the door. The honeysuckle is now in the far reaches of the backyard near 2 bird baths, not far from 4 trumpet vines and a line of trees.
TomH - April 25, 2010 | 10:18 am · Link
Where is West Virginia state bird, the rusty ‘72 Thunderbird on cinder blocks?
Tom
Toast - April 25, 2010 | 10:20 am · Link
@gbear:
Yes. A source of clean water elevated so as to be away from predators is actually more of a favor to the birds than food, which they can usually find without our help anyhow.
Corner Stone - April 25, 2010 | 10:23 am · Link
@John Cole: This from the guy who was cleaning a shower curtain w/ a busted shoulder – BEFORE his mom arrived to help out?
And when asked about it said:
“Surgery Tuesday. Mom coming tomorrow night. House must be clean by then or, well, there is no or. The house must be clean by then.”
flukebucket - April 25, 2010 | 10:29 am · Link
Ben Stein finally actually made some fucking sense
Bill H - April 25, 2010 | 10:32 am · Link
Those who said that is the wrong kind of feeder have it right. Perches aren’t too cool, either. Get the kind that is like a big tray with seeds in the middle. It’s like they are sitting on the ground picking up seeds from the ground, only they are doing it on a platform up high.
The reflection is a bit of a killer, too. Isn’t it time to take down the stoopid storms and put up the screens?
Toast - April 25, 2010 | 10:40 am · Link
@Bill H: Have to disagree about perches on feeders. I’ve had feeders with 6 and 8 perches and it’s not uncommon to look out and see every perch occupied plus a few finches in a holding pattern to boot.
New Yorker - April 25, 2010 | 10:42 am · Link
Tunch?
Springtime might not be the best time to put out a bird feeder as there’s plenty of food out there. My mother fed birds for years, but only in the fall and winter when it’s harder for them to find food.
It eventually got to the point where my mom’s feeder was attracting, um, other birds that weren’t the intended customers. I’ll never forget watching a Red-Tailed Hawk swoop down out of the blue and grab a mourning dove at the feeder one time. I also saw various Cooper’s Hawks, Sharp-Shinned Hawks, and even a Peregrine Falcon catch or attempt to catch birds feeding at my mom’s feeder.
keestadoll - April 25, 2010 | 10:48 am · Link
First: nice lawn John! Second: We have had bad luck with the feeder you’re using and tried mesh bags filled with flax seed…Soon it looked like a Hitchcock casting call. Many a time there have been over a dozen finches and sparrows clinging to it and chowing down at the same time. They put on quite a show.
LuciaMia - April 25, 2010 | 10:52 am · Link
Yeah. It’s not raining. Again. Unlike here!!
tim - April 25, 2010 | 10:57 am · Link
Birds? That damn feeder is WAY too close to the house. No wonder you have no feathered visitors.
Try putting the feeder further out in the yard, and then move it a few feet closer to the house every few days.
kappiti - April 25, 2010 | 11:07 am · Link
Looks to me like you bought a finch feeder, and I agree it’s too close to the house. Go to Wild Birds Unlimited where you can look at different kinds of feeders for different kinds of birds and get some expert advice.
rknight44 - April 25, 2010 | 11:11 am · Link
Shit. I go fart around in my yard and I miss another episode of “The Invisible Birds”. Dammit.
Doctor Science - April 25, 2010 | 11:11 am · Link
I agree with what everyone said about the feeder, then add: it’s really the wrong time of year for a feeder. Birds are nesting right now, there’s a priority on protein sources (insects). Also, the weather is warm and wet, which means the seed molds very quickly.
Hold your feeder horses until fall, then start one up—further from the window, etc., as others have said.
CynDee - April 25, 2010 | 11:17 am · Link
@John Cole: Are you sure it was bird seed that they gave you at the store?
Digital Amish - April 25, 2010 | 11:39 am · Link
Well, obviously, since you have no use for religion then St. Francis of Assisi has no use for you and has ordered the birds to stay away.
Seriously, the birds will come. Just forget about it for a few days.
chrome agnomen - April 25, 2010 | 11:53 am · Link
my .02.
the feeder needs to have more exposure so that the birds can feel more secure. it’s too low and close in to the bush where danger can lurk. they want more line of sight.
merrinc - April 25, 2010 | 12:01 pm · Link
@gbear:
Ditto x 6. I wonder if that feeder is right for the kind of seed you have. Other than the mesh guard, it kinda looks like my Droll Yankee peanut feeder.
Joy - April 25, 2010 | 12:08 pm · Link
@John Cole: My golden retriever and mutt get my leftover yolks all the time. It makes their coat shiny.
Albatrossity - April 25, 2010 | 12:23 pm · Link
1) It’s not the “wrong time of year” for a feeder. Birds who re feeding bugs to nestlings can stop for a seed or two on their way to get another bug. They won’t feed seeds to the nestlings, but they will appreciate the food for themselves. I feed birds all year round, and this is a time of year when I go through a lot of seed.
2) Move the feeder out away from the window. Once the birds find it, move it closer to the window if you must.
3) Birdbath, preferably with a dripper to make some noise and attract the birds to a new feature in the yard.
4) Suet feeder – will attract woodpeckers and nuthatches, but even thrashers and wrens will come for a dab of lipid on their daily rounds.
sukabi - April 25, 2010 | 12:37 pm · Link
Seeing what you’ve done to one of their food sources (dandelions) the birds have put your yard on a “no-fly” zone… bait them all you want with seeds and stuff, they KNOW there is a cat, dog and human out to cause them problems…
try putting a feeder or 2 out at the fence line of your property as well… once they get used to coming into your area, the feeder at the window will be used as well.
Citizen_X - April 25, 2010 | 12:56 pm · Link
I see you’ve left your pump-action 12-gauge Fiskars out on the stoop, just to let the dandelions know whassup.
You’re taunting them, Cole; you’ve given them a challenge now. I fear it will only end in tears and the gnashing of teeth.
licensed to kill time - April 25, 2010 | 1:07 pm · Link
@John Cole:
This reminds me a tip for getting rid of house guests. After dinner, put the plates on the floor and let the doggie lick them clean. Then put them right back into the cabinets while the guests watch. They’ll be gone in a flash.
I may have seen this as a sketch on TV, I dunno. Stuck with me, what does that say about me? Houseguests, like fish, begin to stink after a few days?
JScott - April 25, 2010 | 1:19 pm · Link
As others have mentioned, I think you will have a better result with black oil sunflower seed. The Morgantown Lowe’s has it for about $11.82 the 20# bag. Even birds, like finches, that prefer thistle
theedseed are happy with good sunflower seed. Thistletheedseed is a little expensive for my budget.I tried some of the mixed seed and, while the birds gamely tried choking it down, even in the arctic conditions up here on the mountain this past winter, it wasn’t a success. I saved not throwing it out by mixing it a bit at a time in the sunflower seed.
Also, after your first winter feeding you’ll have many happy campers & nesters every season, every year. Once you are known as a reliable source of food, you will never lack for feathered friends (a principle which is true of any species, not the least humans). Returning hummingbirds hover around the hooks where I regularly hang their feeders – quite amazing.
I see you have a shrubbery (Ni!) near your feeder that may be enough cover for some of your smaller birds. Nearer a tree, if you have one, may be better.
A flat feeder isn’t altogether necessary; although, doves do like them. Generally, the woodpeckers will shovel out enough seed to the ground for the birds who like to feed on the flat.
Spread a little peanut butter in tree bark and press in some of the bird seed. Birds will come for the treat and stay for the bugs.
If you don’t have a natural source of fresh water close by, the bird bath is a good idea.
Libby - April 25, 2010 | 1:24 pm · Link
Let me join the Greek chorus on bad placement. The birds don’t know you yet and they’re not going to get that close to the house until you’ve been there much longer.
Don’t think the feeder is so bad. My folks just put up two that look like that and the birds are using it. One has just a little tray at the bottom and one has about 4 or 5 perches. Different birds use both and of course some birds like mourning doves are actually ground feeders. Dad throws seed on the driveway for them now that his cat died. Used to throw it on the shed roof before that.
I’d further note that my Dad is the second coming of Dr. Freaking Doolittle and it took almost a month for the birds to use the new feeders and they’ve been friends with the local flocks for years.
Advice on hanging them near big trees is good but the one feeder hanging on Dad’s carport about ten feet or so from the kitchen window gets plenty of cardinals. That’s the one with the tray instead of the perches. The other thing about that one is he puts oily sunflower seeds in it and the birds leave the shells in the tray so new seed can’t spill out. He had to clean the tray out pretty much daily.
Me, all I do is throw the heels of my bread out on the lawn couple of times a week. All I get is squirrels and one very demanding crow.
Poopyman - April 25, 2010 | 1:32 pm · Link
OK, rather than a very late “me too”, here’s what is working RIGHT NOW at the Poopyman house:
The feeders are all variations on this type (but with more ports). Perches are good. Really good.
They’re not much further from the house, but more than you’ve got ‘em.
They’re near/under good perching trees, where the birds can sit, swoop in for some seed, and fly back to their perch.
They’re not far from windows, but they’re not near doors.
I fill 3 of ‘em at least once a day, and this week has been no different from all winter, except that the species vary a little as the migrators come and go. I go through a 40 lb bag of black oil sunflower seeds in about 3 weeks, so the food is fresh. You might stick your nose in your seed and give it the sniff test for fermentation.
ETA - We don’t have a Lily here, but we do have 3 indoor and 2 indoor/outdoor cats. The indoor cats are highly entertained, if somewhat frustrated. One of the I/O cats, Max is a highly accomplished killer, and she gets a few, unfortunately, but it doesn’t stop them from coming in to feed.
Rosalita - April 25, 2010 | 1:55 pm · Link
I have to be a spoiler here. I’m a condo dweller, deck off my kitchen. I have a Finch Flocker attached to the railing, loaded with niger seed. I get plenty of Goldies. Including the fledges every August (comedy that!). They fly in even if I’m sitting out there reading quietly (not often, but it has happened). Also have a bird bath that gets sees a lot of action from the finches as well as others. I think they just need a little more time.
Or the on and off changing of the dog/cat guard in the windwo could be spooking them.
waldenpond - April 25, 2010 | 1:57 pm · Link
I agree with others that the feeder is too close to the house…. as far as moving it closer to the house over time… I would keep it further to the left to discourage the birds from sitting on that rail. Keep it as close to bushes/plants etc to provide coverage for the waste. It’s easier to hose off the leaves than scrub bird slime from the porch.
Julie - April 25, 2010 | 2:09 pm · Link
The bird feeder is too close to the house. This time of year I suggest a hummingbird feeder. I have mine right next to a window and the little birds don’t mind at all, plus they are fascinating to watch. This is the time of year to attract hummers.
Eggs are safe for dogs. Dogs shouldn’t eat grapes, chocolate, coffee,onions, sugarless gum, I think walnuts and rasins. There are probably other things I have missed but I don’t have my vet’s poster to refer to right now. I do know that grapes will shut the kidneys down.
One grape probably won’t, but you never know exactly how many will. I could tell you a lovely
story about my dog and making her upchuck the
grapes she took out of a fruit basket, counting
said grapes to compare to the naked grape
bunch thing, and then spending $400.00 at the
emergency vet. She was fine, and that’s all that
mattered, but I did have to put off getting new
tires for a month.
Svensker - April 25, 2010 | 2:19 pm · Link
@licensed to kill time:
Actually had someone do that once. It was in the back and beyond of Idaho, a very nice family that ran a 2-man silver mine—about 10 kids and no teeth, any of them, including the adults. The wife made biscuits then had the dog lick the rolling board clean, and put it away for the next time. The look on my mom’s face was worth choking down those biscuits (which were actually quite delicious, and I’ve never had rabies or distemper, so natural inoculation works!).
licensed to kill time - April 25, 2010 | 2:26 pm · Link
@Svensker: Gives new meaning to “doggie biscuits”. And…...eeeewwwwww!
Corner Stone - April 25, 2010 | 2:36 pm · Link
@Citizen_X:
I’m counting on it.
Post after post of escalating tactics trying to undo the inevitable. Gut wrenching requests for anything new to try. And no one will be able to convince Cole to let it be.
It’s going to be joyful.
Jerome - April 25, 2010 | 3:20 pm · Link
@John Cole: I’ve never commented before but I had to this time; you really shouldn’t give whole raw eggs to dogs, the whites contain avidin which affects Vitamin B absorbtion (which ironically is found in the yolks)
John Cole - April 25, 2010 | 3:35 pm · Link
I’m just going to let that sit there for a while.
John Cole - April 25, 2010 | 3:35 pm · Link
@Jerome: I’m not. She’s licking my empty breakfast plate.
asiangrrlMN - April 25, 2010 | 3:40 pm · Link
From one OCD sufferer to another, Cole (and from someone with no knowledge of birds), you need to take the good advice of these people and then just chill. I’m glad not all the dandelions were killed.
/DFH, I guess.
Mino - April 25, 2010 | 4:25 pm · Link
Raw/cooked egg yolks are perfectly fine for dogs. It is raw eggwhite that is discouraged. It depletes the B vitamins.
Dogs don’t have cholesterol problems as a rule.
Anne Laurie - April 25, 2010 | 4:58 pm · Link
@New Yorker:
Hey, raptors need love (and free meals) too!
ChockFullO'Nuts - April 25, 2010 | 6:15 pm · Link
Ditto for me. First thing I saw was a bird feeder too close to the house. Birds know their territory, and you and the critters are invaders right now. If you move the feeder you might get some action. Or wait and see if the birds get comfortable with you.
Even with their pistachio sized brains, the birds are not dumb enough to want to just drop in and have dinner with three poultry-eating carnivores they don’t know breathing down their necks.
Twisted_Colour - April 26, 2010 | 3:55 am · Link
Ungulates.
twiffer - April 26, 2010 | 9:49 am · Link
@Corner Stone: dude, that is convincing proof he is NOT a neat freak. that means he had to clean up the empties and peel off the layer of mildew before mom came over.