March 12, 2024
| Raccoon by Linda Jones |
For the eighth season in a row, Venture FeederWatch and our sponsor Wild Birds Limitless are rewarding registered FeederWatchers with the possibility to win prizes. Celestron has joined the enjoyable by providing one pair of binoculars to every knowledge entry contest winner as properly. After getting into counts into the FeederWatch web site, on the submission affirmation web page, members have the chance to share a narrative, reminiscence, or tip by clicking the “Enter to Win” button. We randomly choose two winners per immediate. Our fourth Information Entry Contest immediate this season was:
Together with birds, mammals will also be common guests at hen feeders. Inform us a few memorable mammal you might have seen at or round your feeders!
Congratulations to our winners, Kayla Niner and Michelle H.!
Kayla shared:
Essentially the most memorable mammal at my feeders was a raccoon! It got here by one morning simply as I used to be having breakfast, checked out the bottom underneath the peanut feeder, after which headed off for a drink from the pond (which is saved open with a bubbler for all of the neighborhood wildlife). I like seeing the curious and innovated raccoons cease by, even when they’ve walked off with my suet feeder earlier than!
Birds aren’t the one animals that recognize the pure assets your yard offers. Water sources equivalent to a pond or hen bathtub can appeal to mammals who could also be on the lookout for a drink. In colder climates, a bubbler for a pond or a heater for a hen bathtub can forestall ice from forming on the water’s floor. If you happen to resolve to implement a hen bathtub, contemplate putting it close to shrubs, bushes, or a brush pile to supply added safety from predators. Discover extra tips about panorama your yard and enhance your habitat on our Gardening for Birds web page.
Michelle shared:
I like watching the antics of squirrels and chipmunks on the feeders, however what takes the cake was seeing a flying squirrel in my tray feeder lately! It was such a delight to observe the little man chow down on the seed cake within the tray. It was one mammal that I knew I had in my yard, however I’d by no means seen it, since they’re so secretive. It’s the one type of squirrel I’d kindly welcome again to my feeders any time!
Opinions on squirrels fluctuate extensively with our FeederWatchers; some love squirrels, however others discover them a nuisance species. It may be humorous to observe a persistent squirrel finagle its technique to your hen meals, however could also be discouraging to see them devour volumes of seed. One technique to deter pesky squirrels is to distract them by feeding peanuts or dried ears of corn in a location a long way out of your feeders. Others could also be prevented from reaching meals with baffles or squirrel-proof feeders. See extra tips about deterring undesirable feeder guests on our Feeding Birds web page.
Due to everybody who participated and shared their tales for this immediate – we want we might share your whole submissions! Learn the tales from previous winners on our weblog. E-mail feederwatch@cornell.edu with questions. Keep tuned for once we announce our closing knowledge entry contest winners of the season on April ninth, 2024.
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