ROBINS EVERYWHERE!
Flocks of robins have been quite common in the Santa Fe area this winter. They will over-winter if they can find a steady source of food (usually berry bushes/trees like junipers and pyracantha). You can feed them dried fruit; raisins, cranberries and cherries.Try soaking the dried fruit in water for a few minutes and then spreading it out, where they can see it, near your birdbath. A piece of flagstone is a good ground platform for your fruit.
Posted 1-25-10
Evening Grosbeaks
Quite a few customers have reported seeing Evening Grosbeaks in Santa Fe lately. Keep a lookout for these beautiful birds. They love sunflower seed and often eat from a tray or any feeder with a large perching area. They also love our seed cylinders.
Posted 1-25-10
Starling invasion!
Juvenile European Starling.
Some people love them and others don't but European Starlings are tough to miss in New Mexico this winter. These non-native birds come in waves and can easily clean out suet and seed feeders. If you want to keep the starlings out of your suet feeder put one of our cages, which excludes large birds, around your suet feeder or use one of our log style suet feeders. Starlings have trouble clinging to these but woodpeckers, Bushtits and flickers have no problem.
If starlings have taken over your seed feeder and you don't want them, there switch to safflower seed. Starlings don't much like safflower so by having a feeder filled ONLY with safflower you can create a starling-free zone. If you want starlings at your feeder, keep feeding seed and suet and they will come.
Lately we have seen more starlings than usual....... Once spring arrives you probably won't see flocks of starlings.
Posted 1-25-10
