I have a confession to make. During the late summer and early fall, I was a baaaaaaaad bird feeder. I let my feeders go emtpy for a few months. My feeders were barren and my birds abandoned me. I won’t make excuses but once my life was a bit less hectic, my feeders were thoroughly cleaned and refilled. My hummingbird feeders are filled with delicious hummer juice. Most of my feeders were filled with black sunflower seeds. I filled a big thistle seed feeder as well. All was ready. I hoped to be forgiven forthwith.
Many might think that hummingbirds are somewhat arrogant and stand-offish. Mine certainly seem to have attitude. However, they are most forgiving birds. Given that they stay here year round in my neighborhood, I’m sure they are glad to have a ready source of food.
I would have thought my Chestnut-backed Chickadees were a most forgiving bird. But, they are not. Perhaps this season of harvest is too good to the Chickadees. There are too many seeds and berries for them to be tempted by my feeders. Still, they have been my most consistent visitors in all the years that I have been feeding birds. They are often joined by Pygmy Nuthatches, Dark-eyed Juncos, California Towhees, and the like.
But, I am currently shunned by my birds. Only my Anna’s Hummingbirds come to visit. I am bereft and left wondering what do I have to do.
Will it take Suet Dough? Sunflower chips? A fancy new bird bath? Peanuts? I’ll do whatever it takes. I just can’t take these empty feeders.
Enjoy I and the Bird #89, hosted by the Bird Ecology Study Group!
mother. wife. friend. teacher. writer. reader. photographer. birder. quilter. blogger.
Liza Lee Miller 
I’m sure all the birds will come back. Your pygmy nuthatch is adorable, nuthatches (a different species over here) are a special bird for me just now as they are just starting to colonise southern Scotland and I recently saw my first one up here….
So, how long has it been since you put the seeds out?
I find after I have been negligent, it takes a couple of days. Then one or two birds come, and that’s all it takes.
I don’t know, but I am hoping mine come back too, because i have been neglecting them for most of the summer and just put out fresh seed a couple of days ago. I had to empty out some that got wet and had started to sprout. I think we just have to wait until the resources get more scarce, then they’ll be back and begging for it. My thithle theed thock was lost for a couple of months last year, but once it was up again, the finches only took a few days to find it and empty it again.
I’m still deciding if I should put sunflower seeds out on theh driveway for the turkeys again, because we had that rat problem (shudder shudder shudder) and I really don’t want them to be attracted to my house again.
As poet says, that pygmy nuthatch is adorable!
KGMom, the feeders have been up for a week and a half. I usually have them back in a day or two as well.
Crafty Green Poet & Mike . . . my nuthatches are adorable and I miss them almost more than the Chickadees. They are feisty little things, too. Scolding me when I’m out filling the feeders.
Phyllis, I’d be keeping feed off the ground unless you have a Rat Terrier to keep the rats away! 🙂
I’m going to go all out on Wednesday. Emptying and refilling the feeders with fresh seed as well. Their Thanksgiving feast will also be some lovely Zick Dough. It is supposed to rain on Wednesday here so perhaps that will drive the stubborn birds to the feeders.
Oh, they’ll be back Liza, I am just sure of it. I literally gasped when I saw that chestnut backed chickadee…wow. I’ve never even heard of one, let alone seen one at a feeder. Lucky you!