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Knockknees posted:Some google searching has shown me, that not only is there a specific spot in Chicago that gets lots of birds, there is one specific HEDGE in this park where all the birds hide out. Geez! Hey, I came in to ask if any of the resident birders had checked this place out! Sadly, Montrose Point has an even bigger reputation as a gay sex meetup place than as a bird sanctuary. Not that the gay part bothers me, but the tons of public indecency reports (often during the day when there are little kids around at the beach or in the harbor) and tales of coming across (har) used condoms in the bird sanctuary - often along the areas where you are not supposed to walk - bothers me.  Even so, I'd love to check it out since I live roughly 3 blocks away. I know someone said that the brand of binoculars doesn't really matter, but any recommendations for a cheapish set you can get off Amazon? Not sure if birding is for me (I love the idea but may not have the patience) so I'd prefer not to invest too much at first.
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Sep 9, 2013 05:50
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 10:31 |
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Sorry if this isn't the correct thread, but is there a place I can pick peoples brains about birdseed? I'm an amateur bird feeder and haven't managed to settle on a good bird seed / feeder combo for the birds I'd ideally like to see. I live in Chicago in a 6th floor condo with a Juliet balcony (opens on one side only with a foot wide ledge) and have out a couple different feeder types. At first I was getting cardinals and finches and a downy woodpecker until my seed ran out and I bought a new bag - then it was nothing but sparrows and pigeons. It seems to be milo that attracts pigeons, and millet that sparrows love, although they also seem to delight in everything else, and will throw things they don't like onto the ground to get to the 'good stuff'. Right now I have a mix that is sunflower seeds and (I think) safflower hearts in a hopper feeder, same in a tube feeder, a pair of finch socks, and a woodpecker suet block in a cage feeder. I am getting a pair of cardinals, a few rare red-headed finches, a couple chickadees, a pair of starlings that like the suet, a single mourning dove that I don't mind, and a flock of sparrows that come and go - they seem to like this mix less than the one that had millet it in, which they emptied out in a day. But, they still come and go. Any advice on what a better seed / seed blend / setup might be?
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Jan 3, 2016 19:29
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I heard that too, and spent an hour rigging up a 'halo' sparrow deterrent from coat hangers and hobby wire: the sparrows sat on it.
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Jan 3, 2016 21:05
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I actually did go to Wild Birds Unlimited the last time I went shopping - they recommended a hopper-style feeder and the mix that I am using now (Supreme blend: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, safflower and striped sunflower) - completely inundated with sparrows. They toss the sunflower seeds down on the ledge but then try to bully away the cardinals who would like to eat them. Jerks! I might try just nyjer seed in a finch-specific feeder with tiny holes - I heard from someone that sparrows and larger birds have beaks that make it more difficult to retrieve tiny seeds this way. But after spending $50 on a fancy feeder and $30 on a bag of seed at WBU, I'm a bit hesitant to shell out for another style. Maybe I'll just wait until it is a bit warmer and wander over to bird watch outside. I'm only about a half mile walk from Chicago's Montrose Bird Sanctuary which I've heard is rather popular, both for sighting rare birds and for gay hookups. So, I'm sure to see something interesting.
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Jan 4, 2016 02:57
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