[John_W]

We moved our holly tree from the front to the back of our CYV when we installed two palms in the front 6 years ago. That holly tree in 8-1/2 years since the home was new is now 25' tall. Those who left the tree in the front, most of them are maybe 10'. I don't know why it took off in the backyard, but for the past 3 years we've had a mockingbird sit in the top of that tree all day. He is very territorial and controls our back yard.

He doesn't eat bird seed or nuts, he likes grapes. He chases hawks or anything he doesn't like in our yard away, he doesn't care how big they are. So we started putting grapes on the table in the backyard and he eats them everyday. We added a bird feeder about 2-1/2 years ago, but we don't buy the cheap bird seed from Walmart. Squirrels and black birds love that seed. We get Safflower seed, not sunflower, but safflower. We added a second feeder a few months later.

Now two years later we have two red cardinals (males) and 2 brown cardinals (female) and 3 finches living in our backyard fulltime. We allowed the bushes against the back wall to grow into a hedge. The birds love hiding in the bushes. We also have 4 brown thrashers live in the backyard from February to September the last two years. We also add nuts to the food supply, the cardinals love the grapes, the seed and the nuts.

Two squirrels have also camped out in the backyard, we put nuts in the shell out for them. In fact every monring when I get up and look out, the squirrel is hanging on the screen waiting for his nuts. It's become a real menagerie of animals and because of this, the thought of owning a dog, which was our intent when we bought the CYV, has gone away. Also the doves love the bird seed, and in the early morning and late evening the big white doves will show up. We also have a bird bath in the sun and two small dog bowls of water in the shade. The birds and even the squirrels love the water and they'll take baths. The thrashers use to take a bath everyday, the cardinals will now if it's not too cold.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by milling73

I see so many posts with dire warnings and terrifying tales about putting up bird feeders.
Did you have bird feeders at your previous home / state? Was your yard or home infested with snakes, rats, mice, bugs, etc because you hung a bird feeder? Or did you simply enjoy watching the various birds n squirrels at them?
People enjoy issuing dire warnings that rarely happen anywhere, including here.
Think about it

Florida which is warm year 'round supports birds feeding naturally. We had feeders in Ohio and enjoyed them, but listened to others point out that they attracted Palm rats here in Central Florida. We see and so enjoy redbirds and blue jays and mocking birds at our birdbath which we diligently try to keep from having any mosquitoes breed. it is just outside the glass and our kitties love to watch them too.

[Polar Bear]

Originally Posted by The Gerbs

There is another consideration with bird feeders. Bird seed attracts rodents. Rodents attract snakes...

Squirrel Buster bird feeders work for us.

[tophcfa]

We love putting out bird feeders, but please don't put out a feeder if you have an outdoor cat. Cats are the number one killer of songbirds and most of the birds are caught at feeders.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

We love putting out bird feeders, but please don't put out a feeder if you have an outdoor cat. Cats are the number one killer of songbirds and most of the birds are caught at feeders.

Outdoor cats are very much in danger of predator birds here in Florida. We would never let our two out. We have huge raptors flying over all of the time. And big black buzzards will tear the heck out of your trash too. I'd hate to see what they would do to kitties or small dogs unattended.

[TimeForChange]

Originally Posted by JerryLBell

If you're specifically planning on putting up hummingbird feeders, I wish you luck. You just don't see as many hummers in Florida as you do in other eastern states. I believe it has something to do with the difficulty in migration from Florida across the Gulf to Mexico. They can actually fly that distance (though they arrive nearly starved to death) but those that start further north, hug the coast and spend as little time and effort crossing the Gulf are probably more successful. To get our fix on hummers, my wife and I usually have to visit her sister in Arizona as they have much larger numbers of hummers and much greater variety.

Sounds like snowbirds!

[TimeForChange]

Been here seven years. Put up bird feeders first year. We had more mice and rats than birds. People do not realize that most of TV was agriculture fields before. The critters are still here. When a big Palm rat makes a nest in your BBQ grill you will get rid of the bird feeders.

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by milling73

I see so many posts with dire warnings and terrifying tales about putting up bird feeders.
Did you have bird feeders at your previous home / state? Was your yard or home infested with snakes, rats, mice, bugs, etc because you hung a bird feeder? Or did you simply enjoy watching the various birds n squirrels at them?
People enjoy issuing dire warnings that rarely happen anywhere, including here.
Think about it

At our northern home, besides birds and squirrels we get raccoons, chipmunks, hawks and owls preying on the birds, and the occasional bear. The bears are the biggest problem.