Excellent advise. +1 does all the right things.... I just take a picture now and again.

 

I made the grade too!

 

Hmm my seed is not disappearing, but I'm not sure if I haven't scared all the birds away with the "sparrow deterrent." I'll know more tomorrow, as I'm home more and will see if any birds are showing up to feed.

 

Took a chance that my back will hold up (it is doing much better) and put my feeders back up. It may take a few days before the birds return but I could have sworn this morning I heard them announcing the buffet had reopened.

 

 

Thanks Lainey. Still have some issues but nowhere near as bad as it was. I'm hoping the healing continues. I'm weary of creeping around like an invalid and I'm more than weary of being in pain! I am concerned about being able to go out every morning and re-fill the feeders, but I'm giving it a shot. It only took a few minutes for my little buddies to find the seed and since I re-started the fountain as well they were soon jumping in. I guess those calls I heard this morning were announcing the buffet was back.

 

Well my seed is lasting longer. I've seen the sparrows avoid the feeders that have the fishing line "deterrents". They hover, then almost stop dead and put on the reverse thrusters. A few, but only a few have swooped in for some seed. The down side, I didn't see much of any other bird activity at the feeders. The sparrow always out numbered the other birds, probably 10:1, so I'm not sure some of the other bird didn't feed at other times.

I'll keep watching.

I did scatter some seed on the ground, and I have one feeder without the deterrents so I'm still willing to give the sparrow a meal now and then.

 

Lainey, I read something about a "halo" that deters the sparrows but does not bother the other birds. I'm assuming you looked into that. Other than the halo there seems to be nothing else that keeps them at bay.

 

I've seen that too, but it doesn't seem to be available any longer.
Thanks!

 

I need to speak up on behalf of the sparrow - they also need to eat in order to survive the winter, the same as the prettier birds. I think there 10 different varieties of sparrow so perhaps we should be feeding all the birds and trying to see which variety of sparrow we have in our gardens. The sparrow may be protection for the more timid birds, a warning system of danger or an indication that the feeder is a safe place to be.