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OT- Finch feeders



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 26th 07, 03:54 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
Jane Kay
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 67
Default OT- Finch feeders

I haven't been doing much quilting lately, only at my guild
meetings. At home I just made some cloth tubes to hold
thistle seed. I have been buying them but something is
tearing them open and spilling the seed out so buying them
got too expensive. I bought some $1-a-yard sheer knit at
Wal-Mart I hope will work and sewed up 8 of them to try. 2 are just tubes,
but the others I divided by filling partway, sewing across, and filling
again, so if they are torn only part of the seed will spill out. The
first one I had out yesterday disappeared overnight, and the
hook was knocked over. I suspect raccoons. If it happens
again I may have to give up feeding the goldfinches. They
are so pretty to watch. It is funny how satisfying it is to
feed birds & other creatures. People get a lot of
satisfaction feeding ducks, pigeons, seagulls, koi, etc.
that don't offer any other return except the fun of watching
them. Maybe I don't like feeding the raccoons because I
can't watch, or maybe because they are so destructive and greedy they don't
leave anything for the birds.

Jane in NE Ohio, where we are finally getting some rain.

The corn (maize to you Brits) is finally in tassel here, &
the tomatoes are ripening finally. Soon we will have locally
grown produce instead of the durable but plasticy tasting
stuff that is shipped in to the supermarkets.


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  #2  
Old July 26th 07, 03:57 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
KJ
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,129
Default OT- Finch feeders

My brother in law the farmer dislikes birders putting thistle seeds in
feeders. It increases the likelihood of his fields having more thistles in
them. I usually just get different sizes of sunflower hearts.

--
Kathyl (KJ)
remove "nospam" before mchsi
http://community.webshots.com/user/kathylquiltz
"Jane Kay" wrote in message
...
I haven't been doing much quilting lately, only at my guild
meetings. At home I just made some cloth tubes to hold
thistle seed. I have been buying them but something is
tearing them open and spilling the seed out so buying them
got too expensive. I bought some $1-a-yard sheer knit at
Wal-Mart I hope will work and sewed up 8 of them to try. 2 are just tubes,
but the others I divided by filling partway, sewing across, and filling
again, so if they are torn only part of the seed will spill out. The
first one I had out yesterday disappeared overnight, and the
hook was knocked over. I suspect raccoons. If it happens
again I may have to give up feeding the goldfinches. They
are so pretty to watch. It is funny how satisfying it is to
feed birds & other creatures. People get a lot of
satisfaction feeding ducks, pigeons, seagulls, koi, etc.
that don't offer any other return except the fun of watching
them. Maybe I don't like feeding the raccoons because I
can't watch, or maybe because they are so destructive and greedy they
don't
leave anything for the birds.

Jane in NE Ohio, where we are finally getting some rain.

The corn (maize to you Brits) is finally in tassel here, &
the tomatoes are ripening finally. Soon we will have locally
grown produce instead of the durable but plasticy tasting
stuff that is shipped in to the supermarkets.



  #3  
Old July 26th 07, 04:21 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
Taria
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,327
Default OT- Finch feeders

I have been buying finch thistle for a few years now. I think it must
be sterile because it doesn't sprout around the feeding spot like other
bird seeds often do. Most of the fields in this part of the world are
covered with new stucco houses these days. : (

Jane, we have really enjoyed watching the finches on the socks. I got
mine at walmart but the fabric they are made of is around. When we
lived at our last house I had a small wall fountain and a finch sock
right out a bay window with a bench seat. It was the best spot in the
house. When the gal that ended up buying the house came to see
it she actually asked how we kept our birds from flying away. I guess
she thought they were pets or something. Feed them and they will come.

The cats have a lot of hours in watching also. Since they are inside
cats the birds are safe. We don't have raccoons here but my dad does.
They like to eat the neighbor's pond fish. They are pretty destructive
creatures.

We did have a thread hanging from one of our socks one finch got tangled
in. DH rescued the poor little thing and off he flew but I don't want
that to happen again.

Here is what they look like for anyone still reading:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKpLlVDVHvI
TAria


KJ wrote:
My brother in law the farmer dislikes birders putting thistle seeds in
feeders. It increases the likelihood of his fields having more thistles in
them. I usually just get different sizes of sunflower hearts.


  #4  
Old July 26th 07, 04:28 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
Val
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 587
Default OT- Finch feeders


"KJ" wrote in message
news:rD2qi.23883$Xa3.5373@attbi_s22...
My brother in law the farmer dislikes birders putting thistle seeds in
feeders. It increases the likelihood of his fields having more thistles
in them. I usually just get different sizes of sunflower hearts.

--


FYI: bird feeder thistle seed

Niger thistle (Guizotia abyssinica) is an annual plant, which belongs to the
sunflower family. The crop is used exclusively as bird seed in the U.S.A.
but is valued as an oilseed in other countries. The seed contains
approximately 42% oil, composed primarily of linoleic acid.

Currently, the entire U.S. usage of niger (approximately 70 million pounds
annually) is imported from India, Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Nepal.

Several farming regions in the United States and Canada have tried to grow
Niger as an alternative crop but have thus been unsuccessful.

Those thistles in your BIL's field are *not* from bird feeders.

Val


  #5  
Old July 26th 07, 04:39 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
KJ
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,129
Default OT- Finch feeders

Not my fields....no research on my part. Just repeating what I was told.
Won't do that anymore! g

--
Kathyl (KJ)
remove "nospam" before mchsi
http://community.webshots.com/user/kathylquiltz
"Val" wrote in message
...

"KJ" wrote in message
news:rD2qi.23883$Xa3.5373@attbi_s22...
My brother in law the farmer dislikes birders putting thistle seeds in
feeders. It increases the likelihood of his fields having more thistles
in them. I usually just get different sizes of sunflower hearts.

--


FYI: bird feeder thistle seed

Niger thistle (Guizotia abyssinica) is an annual plant, which belongs to
the sunflower family. The crop is used exclusively as bird seed in the
U.S.A. but is valued as an oilseed in other countries. The seed contains
approximately 42% oil, composed primarily of linoleic acid.

Currently, the entire U.S. usage of niger (approximately 70 million pounds
annually) is imported from India, Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Nepal.

Several farming regions in the United States and Canada have tried to grow
Niger as an alternative crop but have thus been unsuccessful.

Those thistles in your BIL's field are *not* from bird feeders.

Val



  #6  
Old July 26th 07, 04:41 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
Val
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 587
Default OT- Finch feeders


"Jane Kay" wrote in message
...
I haven't been doing much quilting lately, only at my guild
meetings. At home I just made some cloth tubes to hold
thistle seed. I have been buying them but something is
tearing them open and spilling the seed out so buying them
got too expensive.


The birds will also tear those bags (store bought or homemade) open or to
shreds after only being up a short time. You're better off buying a thistle
feeder and then fill it from a bag of seed.
http://www.nottawawildbirdsupply.com...tle-c-1_4.html
That link will show you examples of what I'm talking about.

If the feeder completely disappears it's most likely a raccoon, bear or
squirrel, depending on what kind of wildlife you have roaming around. Your
only alternatives to that problem are to hang them where they can't be
reached, bring them in before nightfall and put them back in the morning or
take them down altogether.

Val.......avid birder with lots of feeders


  #7  
Old July 26th 07, 05:15 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
Val
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 587
Default OT- Finch feeders

You were just passing along what info your BIL told you. I wasn't taking pot
shots at the messenger That information came from the USDA site, among
others, and was passed along in my birding newsgroup quite awhile ago when
one of our members had a neighbor try to sue him for the invasive
infestation of thistles spreading on the neighbor's property. Because of
documented, credible research he obviously didn't win the law suit. IF you
could ever get that seed to sprout it would look like a sunflower plant, not
a thistle. The chances of it germinating in gardens in the US is slim to
none. The growers who tried this crop as an alternative were in
Saskatchewan, California, Minnesota, Iowa and Michigan. The Niger seed is
42% oil, great energy source for the birds and yields more oil per ton of
seed than the sunflowers grown for oil in this country. You might pass this
information on to you BIL. Maybe he could figure out a way to grow Niger and
get rich

Val


"KJ" wrote in message
news:se3qi.23907$Xa3.77@attbi_s22...
Not my fields....no research on my part. Just repeating what I was told.
Won't do that anymore! g

--
Kathyl (KJ)
remove "nospam" before mchsi
http://community.webshots.com/user/kathylquiltz
"Val" wrote in message
...

"KJ" wrote in message
news:rD2qi.23883$Xa3.5373@attbi_s22...
My brother in law the farmer dislikes birders putting thistle seeds in
feeders. It increases the likelihood of his fields having more thistles
in them. I usually just get different sizes of sunflower hearts.

--


FYI: bird feeder thistle seed

Niger thistle (Guizotia abyssinica) is an annual plant, which belongs to
the sunflower family. The crop is used exclusively as bird seed in the
U.S.A. but is valued as an oilseed in other countries. The seed contains
approximately 42% oil, composed primarily of linoleic acid.

Currently, the entire U.S. usage of niger (approximately 70 million
pounds annually) is imported from India, Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Nepal.

Several farming regions in the United States and Canada have tried to
grow Niger as an alternative crop but have thus been unsuccessful.

Those thistles in your BIL's field are *not* from bird feeders.

Val





  #8  
Old July 26th 07, 07:08 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
Taria
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,327
Default OT- Finch feeders

Well Val, I'll have you know the finches in So. Cal. clearly have
better eating habits cause my net bags have never been torn apart.
LOL
The one at our old house was up for at least a couple of years
and the 2 here in the desert have been up since November. There isn't
any other wildlife around here anymore though. Domestic cats and dogs
but not even coyotes anymore. There are bear and big cat
sightings in outlying areas but the city life has taken over here.
Taria

Val wrote:


The birds will also tear those bags (store bought or homemade) open or to
shreds after only being up a short time. You're better off buying a thistle
feeder and then fill it from a bag of seed.
http://www.nottawawildbirdsupply.com...tle-c-1_4.html
That link will show you examples of what I'm talking about.

If the feeder completely disappears it's most likely a raccoon, bear or
squirrel, depending on what kind of wildlife you have roaming around. Your
only alternatives to that problem are to hang them where they can't be
reached, bring them in before nightfall and put them back in the morning or
take them down altogether.

Val.......avid birder with lots of feeders



  #9  
Old July 27th 07, 01:44 AM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
Patti S
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 634
Default OT- Finch feeders

Hi Jane
The Goldfinch (Willow) is the Washington State Bird, and I just love
them! I have two feeders in my back yard that I bought from "Wild
Birds". The are made of really hard plastic, and are about 2 feet long
with several little openings the length of the feeder, and perches for
them to stand on. They're really easy to clean, and they are guaranteed
for life! If anything breaks or comes loose, etc, "Wild Birds" will
replace it. I can fill them with nyjer seed, and it will last for about
2 or 3 days, depending on how much activity is going on. They are
indeed, beautiful birds with a joyous song, and I love having them
around. I have squirrels, opossum and racoon around but they don't seem
to bother the feeders at all. I believe "Wild Birds" is nationwide.

Patti in Seattle

  #10  
Old July 27th 07, 03:28 AM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
KJ
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,129
Default OT- Finch feeders

Nah....he's rich enough!!!! Maybe I could try it in my back 1/2 acre. g
I'll just keep this info in case the comment is ever made again. heheheh...

--
Kathyl (KJ)
remove "nospam" before mchsi
http://community.webshots.com/user/kathylquiltz
"Val" wrote in message
...
You were just passing along what info your BIL told you. I wasn't taking
pot shots at the messenger That information came from the USDA site,
among others, and was passed along in my birding newsgroup quite awhile
ago when one of our members had a neighbor try to sue him for the invasive
infestation of thistles spreading on the neighbor's property. Because of
documented, credible research he obviously didn't win the law suit. IF
you could ever get that seed to sprout it would look like a sunflower
plant, not a thistle. The chances of it germinating in gardens in the US
is slim to none. The growers who tried this crop as an alternative were in
Saskatchewan, California, Minnesota, Iowa and Michigan. The Niger seed is
42% oil, great energy source for the birds and yields more oil per ton of
seed than the sunflowers grown for oil in this country. You might pass
this information on to you BIL. Maybe he could figure out a way to grow
Niger and get rich

Val


"KJ" wrote in message
news:se3qi.23907$Xa3.77@attbi_s22...
Not my fields....no research on my part. Just repeating what I was told.
Won't do that anymore! g

--
Kathyl (KJ)
remove "nospam" before mchsi
http://community.webshots.com/user/kathylquiltz
"Val" wrote in message
...

"KJ" wrote in message
news:rD2qi.23883$Xa3.5373@attbi_s22...
My brother in law the farmer dislikes birders putting thistle seeds in
feeders. It increases the likelihood of his fields having more
thistles in them. I usually just get different sizes of sunflower
hearts.

--

FYI: bird feeder thistle seed

Niger thistle (Guizotia abyssinica) is an annual plant, which belongs to
the sunflower family. The crop is used exclusively as bird seed in the
U.S.A. but is valued as an oilseed in other countries. The seed contains
approximately 42% oil, composed primarily of linoleic acid.

Currently, the entire U.S. usage of niger (approximately 70 million
pounds annually) is imported from India, Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Nepal.

Several farming regions in the United States and Canada have tried to
grow Niger as an alternative crop but have thus been unsuccessful.

Those thistles in your BIL's field are *not* from bird feeders.

Val







 




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