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Yeah, I’m kind of 50/50 on the stove versus tap. I’m not sure why other than sometimes it seems like it takes just as long for the water heater to start warming it up. I can’t imagine keeping up with 18 feeders; your amazing! We use to see woodpeckers feeding from our nectar feeders at a past property but not our current. Maybe just because our nectar feeders are closer to our house?

Great choice! Thanks for participating in the giveaway. Is that a Sacramento Sucker in your picture?

@@BackyardBiologyBoys It's a Sonoran Sucker out in AZ. I love native fish species :D

@ oh, that is awesome, me too! I’ve always thought Razorback suckers are pretty rad. Did you catch it on a fly?

@@BackyardBiologyBoys yes on the fly they are a great fight on a fly rod, especially cause these ones can get huge! I'd love to be able to catch a razorback sucker, I've got a couple of waterways out here to try my luck at.

@@barns.flydrift Awesome, that sounds like a lot of fun! Well keep me posted if you do catch one. And best of luck, maybe 2025 will be your year to do it.

Great response and practice. I plan to take down my feeder station after winter and also increase native seed and fruit on are property. I’d be interested in learning which plants and shrubs worked best for you? Was there an obvious go-to in your region? Thanks for reaching out and participating in the giveaway. It’s great to have you as part of the BBB community! Happy New Year!

​@@BackyardBiologyBoys I live in Maine so the native plants that I’ve added to my landscape and that I see the birds enjoy the seeds of are purple coneflowers, anise hyssop, rudbeckias, liatris, goldenrods, asters, sunflowers, to name the most popular ones. Of course, I do not cut these plants down in the fall. Hummingbirds enjoy bee balm, the native honeysuckle, lobelias, phlox, penstemons, red columbines as well as some annuals (not native) like zinnias. Some birds (cedar waxwings, robins and others) love the blueberries, various dogwoods, chokeberries and strawberries. We also have staghorn sumacs that the robins enjoy when they arrive in the spring and we have a late snow. This year I will add more dogwoods, and especially winterberries, junipers and other shrubs for the late fall/winter berries. I’m lucky enough to have a few acres of land where we have mature trees (oaks, maples, black cherries, birches…) and where I can I leave a section as a wild meadow and I have also added many, many native perennials to my extensive flower beds to attract pollinators and other insects, which help provide food for the baby birds and the bluebirds. (Hope this wasn’t too long an answer! I do get so excited about birds, wildlife and native plants. 😂 I’m a big fan of Doug Tallamy and watching videos on providing habitat! Keep the videos coming!) Happy New Year to you too!

Glad to hear you have your happy bird place! What are some of your more frequent bird visitors in TX? Also, those sound like some creative solutions you’re working through! Nice work, and keep up the wildflower plantings. Sounds like you have a wise perspective about it!

That’s awesome to hear, thanks for sharing! What’s been your favorite bird and/or animal to show up at your bird sanctuary? I love to learn more about it and any recommendations you might have from your experience! Thanks for reaching out.

@@TracyBirds Awesome! Glad to have you as part of our BBB community, and representing Alberta. Great reminder regarding suit! We are in the Sierra Nevada foothill of California. You are right, in the summer it’s too hot, but our fall and winter allow for it. I’m curious if you have a favorite variety/type of suet that you use? We planted two native wildflower plots this fall and we’re super excited to see what become of the meadow this spring. Thanks for any additional insights or suggestions you might offer!

@ I actually make my own suet and the birds love it (beef fat suet, natural peanut butter, oatmeal for binder, and mix of seeds, nuts and mealworms for the birds). Temps are dipping here again, it will be -30°C tonight so I just refilled all the suet feeders.

Oh that’s awesome, thanks for sharing your recipe! Do you ever just use natural beef suet (like fat from a butcher)? Also, what birds are you seeing, chickadees and nuthatches?

@ yes I get the suet from a butcher (that’s what I melt down to make the suet), but I typically don’t put it out as I would have too many magpies and ravens around. My suet feeders are small and meant for clingers (woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees).

Thanks for the suggestion! I was going back and forth between no music and music. Next time I’ll remember to go no music. And yes, I think many animals liked the water more than the acorns; except the deer! Not an acorn left.

Great, that’s awesome. We have a 1-acre pond and it’s a blast. Have you seen Bamabass on RUclips? I suspect you would enjoy their channel as well. Although we are more stoked to have you as a part of the BBB community! Thanks for participating in the giveaway, just make sure you aren’t feeding too many fish from your future pond to the Osprey!

@@BackyardBiologyBoys​​⁠​​⁠Yes! I’ve enjoyed his videos and seeing the wildlife the pond has brought. I also really like @thewildlifehomestead and the vernal pond and videography have been really inspiring

@ Yeah, I’d say. Stefano’s channel is awesome and was my inspiration for our wildlife homestead content. Best of luck with the pond and be sure to keep us updated along the way. I’d be interested to learn from your experience and I’m sure other here would as well.

Wow, thanks for the kind compliment! That is neat to learn of the shared experience of San Francisco, albeit years apart. Having hope is an amazing multiplier! Thanks again for reaching out, that made my day.

Most definitely! It’s been a rewarding way to watch and learn about the different birds and wildlife that are a part of the ecology. Thanks for your support and nice comment!

Awesome, welcome to the BBB community! Glade you found us. Nighthawks are indeed a cool bird! Best of luck in the giveaway!

A beautiful bird. We enjoyed seeing them on our pond this past summer. Thanks for participating in the giveaway. Best of luck!

Alright, awesome! Make sure to check out (www.citizenscience.gov/#) to find opportunities that are near and interest you.

@ Thank you so much for the website. I shall look it over.

@ I live in Louisville, Kentucky. The only state park near me is E.P. Tom Sawyer Park. I shall check them out and see if they have any citizens science projects. Also, we have the Olmsted Park Conservancy. Can one do a project on their own. I have been observing a family of beavers at a city park for over five years and have countless photos to share and stories to tell. I shall investigate my possibilities. Thanks.

I read the article on the Indiana Dunes. I did not realize cattails were an invasive species. There is a cattail marsh near the beavers that is utilized in the spring by Red-winged Blackbirds. It is definitely a habitat changing plant. I guess I need to spend some time taking a closer look at cattails. Thanks again. I am 74, recently retired, love nature and looking for something to do.

I have observed that family of beavers for at least five years or more. I have countless photos. However, this tiny park is owned by the city of St. Matthew’s in Louisville, Kentucky. I doubt if they have a citizen science program. I shall check it out, though. Thanks again and have a good day!

Now that’s good company to be compared to. Thanks for the compliment! We have a long ways to go to achieve their status but we are having a lot of fun with the channel. Thanks for be a part of the BBB community, and spread the word! Cheers!

That’s great! Happy New Year’s to you as well. Thanks for participating in the giveaway!

Great pick! I loved seeing Northern Cardinals when we lived in the Midwest. Thanks for participating in the giveaway and best of luck!

Haha, so true! That’s why I had to answer with two as well. Sorry for putting you through that but super cool pick of bird. And I must admit, I had to look that one up to hear it’s call. We don’t get those in our area. Thanks for the learning experience and participating in the giveaway!

Thank you for your comment and participating in the giveaway. This already is a lot of fun. I enjoy see Mourning Dove’s to in our bird sanctuary. Best of luck!

I agree, it’s hard to pick just one. I loved seeing Black-Capped Chickadees when we lived in the Midwest. Now I enjoy Mountain Chickadees. Thanks for your comment and participating in the giveaway!

Thanks for the kind comment and Happy New Year’s to you as well. Welcome to the BBB community! My boys got a kick from hearing that you are watching our videos from Thailand! Super cool.

Yes, you are correct. Nice observation! It was the deer that eat the majority of the acorns, followed by the squirrel, and a Northern Flicker (although I’m now realizing I didn’t include the clip of it peaking at them while editing 😩). The acorns were all eaten; however, the water trays where the winners; bringing in the most diversity of animals.

Awesome, glad you enjoyed it! That’s a great list of birds. The White-Breasted Nuthatch is one of my favorites too. I love their personalities. Thanks for participating in the giveaway!

That’s great to hear and no problem! We’re just starting to finally grow the channel and BBB community a bit more over the last week. So, that has been fun to see. Glad you found us and are finding our content helpful. Thanks for watching, and spread the word!

Yeah I know, it’s very hard to pick just one. I love that you have nesting ravens! They're such cool birds. I saw five today flying back and forth over our property. They were fun to watch and to try and figure out what they were up to. Thanks for reaching out and participating in the giveaway.

@@bethvanney1059 sounds like an awesome project and the is very encouraging to hear. Thanks for the kind comment. Regarding avian influenza, I’ve been hearing it’s not as likely to be transmitted widely through songbirds as other birds. Still, being proactive is probably the best step to take, so maybe don’t put out the heated bird bath this year or just keep up on cleaning it and your feeders. Best to use a 10-percent bleach solution to clean them…your feeders weekly and your bath every few days. This article is good and provides more details that you might find helpful gadnr.org/dnr-clean-feeders-save-birds#:~:text=Clean%20feeders%20weekly%20using%20a,%2C%20and%20wash%20carefully%20afterward.)

@ thank you.

@@bethvanney1059 yes, of course! Keep us posted on what you decide on for your heated birdbath. Do you have a heater recommendation? I’m deciding if I should put one out once we have a more consistent freeze. I’m also interested in learning more from your experience with your bird sanctuary; lessons learned… Thanks in advance for any additional insights!

Thanks for reaching out, and great question! I don’t feed them anything currently. The pine and oak trees did well for them this summer and fall and they seem to be very content and have left my feeders altogether alone. That being said, yes they would like your black oil sunflower seeds and any nut-based blends you offer. I’ve never heard peanuts (or corn for that matter) being lethal; just not as heathy as an option for the squirrels dietary needs as other options you could feed them, like unshelled nuts of various kinds. Similarly to your bird feeders, you would want to keep any squirrel feeder cleaned regularly and not over filled with food as this could cause feed to go rancid (probably what the other video was speaking towards). Hope that helps and here is a good article on squirrel feeding that you might find helpful www.perkypet.com/articles/what-to-feed-squirrels#:~:text=Of%20course%2C%20bird%20seed%20can%20double%20as,them%20with%20in%2Dthe%2Dshell%20nuts.%20SQUIRREL%20FEEDING%20GUIDE.

@ Thank you so much for your informative answer. I forgot to tell you that I live in an apartment. Last year, I created a pollinator garden around my patio with my land lady’s approval. I just have one platform feeder and a birdbath. I created a low “bee “ bath like you showed in your video. I think I shall try getting the squirrels some unshelled nuts like you suggest. I shall watch the video you sent to get some other ideas. Thank you again so much.

@@BackyardBiologyBoys I just read the article you sent me. Maybe I shall get them some shelled walnuts or pecans. I bought a pumpkin and cut it open at Halloween for them. Maybe I shall try some other varieties of squash. Thank you so much. The article was a great help.

That is awesome! I too enjoy watching the birds out my window when working from home. I have anna's hummingbirds and Bushtits that frequent my window. They are a fun distraction from a computer screen. Keen eye on the two color options for the feeder. I chose the lighter color as I thought it blended in better with the forested area of our bird sanctuary. I don't think the orange color would deter any common backyard birds, in fact it might even attract some other species of birds such as oriole. Thanks for sharing and participation in the giveaway. Best of luck!

Oh wow! How do you like the hot peppered suet? I'd be interested to hear your experience with it. I only have berry and peanut butter suet out in our yard.

Awesome, sorry about the link, but thanks for sharing the information about it. I’ll have to check those out. I only have three feeders up around our deck, but as another BBB community member mentioned, I’m missing them in the bird sanctuary. So, maybe I should pick a few of these up for over there. Thanks again for the kind comment. Have a great weekend!

Yeah, that is a great one! I spent some time working in Minnesota for the NPS and had a little cabin a stone’s throw from a large lake. It was so pleasant and I loved hearing the loons. Thanks for sharing and participating in the giveaway!

Haha, glad you enjoyed it. Yes, a tufted titmouse is a common bird to feeders. We don’t have those in our area but the oak titmouse love going to the smart feeder here. Thanks for sharing and participating in the giveaway. Best of luck!

Haha, that was a good idea and try. Maybe some from a haircut or hairbrush would work better?

Glad you liked it! Yeah, a bigger water tray is a great idea. I only intended for birds to use them, so shallower ones would work better for their needs. However, seeing all the wildlife using them, I think you are correct; bigger is better!

Awesome, glad you enjoy what we are about. It’s a lot of fun, and my main goal is to instill a sense of stewardship with our natural world in my boys and share quality time together. Thanks for your kind comments, and for being a part of the BBB community!

Yes, tanagers are beautiful. We don’t get Scarlet Tanagers in our areaI have a memory of my oldest son identifying a western tanager this summer. Thanks for sharing and participating in the giveaway!

Yes, I’m excited to have set it up this past fall; it’s been a lot of fun and getting a lot of use from both birds and wildlife. Good point regarding the hummingbird feeders in the sanctuary area, I completely overlooked that potential. I have three hummingbird feeders up at our house, but none down in the sanctuary.

Appreciate the kind comment! Yes, Stefano was my inspiration for the wildlife homestead side of our content, and also wanted to incorporate outdoor adventures with my boys and some tips and how to’s for attracting birds and wildlife to our respective spaces. I have the background in biology and ecology, just need to work on my wildlife photography skills; because he is good!

@ No problem, Good luck👍 Hope it’s a great season for next year especially with the monarchs

@@olgabauerova3303 thanks for reaching out and sharing this content with your sister; very much appreciated! You are correct, the are not listed as endangered; however, USFWS has just proposed to list the Monarch Butterfly as a Threatened Species under the Endangered Species Act.

@@BackyardBiologyBoys Hiii!!! Thank you for your comment. I am totally for their protection!!!!!🦋🦋🦋🍀🍀🍀

@@wulpeswulpes9574 i agree! It’s been so exciting to see who shows up, and being to observe some of the seasonality and differing behaviors of them. Thanks for reaching out!

@@wulpeswulpes9574 thanks for the kind comment! I’m excited too! It’s been so fun observing all the wildlife!

@@mr.jellypants8111 Yes Stefano was my main influence for content creation around the idea of a wildlife homestead. I hope to incorporate videos around that subject, tips and how to’s for attracting birds and wildlife to your own space, and outdoor adventures with my boys. Thanks for your comments and joining us as a part of the BBB community!

Thanks for the kind and informative comment. That is an awesome tip for the bee hotel, and I’ll make sure to do just that. Love this BBB community, and the helpful knowledge held within it!

Hahah! Fortunately, I have ample amount of coyotes, fox, bobcat, owls and other raptors, gopher snakes, and King snakes to keep any rodents honest around here. Time will tell.

Great, thanks for your suggestions. I planted two native wildflower plots this fall and I’m super excited to see what becomes of them this upcoming year. That’s good to know about your bat box experience. I’ll keep expectations low once built and see if anything shows up. I see several bats each night flying over the pond and orchard but if they don’t use it, hopefully something else does. I’ll make sure to provide any future updates on them. Thanks for reaching out and for the nice comments!

@@BackyardBiologyBoys I know bat boxes need to be mounted where morning sun hits early. My boxes got wasps which I guess are ok. I’m about to mount a screech owl box and it was recommended to rub bar soap or wax on ceiling to prevent wasps building nests there. That might deter bats though so maybe not recommended for bat box.

@@dankeener3307 that’s great information, thanks for sharing. Love this BBB community and the helpful knowledge held within it. Best of luck with your Screech owl box! Keep us posted on how it works out.

Load up on native herbaceous perennials, shrubs and trees, marginal and aquatic plants (native) rather than feeders. Feeders attract more problems (as you’ve seen with the deer) You’ll get more nesting birds that will hang around raising their young. Create an ephemeral pond for them and amphibians to drink, bathe and live. I have an 1800 sq ft backyard with an 80 sq ft shallow pond. Loads of native shrubs, perennials and trees and no supplemental feeding. I’m only yard on my street that does this and yet, I have had dozens of species of birds, frogs, toads, hummingbirds, as well as groundhog, skunk, raccoon, rabbit, mink, mice, fox, coyote and opossum come to visit in the last year. The yard was stripped of lawn and the natives were planted, as well as removal of invasive plants and this was only the second summer, yet all that wildlife came to the yard, without supplemental feeding. Looking forward to seeing the evolution of your property.

@ Awesome suggestions! Thanks for contributing to the BBB community and for taking care of native plants and wildlife in your neck of the woods. I’ve been playing with the idea of a ephemeral pond; so that is great inspiration and information. We have a seasonal creek that I’d like to sample this spring. Native newts are in the area but haven’t found any native amphibians on the property besides chorus frogs. Thanks again!