The Zen Birdfeeder

FAQ - Will Chipmunks Eat Safflower?

Q.  Safflower helps deter or at least slow down seed consumption by gray and red squirrels.   But will chipmunks eat the safflower seed?

A.  In a word - YES. 

Unfortunately these little critters will eat safflower seed, as well as sunflower seed, peanuts, tree nuts, and suet, in other words, just about any seed you typically put in a regular feeder.  I have noticed that they're a little slower eating millet - unfortunately, millet is not a favorite of many birds and it also draws in House Sparrows.

Wildlife Wednesday - Chatterbox Squirrel

 

TAKE A BREATH, WILL YA??

Turn your speakers up for maximum chatter enjoyment!

Squirrel Babies Like Soft Nests Too!

I've moved what was left of last year's nesting material over to a tree and now momma Red Squirrel has discovered some soft alpaca for the nest she's building.

Multiple times during the day, she has worked to extract the remaining alpaca fiber from the grapevine ball, organized her treasure in a neat little wad, and headed off to her nest in the woods.

Don't worry, soon I'll be hanging a brand new alpaca nest ball in a squirrel-proof location for this year's bird nests in my yard.  I've seen Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, and even Purple Finches gather nesting material to line their nest.  I love nesting season!!

Groundhogs by the Numbers

150       days that a groundhog hibernates, all without eating!

37         degree body temperature during hibernation - down from about 99 degrees!

14         pounds a groundhog could weigh

8           mph is the top speed of a groundhog, too slow to evade a predator like a fox that can hit 25mph

5           heartbeats per minute during hibernation (down from about 80 beats per minute.)

2           breaths per minute during hibernation (down from around 16.)

1           pound of vegetation is how much a groundhog may eat in a single sitting. (Like a 150-pound man eating a 15-pound steak!!)

1/16     inch is how much a groundhog's teeth grow EACH WEEK

Source: National Wildlife Federation

Good Chipmunk - Bad Chipmunk

BAD CHIPMUNK

• They eat garden plants and dig up and eat bulbs.
• They burrow through the yard and under garden walks.
• They eat just about all the foods we offer our birds - seed, nuts, suet.  They even eat safflower seed which even squirrels don't like!
• They venture into pools, half-filled watering cans and buckets, leading to very bad results.

 

GOOD CHIPMUNK 

• They're cute!
• They eat garden pests like cutworm, June bugs, field mice, millipedes, and slugs.
• They don't eat daffodils.
• They don't have the jumping ability that squirrels do.
• They hibernate in the winter (though they sometimes come out for short visits)

The Four B's in My Yard

Bees and Bats,
Birds and Brats!

Bee on Solidago

Big Brown Bats in our bat box

 
Dark-eyed Junco

Eastern Chipmunk

Wildlife Wednesday

Baffled Eastern Chipmunk

A baffle on your birdfeeding station pole will keep chipmunks from getting to your feeders.  You can find baffles on our Wild Birds Unlimited online store.

Squirrels Day and Night

This little Red Squirrel hangs around every day on the west side of the house, enjoying the seed dropped from the feeders and napping on nearby branches.

And under cover of darkness, his cousin Mrs. Flying Squirrel emerges to feast on remaining seed beneath the same birdfeeders.

The night time pictures were taken using a flash, which is reflected in their oversized-to-see-better-at-night eyes.

  

Wordless Wednesday

Red Squirrel at rest

Un-Birds

Just some other visitors in my yard this summer.

Eastern Chipmunk


Bee on flower

Frittilary on coneflower


Another chipmunk