(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best backyard birding & wildlife products

ahhh crap... I'm in the northwest and we hardly see any wasps out where I am.

my knee jerk response would be just jump in and worry about any problems if/when they arrive.

I had two little bee houses last year and one of them got ransacked by something. Could've been wasps or birds in retrospect.
The bee guy that I spoke to recommends harvesting them around Octoberish and keeping them in a cool place like the fridge or garage (if it gets cool enough).

yep the bamboo things are the mason bee houses. you could literally just string some small diameter bamboo bits together and hang it in a tree.

Having said that, though, I've been told those things become little bee coffins if the bees at the ends die, leaving all the ones in the middle without the ability to exit. we have some as an option at our house and our bees really really prefer the bamboo holes

if you're willing to do a little care/maintenance, you might want to look into designated bee houses. luckily they're pretty cheap. I bought this one earlier this week and I should be getting some paper straws in the mail today to line the inside of the cardboard tubes. the lining will help for when October rolls around and I can clean their cocoons and refrigerate them and give them to neighbors and family.

sorry if this is a lot of info, I hope it's not too discouraging!

it's been a rewarding hobby so far and it's been pretty relaxing to see what they've been up to at the end of the work day.

I got this one (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071ZZTJSX?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf) I love it, I’ve had it for months and it’s held up and never fallen (I live on the third floor). I also got a bag of 11 lb of bird feed for like $5. Such a good investment he LOVES talking to the birds it’s adorable!

I don't know where you are. The beetles are not here yet and they have not been bad for two, maybe three years because Polar Vortex!

It is inevitable that, after a mild winter, especially two in a row, large parts of the US will be denuded again. No amount of neem oil will help you.

I've been doing this gardening thing 40, 50 years and I have learned that every season is different. you got your plusses, you got your minuses and you live with it because our families will not starve in a bad year.

If you want to think long term, instead of spraying, feed your good bugs and feed your birds. Make sure the birds have water year round, that is very, very important. I bought a heated bird bath from Amazon and it has held up well. I have a feeder and put up more and more birdhouses. I like the concrete ones from Kinsman as they have trap doors so you can clean them out come fall.

DIY Lomo Camera Kit: A little bit on the gimmicky side, but a solid gift for hobby photographers who like to do crafty things

Bird feeder: I love birds and can't wait to own a place where I can install a bird feeder. You can get lots of different kinds but my favourite are the ones you stick on your window

I don't think cowbirds typically parasiitize birds that nest in cavities, so no worries there. It's not something I would worry about. I have both species show up to my feeders - more of the cowbirds though. My grandparents feed house sparrows by the dozens. House sparrows are part of North America now - some of us just don't appreciate them (or other invasives like starlings). Though I respect the hell out of their ability to take advantage of people.

The last picture there is a red-bellied woodpecker. A very cool species that creates tree cavities that other species will take over. If you put out a suet feeder they really like it and will show up regularly. Starlings (another invasive in the US) will also eat suet, so a upside down one like this will help just the nuthatches and woodpeckers use it.

That helps, yes. My wife and I have a farm in middle Tennessee, and there are a LOT of bugs out in the country, and I'm sure y'all know.

We put up a bunch of Purple Martin houses as well as a few bat houses in the barn. Every year we attract dozens of Purple Martins, Tree Swallows and the bats stay year-round. Those birds eat thousands of mosquitoes every single day. They're also fun to watch dance around the sky eating every mosquito in sight.

The first year we lived out here was unbearable. Since then, we rarely get bit by mosquitoes.

Get some Purple Martin houses. They'll come back every year and you can watch generations of them devour your little blood-sucking vermin.

THIS is the kind we have.

Here is a couple cute ones but you should be able to find some good ones at a home improvement store like Lowe's or Home Depot if you don't like these.

Wow! Out of all the rungs he could of ran between he chose the one with a squirrel behind it lol. I used to leave a big pile of food in this https://www.amazon.com/Stokes-Select-Squirrel-Feeder-Capacity/dp/B000LNTY7Q ,but now I only hand feed to make sure they all eat. Many times I used to see 1 squirrel sitting in front of the food eating and chasing away all the others.

Apparently squirrels love that sort of thing. Saw the Whirl-a-Squirrel on Amazon like 5 years ago... If I didn't have dogs that would probably have seizures from the squirrel fun, I would buy one.

Whole shelled peanuts are definitely the way to go. I've had as many as 6 blue jays hanging out in my yard taking turns grabbing peanuts.

I have a wreath style feeder like this that I hang https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004EC3ZBG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_0wmozb8ENV1J9

As a bonus, it also attracts woodpeckers. They actually hang out and peck the shells open and pull out the peanuts.

Amazon has a great feeder that I've used. Easy to clean and maintain.

http://www.amazon.com/Aspects-361-Oriole-Feeder-16-Ounce/dp/B000NVDGKM

I would recommend getting a bat box. Good for you, good for the bats! This guy makes custom ones for the wood in your area and is even available over the phone for help.

I’ve only seen a bunting once and he was stunning! To save money I do a 50/50 mix of the nuts and sunflower seeds to stretch out the nut blend. These are the nuggets. I buy them in bulk from amazon and the woodpeckers love these. I got my first red headed last year! https://www.amazon.com/C-S-Hot-Pepper-Nuggets/dp/B001PLA4PE

The large tube style feeder was purchased from Costco this last spring and is no longer available. A similar one is available on amazon here https://www.amazon.com/Stylecraft-4-Tube-Bird-Feeder/dp/B07N9LMR6C

The blue metal tube feeder we found at Lowe's https://www.lowes.com/pd/Perky-Pet-Red-Metal-Tube-Bird-Feeder/1000340999

The tray style feeder I found at Ace Hardware but I suggest looking anywhere else because I am pretty sure I overpaid for it https://www.acehardware.com/departments/outdoor-living/bird-and-wildlife-supplies/bird-feeders/8123291

I have several of these hummingbird feeders in my yard and I'm not crazy about the way they have to be filled. I would probably go with something else but I will link this one anyways! https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wild-Wings-So-Real-Glass-Hummingbird-Feeder-Honeysuckle-WWGFHF3/302862710

This last feeder is almost certainly just for decoration, but my six year old wasn't about to let it not be used and the birds have had no issues with it! https://www.michaels.com/artminds-gazebo-bird-feeder/10302315.html

Perhaps a large piece puzzle. Bits and Pieces - 300 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle for Adults 18"X24" - Home Grown - 300 pc Jigsaw by Artist John Sloane https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DGMMM9W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_L5mTDbM2GJGAQ

I built a stand feeder from this Nature's Way Bird Products CWF3 Cedar Platform Tray Bird Feeder, Beige https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C61VR2G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_t6mTDbE6QVBNF , a post, two brackets, and some ready mix concrete. It’ll set in a day. Really easy to install. Stain the whole thing with outdoor oil. Give her a big bag of bird seed and she could probably manage to put cups of it in the platform. She’ll get all types of birds and squirrels and wildlife that way and it could really enhance the garden.

You could also consider getting things to make the outside nicer to sit in in the winter. An awning over her sitting area, a better chair, a heater, a gas fire pit that’s push to light (if you feel she has enough attention to turn it off and not endanger her home/leave it running).

I feed nectar to bees in a Perky Pet bird water feeder that I got on Amazon. I add i/2 cup of cane sugar to 48 oz. of water and stir it up. Sometimes in hot weather hundreds of bees feed at it because they have no other water source. They'll drink an entire container full of nectar in half a day. In case anybody is interested, this feeder will really satisfy your bee friends. I put a zip tie around the bottom to restrict the water flow down to bee level instead of bird level. Bees are gentle. When it's time to change the liquid, even if bees are buzzing around and climbing all over this vessel, the bees will let you take it away without stinging you. Amazon website here: https://www.amazon.com/Perky-Pet-780-Water-Cooler-Waterer/dp/B007TULFRQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524425220&sr=8-1&keywords=outdoor+water+feeder+for+birds

Here is photo of bees feeding at my feeder: https://imgur.com/iXy3Tq4

You can make them shelters. There are many ways to do it. One way is to buy a big Rubbermaid tub container and cut a hole in it, and put some straw or other insulating material in there.

http://www.neighborhoodcats.org/how_to_feral_cat_winter_shelter

They say not to use blankets in outdoor shelters, FYI.

You can make it more or less elaborate, depending on what kind of resources you have. Or you can just buy something.

Also I don't know what kind of effort you want to go to, but if you want you can get something like this:

Amazon Link

It is an electric heating coil with a thermostat. This one is designed for a big trough of water for farm animals, but you can find a smaller cheaper one if you look.

When the water approaches freezing temperature, it turns on and heats the water so that it will never freeze.

EDIT: This one should be better for a small container of water. But still not that cheap.

I have two of these and they are extremely easy to clean, and don't leak... They are also cheaper and just as good as the Hummzingers, but they have a bigger well.

https://www.amazon.com/Juegoal-Hanging-Hummingbird-Feeder-Feeding/dp/B0756B3CGF

Diversity in your garden is really good for attracting pollinators. As an example, we have several families of hummingbirds who regularly visit our garden because we not only have feeders out (small, unobtrusive ones, like this one), but have a variety of flowers that hummingbirds like, here and there (trumpet vines, rhododendrons, etc). We also have diversity in our food garden, intermixing or food plants with various flowers.