BS: Bird feeding stories/Tips

Subject: RE: BS: Bird feeding stories/Tips
From: gnu
Date: 26 Jan 12 - 07:32 PM

That's a shitload a birds!

Subject: RE: BS: Bird feeding stories/Tips
From: maeve
Date: 27 Jan 12 - 02:44 PM

Here's some nasty business affecting birdseed http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2012/01/27/scotts-to-pay-4-5m-in-fines.html
"...Court documents state that, from November 2005 to March 2008, Scotts distributed 73 million units of birdseed coated with insecticides called Storcide II and Actellic 5E. This was done to keep insects from eating the seeds during storage.

Storcide's label says the pesticide is "extremely toxic to fish and toxic to birds and other wildlife." Documents state that Scotts continued to sell the products despite warnings in the summer and fall of 2007 from a pesticide chemist and an ornithologist, both of whom worked for the company.

Also in 2008, Federal EPA officials discovered that Scotts was selling lawn and garden products with falsified pesticide registrations. Court documents list a Scotts lawn service fertilizer, a garden "weed preventer and plant food" and another product called Southern Max Fire Ant Killer.

Scotts officials said in 2008 that the fake numbers were the actions of a single manager who was later fired. Court records state that the manager 'intentionally misled EPA by assuring EPA officials that the products were registered, suggesting EPA had lost its files.'"

More at the link.

Subject: RE: BS: Bird feeding stories/Tips
From: gnu
Date: 27 Jan 12 - 02:58 PM

That is just sick. Scotts should be prosecuted, and if found guilty, heavily fined and have their name plastered in every newspaper in the world where their products are sold. Utterly disgusting!

Subject: RE: BS: Bird feeding stories/Tips
From: Raptor
Date: 19 Oct 12 - 08:30 PM

Refresh.

Subject: RE: BS: Bird feeding stories/Tips
From: gnu
Date: 19 Oct 12 - 08:45 PM

Good idea. That disgusting business should be told far and wide over again.

Maybe that's not why you refreshed but I'll take it under the circumstances.

Subject: RE: BS: Bird feeding stories/Tips
From: Raptor
Date: 19 Oct 12 - 09:17 PM

I personally boycotted Scott's because of that. But I refreshed because many people start feeding birds at this time of year.

Subject: RE: BS: Bird feeding stories/Tips
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 20 Oct 12 - 04:27 AM

I like those suet blocks, but they're quite expensive and the poor hungry starlings wolf them down in minutes. So I make what we used to call as children 'Bird Puddings'. You get lard (it's cheap) and melt it down gently in a pan. Add anything you have, for example porridge oats, breadcrumbs, a few raisins etc and pour it into those metal foil Chinese takeaway containers or small Christmas pudding basins. Put in the fridge to set hard and voila! To get the block out, just dip into hot water for a second or two. I put some on the ground and some hanging in the apple tree. I don't mind squirrels at all, they have to eat, God bless them. But they don't come to our garden, don't know why not!

Subject: RE: BS: Bird feeding stories/Tips
From: Arkie
Date: 20 Oct 12 - 09:36 PM

One can sometimes save a bit by purchasing bird seed, suet, etc. from farm co-ops. Not always the case but sometimes. I once got a much better price on sunflower seed at the co-op but somebody caught on to that.

Subject: RE: BS: Bird feeding stories/Tips
From: Janie
Date: 20 Oct 12 - 11:49 PM

I pay whatever I have to pay for sunflower seed. Scott does not have a monopoly on the birdseed market and it is not difficult, at least in my neck of the woods, to buy birdseed sourced other than from Scott.

Subject: RE: BS: Bird feeding stories/Tips
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 21 Oct 12 - 06:13 AM

Sunflower hearts are excellent. We have a lot of goldfinches round here and they love them. But it does cost quite a bit. I buy as big a sack as I can afford from a local corn merchant (it's cheaper loose and in bulk)
I also let several of the apples from our tree lie on the ground. The birds love to eat the fruit at this time of year.

Subject: RE: BS: Bird feeding stories/Tips
From: Raptor
Date: 21 Oct 12 - 06:19 AM

I buy 50 lbs bags of black oil sunflower seed ($28) and Nyger seed($62) and keep them in metal garbage cans as well as shelled peanuts about ($1.20 /lbs)
I only have to buy seed once every month or so.
My birds love me.