Just realized I was scaring off cardinals for 2 years with my feeder placement

I always put my feeder right up against the window so I could get a good look. Last week I noticed a male cardinal kept flying at the glass then backing off. My neighbor came over and pointed out they need some cover nearby to feel safe. I moved the feeder about 8 feet away next to a bush and I've had 3 cardinals visiting every morning since. Has anyone else made a dumb placement mistake like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

uma_ellis16d ago

That cardinal story is totally me with my hummingbird feeder. I had it hanging right out in the open on a little hook for like a year and a half and barely saw a single one. I just assumed they weren't around my neighborhood. Then my buddy who's big into birds told me they're super skittish and need somewhere to dart to if a hawk shows up. I moved it over near a big lilac bush (maybe 10 feet away), and now I've got at least two that come by every afternoon like clockwork. It's crazy how such a small change makes that much of a difference. I felt so dumb for not thinking about it sooner but hey, better late than never.

susan64915d ago

Isn't that the truth. I had a similar thing happen with a birdhouse. Put it up in the perfect spot I thought, right on a fence post in full view of the kitchen window. Not a single bird touched it for two years. Finally asked my neighbor and she said try facing it a different direction, away from the wind. Now I've got bluebirds every spring.