Mallard at the drainage ditch changed my mind about feeders

There's a drainage ditch behind the SaveMart lot on Meridian. I noticed a mallard pair there every morning for two weeks. They were eating bugs and seeds off the ground entirely ignoring my fancy tube feeder. That convinced me birds prefer natural food sources and I stopped buying seed mixes. Anyone else have birds that ignore feeders and just forage nearby?

3 comments

3 Comments

craig.john1mo ago

Smith.anna that squirrel situation is basically my whole bird feeding history in a nutshell. I had a blue jay that would sit on the feeder pole and scream until I tossed peanuts on the ground, then it would just fly down and eat them there in the mud. I think half these birds are just using the feeders as a decoy to get the good stuff dropped on the ground.

beth_reed1mo ago

@smith.anna did the ditch squirrel give you any of the seed back or just take the whole bag?

smith.anna1mo ago

Did you try leaving the bag of seed mix open near the ditch? I DEFINITELY did that once thinking I was SO smart, and a squirrel just dragged the whole bag INTO the ditch. So now I have a very fancy, VERY ignored feeder and a ditch squirrel that thinks I'm his personal caterer. Seriously though, that mallard pair sounds way smarter than my setup.