Attracting varied thrush to a feeder

[Sweet Melissa]

How do you get these sweet little birds to hang-out in your backyard, or more specifically, at your window? I see them sitting on the snowberry bushes, but they won't come anywhere near my feeders. I know they're fruit and berry eaters- should I put some dried cherries in with the sunflower seeds?

[GSD]

The handy Birds of Oregon book states they eat insects and fruit. No mention of seeds....
The ones that hang out here seem to prefer scratching around under the old oak trees in last years leaves.

Have you spotted any goldfinch yet? I usually see them shortly after the vultures come.

William

[MacFish]

I read somewhere that peanut butter suet works but I've never tried it.

[Sweet Melissa]

No goldfinch yet. I can't remember if I even had them last year. I'm on the lookout for the grosbeaks, too.

Peanut butter, huh? I've got plain ol' suet, but it's not pb.

It's been fun to see what birds I can attract here. I'm not native to the Willamette Valley, so it's been cool to learn about the birds in this area. Last year I had an acorn woodpecker at the suet feeder. I don't think I would have ever seen one of those at the coast or high desert.

[MacFish]

My wife hangs flax seed in a fine mesh bag for goldfinches

[Queeg]

Thrushes seem to be quite content on the ground. Bird seed at ground level?

[hawgcatcher]

some birds are ground feeders and some like hanging feeders. We have sometimes over 20 Morning doves in the driveway. Lots of jays and crows show up. In the feeder by the window, we get all kinds of small birds on the feeders there.

Now we do have one small problem. Last week, I was watching the news and my small Mini Pin was lying on my lap, watching the birds. All of a sudden, she sat up and growled. I looked out the window and sitting on the dish on the porch, looking in, was a small hawk. I am not sure it was looking for the birds or watching my little dog through the window. It took off when I moved but later, it landed in the bush outside the window and was looking in. We may have to watch out for the little dogs.

[GSD]

I'm on the lookout for the grosbeaks, too

If you located in the valley you should see at least two types of Grosbeaks; the Black-headed Grosbeak and the Evening Grosbeak (my favorite of the two).
Sunflowers vanish when these guys gather around! At least the seeds do, they will leave you a nice pile of shells.

William

[Snakebite]

yeah, They're related to robins, who also eat insects, worms, grubs, and fruits. Most often you'll find them scratching in the leaves under low cover looking for "Bugs".

[WheresMyBobber]

Thrush's LOVE cracked corn (chicken scratch). We scatter it around in the back flower beds every winter and they are out there eating it every day. If we forget a day they sit up on the fence waiting for us to come put some out. We have doves come in and eat the cracked corn too, as well as a lot of the other misc yard birds. We put suet up for the flickers and woodpeckers but I've never seen the thrush's eating it. They pretty much stick to the cracked corn.

[Sweet Melissa]

Well, I guess I'll have to try cracked corn then. Maybe I can get our quail friends to stop by, too.

Oh, wait. We've got three big, fat male cats that would probably love it if we had a yard full of birds. Darn.

[springer_97011]

I have a ton of them and they just like the sunflower seeds on the ground.Spread it around and you should get them hanging around a lot!