I had a pigeon build a nest in an empty planter on my balcony. Didn't make too much of a mess except directly around the planter. No more than a bird feeder does. Hatched her two babies there and watched them grow up and take off. Mom never came back to use the nest again. Was hoping she would because it was so fun to watch. Having read the other comments, I wonder if trying to get rid of the nest and/or eggs right away causes them to try again there? Just a thought. I looked at it as a gift. And because you are asking for advice to begin without already destroying the nest, I think you might have a hard time destroying the eggs if all you cared about was the mess they might cause. My teacher at vet tech school at the time who grew up in South Africa said that when a bird builds a nest on your house, it is considered to be a blessing from God.means you're considered a worthy soul to be chosen for such an honor. Thought that was pretty cool - esp. When a couple months later a pair of goldfinches made their nest in my hanging Chinese lantern on the same deck.h

I feed the birds all year sort of. They start with cleaning off the sunflowers that they plant the previous fall and continue to clean off the grasses, berries, and corn that I sometimes grow just for them. Of course I have water out all the time for them and a heated dish in the winter. I feed the big birds cat food with bread or cereal in it. They get any left overs when I cook a turkey or ham. I make my own concoction of peanut butter, prunes, hulled sunflower seeds, rolled oats, millet, black oil sunflower and a few other things they like to pick at. I buy millet, black oil sunflower and striped sunflower by the sack and keep it in large bins in the hall along with peanuts,hulled sunflower seeds, oats and rabbit pellets. Once in a while I will give them a treat of meal worms from the petstore or cut up fruit. And sometimes I will get a seed bell or spray millet just to watch them. I also ground up dry catfood last year and put it in the feeder. The little birds get much needed fat and protein to keep warm that way. I have the usual black and white feather dusters, the blue jays, lots of chickadees (black capped and boreal), nuthatches (red and white breasted), woodpeckers, northern flickers, juncos, finches, sparrows, the odd grosbeaks, waxwings, and redpolls and I even had a kestral last spring. Not many crows unless it is a really warm winter. My computer is in the corner of the front bedroom where there are the old corner windows. I feed the birds from about 5 feeders and baskets hanging from the big white spruce about 2 feet from the corner of the house here. I feed the rabbits under the tree and the dish feeders on the fence from big heavy ceramic dishes. It is such a routine for me to feed the birds after I feed the dogs on winter mornings. My neighbours are used to the crazy lady in her fleece pjs out feeding the birds every morning and the dogs go out and wait by the fence for the maggies to drop food for them. Quite the scene to watch! The maggies are very comical and they literally talk to me. I can't stand to see anything go hungry or be cold and the little birds seem to like to feast under the protective branches of this 50 foot spruce. My neighbour across the street says she likes to sit with her coffee in the morning and watch the bunnies and birds eating. And that reminds me: Must find a bale of hay for the bunnies. Last year I fed a cat all winter but coudln't catch her. She left me mice most mornings under the kennel....... I hope we have a mild winter or at least get some snow. It is bitterly cold without a little insulation. Ginny

Hi Sue, I know the frustration of tracking down a not-yet popular seed, congratulations on your find. I grew meal worms for my ducks...the ducks screamed in fear...I guess the wriggling scared them. They made One Big Duck huddle, and wouldn't cease until I removed all meal worms. The dead ones they ate, they didn't seem to realize that it was the same creature. Yet they'll chase beetles. I grow yellow peas and millet for my ducks,and I feed them poplar leaves. I still don't have a complete cycle for them with winter feed, but I'm working on it. My husband said "no" to soldier flies...meal worms creeped him out too. We can't raise worms because we're a timber preserve with virgin soil (no worms), but if we could then earthworms would be my preferred feed. The Europeans hang a haunch of meat up in the duck pen and let the blowflies lay their eggs in it...the maggots drop down to the ducks below. Let's all hope that the pen is downwind. It does have the advantage of keeping the fly population down, as their offspring are feeding ducks. They feed fish they are raising in a similar way...meat on a suspended wire cage and the fish eat the maggots. No work on their part to feed them.

I used to feed stale bread to the outside birds.My neighbors dad,who lived at the house part time after retiring to Pa,,,told me it was no good for the birds. So for the last 5 years I have bought wild bird seed,..A year or so ago my neighbor told me I needed to stop feeding them as they pooped on his 50 thousand dollar truck.I told him to F off...Months later I got a warning from town saying I can only feed them with a bird feeder,...I got one,,,,Then he told me not to feed them more than once a day.At 63,with a bad hip,I fed them if I happened to see it empty whenever that was.I got a ticket from town saying the food that falls to the ground as they eat,is illegal.,,,How can people be so mean?