I have discovered bluebird candy. Well, not actually candy, but my little blue feathered friends eat it like a bag of Tootsie Rolls and Reese’s Cups on a Halloween night. My daughter, Angelin, knowing that I love bluebirds, gave me a bag of Birdacious Bark Butter Bits for Christmas. At first skeptical, I put a cupful in my open end, glass bowl bird feeder and the blues were on it like … [Read more...]

Water is the number one need for backyard birds in the winter. Number Two? Suet. Suet is a Super-Food for birds. It takes a lot of energy to keep birds warm in the winter, when temperatures drop to frigid numbers. Suet is a high-fat food that can provide that extra energy. While pure suet is fat, commercial suet combines fats and food to add nutrition and appeal. You can make your own suet – … [Read more...]

For 11 months, our little house plant sits in the corner, biding its time. Then, at Christmas, it goes into full bloom. It is, after all, a Christmas Cactus. Except, our little plant gets excited when the Christmas lights go up, and Christmas music echoes throughout the house. Then he blooms prematurely, sometimes as early as Thanksgiving. This year, our plant held off till early December to … [Read more...]

  I try to use a wide variety of bird seed and foods to draw a wide variety of visitors to my yard. My staple is sunflower hearts, universally enjoyed by most all birds, especially bluebirds. I also toss out bits of cracked corn, millet, sunflower seeds, a little fruit, and some nuts. Titmice, chickadees, and blue jays enjoy nuts. My blue jays come and go. I’ll usually have a couple … [Read more...]

I don’t know if they are the same crows that have been hanging out behind my house for years, or a new trio, but I have and have had three crows to visit my yard for a number of years. I like crows. They keep the hawks at bay, they harass grackles and eat their young, and they don’t seem to bother our plantings. I enjoy feeding them bits of cracked corn and especially stale bread ends. We save … [Read more...]

I had some unusual visitors at my feeder this week. It was a small flock of blackbirds, and they were small – not nearly the size of a grackle and smaller still than a starling. They were brown headed cowbirds, but their heads weren’t dull brown as I remember from spring, but almost a burgundy. Their jet-black feathers shimmered with streaks of neon purple. They were quite lovely. I don’t … [Read more...]

They come and they go, birds that is. The catbirds are gone, the hummers are headed for Mexico and the robins – well, who knows where the robins are. But I saw three snowbirds – Dark-eyed jucos – below the feeder this morning. I hadn’t seen them since last March. Juncos are common over much of the country – in winter. During the warm months, they head north, even up into Canada. Juncos are … [Read more...]

  We position the cage of our pet parakeet, Foster, beside the window in the den. She enjoys seeing and hearing the birds outside. Sometimes she fusses at them and sometimes she chirps and tweets, but it keeps her occupied and entertained. The feeder I use to attract the birds is a glass bowl, fly-through feeder. Birds can eat from the rim or hop inside during bad weather. The largest … [Read more...]

I really hadn’t missed them, until I saw them. Robins! Lots and lots of robins! There they were, behind my yard, then in my yard scratching beneath the wet leaves, looking for juicy grubs and worms. I suppose the last time I saw them was mid-August. Then they were gone. Hey, fellows, where have you been? The Audubon people say that after the robins finish up nesting duties, they often … [Read more...]