Once or twice a year, a flock of evening grosbeaks will grace our yard and tree limbs. Nancy saw them last week. There were 20 or more birds fighting for space on the rim of our bird bath. A few flew down to our goldfish pond. They splashed a bit and then were off to who knows where - I assume they were on their way to their breeding grounds in northern carnivorous forests. Grosbeaks are … [Read more...]

We have a heart shaped hanger packed with llama hair dangling in our back yard. Our daughter Laura gave it to us as a present, knowing our affinity for birds. The llama hair is there for the picking as birds build their nests and line them with soft fibers – like llama hair. Animal hair and fur are prized possessions in the nest-building department. Chickadees are known to swoop down and pick fur … [Read more...]

While we were at Deltaville, I was enjoying a good cigar on the back deck when I saw a mockingbird fly into a small bush about 20 feet away. He hopped from limb to limb, pecking at things. At first, I thought he was finding a berry or two from last summer, but after a minute or so, the mockingbird reached into the bush and snapped off a two-inch twig, secured it in his mouth and flew off. The … [Read more...]

The first jonquils of the year are just beginning to pop up, but our Lenten Roses are and have been in full bloom for several weeks. Snow, sleet, frost, cold – it doesn’t matter to these hardy plants. They are the Energizer Bunnies of all our flowers. They are early bloomers, they are beautiful, they flourish in shady areas, and they have earned their rightful place as the most important flowers … [Read more...]

A day or two after the snow started melting and patches of the Albemarle County tundra appeared; the robins returned from Capistrano or from wherever they had been hanging out. Dozens – make that hundreds – of our red breasted friends swarmed in to take advantage of the worms and grubs which made their way towards the top of the ground. Worms head deep in the dry, hot summertime and fall, but … [Read more...]

Birders are notoriously generous. We feed the bluebirds, cardinals, woodpeckers, titmice, bluejays, finches and all those who fly up to feeders – but what about the sparrows? The ground feeders? They get hungry, too. I do my best to feed them, along with others, like the snowbirds and doves. The most common backyard sparrows are the house sparrows and the song sparrows. Occasionally, a chipping … [Read more...]

If my war on squirrels were a book, it might surpass War and Peace in pages. It is the saga of the eternal battle between Man and Rodents and I’m not sure the humans will win this one. I have tried multiple gizmos to keep the squirrels out of my expensive sunflower hearts and most efforts end in squirrel victories. I have applied baffles to the feeder poles, yet there is one squirrel who can … [Read more...]

It broke my heart last week to see the birds that I normally feed in my back yard do without. I simply could not get out in the yard because of the ice. It was as slick as glass, and I couldn’t risk a broken arm or leg trying to slide my way out to the feeders and bird bath. And I couldn’t get to the shed where I store my seed. I did step out on the back deck and tossed some bird seed and nuts … [Read more...]

Here is my annual plea to fellow birders to put out a heated bird bath. Our little friends need water, especially in freezing weather, to survive. Many, many people put out feeders – something like $500 million is spent annually on bird seed, but for bird baths – not so much. I have a ton of songbirds in my yard, but it didn’t happen by accident. I provide multiple food sources and seed … [Read more...]

“That ain’t exactly chicken feed!” Well, actually, it is. I bought a bag of chicken feed expressly to feed my doves, sparrows, snowbirds and other ground feeders. Those birds, among others, feed almost exclusively on the ground and rarely fly up to a feeder but rather peck away at any food scattered on the ground. I have 5 raised feeders but feel sorry for the little ground feeders who get … [Read more...]