More than ever, you should be putting sunflower hearts or chips in your feeder/feeders. It’s one of the few seeds that all young birds can eat. That’s because the sunflower husk has been removed and it’s basically a fruit. The chips and hearts are a little pricey and when there were 10,000 grackles hammering away, I had to stop using chips or take out a second mortgage. But they are gone now, … [Read more...]
Bluebirds and Crows Don’t Mix
The bluebird babies from the second next of my resident birds fledged on a Monday afternoon. The next morning, I saw Mr. Blue on a crook near their feeder and later went out with a handful of mealworms. I put the mealies in the bowl and expected him and Mrs. Blue to immediately swoop in and gather the worms for the baby birds. But they didn’t. Rather, they perched high in the tree limbs … [Read more...]
Birds Need Water
We are entering the drought season of hot dry, weather, and sporadic rain. During dry weather, everybody worries about lawns and shrubs, but I worry about the birds. Birds require water as much as food. That’s why we keep several sources of water in our yard and the birds are thankful. Interestingly, birds lack sweat glands, so they need less water than mammals, but they lose water through … [Read more...]
Baby Wrens Begging for More
I knew I was feeding live meal worms to my family of bluebirds. They have their special feeder and I keep it well stocked. I also started feeding a catbird family when the female lit at my feet while I was feeding worms to my frogs. So, she is now a regular. Then, a tiny wren joined in the “begging”, and I am feeding her clan as well. I didn’t even know she had a nest, but it’s about 10 feet … [Read more...]
The Chase is On
Last week, I saw a hawk with a rat in its talons flying along Rt. 29 near Kroger’s. On the hawk’s tail were a half dozen crows in pursuit. I don’t think the crows were interested in the hawk’s recent kill, they just wanted him out of their area. Hawk’s love to eat baby crows. Then, I saw a small flock of grackles chasing a crow. Crows like baby grackles as a main course when available. I have … [Read more...]
Grackle Wars
This spring I declared war on the grackles and I’m doing about as well in my fight against these seed-thieving varmints as Putin is in Ukraine. But they’re not winning either, so I declare it a draw. They usually show up in mid-March: 5 or 6 of the black devils, followed by 50 more. I must have the only feeders on the north side of Charlottesville, and they sniff ‘em out. But….. This … [Read more...]
I Love My ECHO Lawnmower
I enjoy mowing my lawn. Well, almost. I would still rather be dunking a minnow near a brush pile and catching crappies or even whacking at little white golf balls that get in my way, but no longer is grass mowing such a chore. Last year, I bought an eFORCE 56-Volt 21-inch Cordless Battery Self-Propelled Lawn Mower by ECHO. It makes lawn mowing practically painless. I didn’t get an … [Read more...]
The Gospel of Sunflower Hearts
Sometimes I feel like John the Baptist – a Voice Crying in the Wilderness preaching the gospel of sunflower hearts. Next thing you know, I’ll be eating locusts. In the meantime, Fellow Birders, please put some sunflower hearts in your feeders. I have been feeding my resident pair of bluebirds and their recent hatchlings meal worms, to save wear and tear on Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird and … [Read more...]
A Thrush at the Feeder
This was a first-time event in my backyard. I saw a thrush at one of my feeders. The normally reclusive birds generally stay in the way back, near the hedges, but the lure of a large sunflower heart cake was too much for the lovely brown bird to resist. Though the bird is commonly called a thrush, its real name is a Brown Thrasher. The generally reclusive bird occasionally makes its way onto … [Read more...]
A Snow-White Visitor
Monday, I was at the kitchen window and saw what appeared to be a white piece of paper blowing on the ground in the back, where I scatter birdseed. Upon closer observation, the paper turned out to be a bird, about the size of a bluebird. But it wasn’t a bluebird, it was a white bird and I’m not sure what kind of bird it was. I peered through my binoculars, but I couldn’t make out its … [Read more...]
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