It seems our hummingbirds show up later and later each summer. We used to have a few flitting around our sugar feeders in May, sometimes April. But in recent years, they arrive later. In this case, almost July. We saw one this week. I had seen one across town the week before. Other birders have told me they are just starting to show up. You can understand how the little fellows … [Read more...]

  Just when I think I have the little guys figured out, they throw me a curveball. My backyard buddies were fairly predictable this spring. After poking around in various available houses, they chose the new house I had installed on a short pole with an aluminum baffle. They were a tad late getting on the nest – around April 10, but things went well. The three chicks fledged in a couple … [Read more...]

  It is estimated that Americans spend over $41 billion (with a “b”) dollars each year on birding, and I do my share to keep keeping that lofty number in the stratosphere. I spend a ton for birdseed, bird feeders, and birding supplies. But it’s a hobby, sort of, that I truly enjoy. Nonetheless, it’s important to get the most for your money and in my book, the absolute best value in … [Read more...]

    I have figured out how to keep deer out. I built a fence around my yard, then an enclosed fence for my garden. So, I don’t worry about deer. I also have squirrels reasonably under control with my garden fence, baffles on the seed poles, and the use of Red-Hot Bird Seed. But with squirrels, you never know. They are wily so-and-sos. But grackles are another story. They drive … [Read more...]

  Squirrels! How do I hate thee? Let me count the ways. I hate thee when you chew the top off a $50 birdfeeder because there was once a seed inside. I hate thee when you gnaw on my $20 plastic lawn chairs in the back yard for who knows why? I despise thee when you sneak into my garden somehow, take one bite out of plump tomato and leave it there for the ants. I hate thee when you … [Read more...]

Hummingbirds. What fascinating creatures. Hummingbirds are tiny, really tiny. Got a nickel in your pocket? That’s how much the little birds weigh. Their nests are the size of a quarter. Hummingbirds are in a perpetual state of excitement, at least so far as their pulse rates are concerned. On average, a hummer’s heart beats 615 times per minute and can reach over 1,200 beats per minute. They … [Read more...]

  My long-time friend, Harold Spangler in Charleston, loves his bluebirds and has been feeding them live meal worms. He has also been inadvertently feeding the starlings and grackles. They are eating him out of house and home. He asked my advice on keeping the bigger birds away. I discovered the secret a few years back – a domed feeder. The dome over the feeder bowl is adjustable and … [Read more...]

    (From inside a bluebird house)   “What’s it look like out there?” “I don’t know, Mom said stay low, till she gets back.” “What’s taking her so long? I’m starving.” “Wait. Here comes Dad and he’s got a mouth full of meal worms. Glad we live in the Brewer’s back yard. That guy must own a meal worm factory.” Gobble, gobble, gulp, gulp. “Wait Dad, Billy in … [Read more...]

  I was worried. All my feathered friends were present and accounted for– the cardinals, bluebirds, titmice, chickadees, doves, robins, bluebirds, sparrows, thrushes, assorted finches and woodpeckers. But no catbirds. Last year, I had two families of catbirds. They practically camped out at my suet feeder, constantly pecking off pieces of the C & S Peanut Suet to feed their … [Read more...]

  I hung the weird-looking Creature of the Black Lagoon’s Bird House on a shepherd’s crook in one of Nancy’s Garden beds a couple weeks back. As I described, the house is constructed of moss and clay and looks like it was drained from the swamp. But I hung it anyway. Because of the way the crook was situated, the hole to the nest pointed to the side, not to the front. I wondered if … [Read more...]