I saw one yesterday. A grackle. The  first of  the  year, but there will be  more to come. Down in Atlanta they are thick as thieves and my son Jimmie has declared war on the  thieving birds  as they  come in hordes and devour his birdseed. Unless  you stop filling your birdfeeders, the grackles will come, but as I advised Jimmie, there is a way to ease … [Read more...]

We have rabbits in our yard from time to time. We mostly see them in the spring and summer. They were once frequent visitors to my garden, but a tight mesh fence now keeps them at bay. However, in the last few weeks I have seen one rabbit almost daily, munching along where I have scattered seeds for the birds. I have recently been tossing out scoopfuls of No Waste bird seed which includes … [Read more...]

I have been buying the Supreme Blend of bird seed from Sam’s Club. It is absolutely the best buy in bird seed, and it has none of the little red seeds (milo) which go to waste and attract rodents. When I spreads it on the ground, I have noticed the little birds – the snowbirds, song sparrows and gold finches pecking away, but not at the sunflower seeds. They were eating the small, White Proso … [Read more...]

Jonquils like to get an early start on spring. Give the little guys a few warm days in January and they are up and at ‘em. Our jonquils began popping up last week, just as the last of the ice and snow melted away. They seem to surprise us every year with an early sprout, but come Feb. 1, ready or not, jonquils are coming out of the ground. But not to worry. Snow and cold won’t kill spring … [Read more...]

If there seems to be a shortage of finches, sparrows, and snowbirds in your yard, it’s because they are all over at our house. I counted over 60 assorted house finches, gold finches, snowbirds and sparrows scratching away at the feeders and scattered seeds last week when ice and snow covered the ground. Lots of birds fly to the feeders but many of the little birds enjoy finding seeds on the … [Read more...]

Our neighbor has a huge holly tree (bush). It must be 40 feet high. Yesterday, I saw a large flock of birds descend on the tree. There were dozens and dozens of robins pecking at the berries. I guess the poor fellows had nothing else to eat and when all else fails, birds will eat holly berries. I have seen flocks of cedar waxwings dive-bomb holly trees and bushes, but not robins. Holly … [Read more...]

I was out and about last week, stocking up on birdseed with 3-inches of snow and ice still clinging to the grass in my yard. I always have sunflower hearts and premium birdseed from Sam’s Club, but I bought a 5-pound bag of nuts and berries as a special treat for my mockingbirds, woodpeckers, titmice, and blue jays. I have a small gang of blue jays, maybe 5 or 6 birds, and they know somehow … [Read more...]

Hal Hurka, a friend and fellow birder, emailed that he had seen a pine warbler in his yard. Hal lives in the Cherry Avenue area of Charlottesville and says that behind his house are woods that are 400 feet deep with large poplars and some pines. As the warbler visited his feeders, he was able to get the picture above. Interestingly, my wife gave me a bird feeder with a camera that will also … [Read more...]

My suet feeders have been getting more and more attention since the weather got cold. They were quite popular this week with rain on the ground and nothing much to eat except for my feeders and the seeds I scattered. I saw nuthatches, downy woodpeckers, red bellied woodpeckers, sparrows, chickadees, titmice, and wrens squeezing in and out of the suet cages. Suet is an inexpensive way to feed … [Read more...]

I am proud to say that I have my own personal flock of doves. There are 8, maybe 10 and they are regular visitors to my back yard. They fly in about 7 in the morning, just after I have scattered assorted seeds in the back, and they are delighted to find and eat the seeds that the others pass by. I think they eat some of the whole kernel corn that I also distribute, but mostly the crows and the … [Read more...]