My backyard bird friends come and go. Robins, for example, will be packed in my yard like sardines one week and disappear the next. Even my resident bluebirds take a leave of absence, usually after the last brood has hatched. But the titmice rarely leave. They hang around from winter to spring, from summer to fall. They are lovely and loyal little birds. I noticed a pair at my feeder … [Read more...]

  When I was in college, I drank Old Crow bourbon. First, it was dirt cheap, right there with Mattingly & Moore, but it was actually a decent bourbon. I have an old crow in my back yard, too. Actually, I have four old crows, as in birds. They visit each day because I strew cracked corn for them. In return, they help keep hawks away, so it’s a good trade-off. Some people – … [Read more...]

  A reader of CvilleBuzz recently asked my recommendation of bird bath de-icers. I have used several varieties over the years and have found that the Model C-50 Bird-Bath De-Icer by Farm Innovators is by far the best. The others, though advertised as highly efficient, don’t do the job when the going gets really cold. And several take up unnecessary space. The Premium Cast 150-Watt … [Read more...]

  I saw them last week. Snowbirds. And then I realized I had not seen them since, well, last winter. They had vamoosed. But there they were, 4 or 5 black and gray snowbirds, scratching on the ground for spilled seeds from the feeder. The official name for snowbirds is Dark-Eyed Junco – Junco hyemalis, to be exact. Snowbirds often spend their springs, summers and falls to the north, then … [Read more...]

I often feed my backyard feathered friends suet during the winter. One day I was at Kroger’s and saw a big, fat wad of “suet” in the meat department and I bought it and hung it in the backyard. “The birds will love this!” Or so I thought. I noticed a few buzzards circling overhead but no actual birds landed on, much less ate any of my genuine suet. Suet by definition is the raw, hard fat of … [Read more...]

We saw our resident pair of bluebirds this morning. They were checking out nesting sites. Already! I feel confident it’s the same pair that nested three times in our various bluebird boxes last summer. Funny, after the third clutch had fledged, the blues disappeared. Didn’t see them for a couple months, then they returned for a bath and a sip of water during the drought. As I always say, if you … [Read more...]

Finally, it frosted. It was halfway through November, but at last there was frost on the pumpkins, and on my collard patch as well. As every Southerner knows, you never eat collards until after the first frost. It’s something about that frost that brings out the sweetness in what are easily the best tasting greens on the planet. Last August, after my cucumbers had gone belly up in my lower … [Read more...]

Fall is the time for local homeowners to prepare their yards and gardens for the coming winter and upcoming spring. Tending to a few simple tasks in the next month or two assures a vibrant and healthy lawn. Yet, fall can be a busy time for many homeowners. There are school activities, preparations for the holidays and the daylight hours get progressively shorter. Need a little help? Then call … [Read more...]

That is the question! Do you stake tomatoes in the spring or just let them do their thing. This summer, I put up an initial stake, then pretty much let my tomato plants decide where to go. Things looked bleak for my tomato crop with an early raccoon invasion and then a drought, but the plants survived, thrived and I ended up with a decent yield of tomatoes. In fact, my vines are still producing. … [Read more...]