I am truly a doofus, as my wife constantly reminds me. But she’s right. Sometimes I think my brain is in the charging mode and not really plugged in. For example. A thistle sock I used last summer to feed finches was completely worn out, so it was off to Lowe’s for a replacement. Instead of buying another sock filled with thistle or nyjer seed, I bought a bag of finch food and a new, plastic … [Read more...]

Remember that old song, “I Love Onions”, by Susan Christie recoded in 1966? The lyrics went something like this: I don't like snails, or toads, or frogs. Or strange things living under logs, But, mmm, I love onions. I, too, love onions, especially spring onions and I planted three rows in my garden last Sunday. Can you believe this weather – planting stuff in your garden on a balmy day in … [Read more...]

This past fall and winter, we have been blessed with 7 bluebirds – one pair and one small flock of five. Each day, they visit my feeder with the sunflower hearts, and from the looks of things, we will again have a nesting pair of bluebirds in the birdhouse on the fence, overlooking my small garden. Last week, I saw a squirrel scampering along on the top of the fence when, suddenly, he was … [Read more...]

As readers of CvilleBuzz well know, I love to fiddle in the backyard with my small vegetable garden. I find it to be almost a spiritual endeavor. To sew a tiny seed, seemingly dead, into the moist earth and watch it come to life, pushing its way through the heavy dirt in search of sunlight is simply amazing to me. Any actual plants or fruits of my gardening labor are incidental. I just love to … [Read more...]

Funny, but I usually don’t see my small flock of snowbirds until it actually snows. Then they show up, about 8 or 9 birds. Cold weather seems to draw them to our feeders, though I have never seen a snowbird (a dark eyed junco) actually at the feeder, but always on the ground. Sparrows are the same way, preferring to scratch and forage with both feet, like a chicken. Because of that behavior, I … [Read more...]

With last week’s snow covering the ground, I made sure my birds and backyard friends had plenty of seeds and fresh water. Hundreds of birds and squirrels came to the heated birdbath for a much-needed drink of water and they devoured the seeds I had strewn. While watching one snowy morning, I noted that the squirrels were busy with the sunflower seeds, but there was not a bird in sight. In a tall … [Read more...]

Some of the most entertaining birds in our back yard are the blue jays. Jays often get bad press because they sometimes destroy nests of other birds. They are very opportunistic and will kill baby birds and eat other bird eggs if given the chance. But they are one of the smartest birds on the planet and I enjoy sharing my back yard with a small, resident flock. Recently, I was in the backyard … [Read more...]

There are not a lot of insects flitting about in cold weather. Yet, many birds are insect feeders, needing the extra protein that bugs can provide. Serious birders can help the cause with a little suet, especially important to birds in the winter. Genuine suet is the raw, hard fat of beef or mutton found around the kidneys or loins. The British actually use this suet to cook with (shudder) in … [Read more...]

You can see some amazing and some puzzling things in your own backyard. Case in point. Yesterday I was peering out of my kitchen window, watching the birds at my main feeder, and scarcely 20 feet away I saw a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers. Among my favorite birds, we have had Pileated Woodpeckers nest in the hollow cavity of our 50 year old trees on at least two occasions, and because of our … [Read more...]