Nancy has done some amazing work landscaping our yard. About all I do is mow the grass and sit back and enjoy the lovely flowers and plants, so I take no credit. One of my favorite parts of the yard, though, is a little wildflower patch around our bird bath. There was once ivy there, that took over everything, but Nancy pulled it all up and planted a little patch of perennials that includes … [Read more...]

For Father’s Day, I got a Squirrel Stopper Sequoia – a fancy term for a bird buffet. It’s an elegant bird feeder pole that features 4 hanging stations. It’s a sturdy piece of equipment that will hold fairly heavy feeders, bird houses or plants. The lower pole segment has an attached auger that will screw into the ground about 2 feet, making this pole system strong and secure. The middle section … [Read more...]

  (1 of 20,000) I have now ordered 20,000 meal worms from Fluker Farms. I fully expect that amount will last me through the season. My bluebirds have produced two nests and my goal is to supplement the hard-working creatures while they try to feed many hungry beaks. In past years, I have run out of meal worms at the end of the season and have had to buy them from local pet shops, and … [Read more...]

Not only do they flock together, they feed together. All of them. At the same time. My passion is watching birds, sometimes from the kitchen window and sometimes from my vantage point in a lawn chair in the back yard. One thing I have noticed is that all the birds seem to feed at the same time. You’ll see bunches of birds – cardinals, sparrows, chickadees, finches, and the like, then they will … [Read more...]

I bought Nancy a couple potted plants to hang on the front porch. They were ferns and they were about seventeen bucks each – much higher than we used to pay, but they worked. After a couple attempts at getting the screw hook imbedded in the porch roof and a mending of the wire that held the heavy plants, all was well. Then, a couple weeks ago, it called for rain, so Nancy decided a little … [Read more...]

Our resident bluebirds pulled off a successful hatch a couple weeks ago. As usual, when the chicks fledged, they were immediately escorted by their parents to some tall trees behind out house – far away from blue jays, crows and squirrels that visit our yard. I never knew how many babies made it until this week. They are now reaching full size and there are four still alive and kicking. In all my … [Read more...]

In the past few weeks, I have had visits from white-throated sparrows, catbirds, and my first hummingbirds of the year. Those three species along with my past visitors total 32 types of birds I have seen either in my yard or flying over. We are blessed with a back yard filled with hedges and shrubs and lots of trees which provide good cover. I also provide water and a large variety of seeds and … [Read more...]

I had been filling a small tray with meal worms as my resident pair of bluebirds had several new mouths to feed. They knew the drill. When I approached the tray, it was meal worm time. Unfortunately, a robin also knew what I was up to and swooped down and quickly gobbled up all the worms. I ordered a Pearl Mini Feeder which arrived in two days. I have had domed feeders before with mixed … [Read more...]

I wondered when they would show up – my Catbirds, that is. Usually, about the time the snowbirds leave (and they did a week ago), the Catbirds arrive. I shouldn’t have worried. While I was sitting on the patio this week enjoying a cocktail, a catbird flew to a limb above me then flitted down to a chair not 6 feet away. This was obviously a returnee who remembered that I often distribute meal worms … [Read more...]

We have lots of mockingbirds in our neighborhood, but not usually in my yard – which is unusual since I have tons of other birds that visit. But more and more I am drawing mockingbirds to my feeders. As it tuns out, the friendly gray birds are quite fond of peanut logs and sunflower hearts. I have often written about a product named C & S Peanut Log, which I have been hanging instead of … [Read more...]