Archive for the ‘A Garden View’ Category
Dreaming Again
Seeing that robin up close and personal this morning had me thinking spring all day. I know it’s too early for it, but I had to at least feed the dream and keep it going for a day. It’s too early to actually do anything about it. They are predicting snow for Saturday, but it not too early to dream about it.
I envisioned filling the hummingbird feeders with sweet nectar for the hummingbirds. I could see myself hanging the hummer helper nesting material so they could build their nests to prepare for their new family. I saw flowers - lots of flowers. There were petunias, honeysuckle, gladiolas, snapdragons and impatiens. It was a very pretty day, the air was far too cold to keep on dreaming, but it sure made my day. I hope you had a good day too.
Levelling the Lopsided
It’s amazing to me what effect a few storms of rain and snow, and a few windy days can have on my gardens. Yesterday afternoon was a very lovely one for late January, so I wandered out with bird watching in mind, and then did anything but, until I spotted the line-up on the fence.
A close look at things let me see how lopsided things had gotten. The double shepherds hook that holds the meal worms and platform feeder was decidedly leaning, so that got straightened as did all the path lights, and then as I headed to the butterfly garden to freshen the water in the bird bath, I stopped in my tracks. The fence that is our neighbor’s and stands several feet above the garden because of the hilly terrain, was lined from one end to the other with birds. There was a combination of house finches, goldfinches, several doves, a couple of starlings and to totally amaze me a woodpecker. I stood and just stared at the line-up of my friends. Their feeders were full, the suet was there, and still they just sat. As I eased down the hill to get closer, they all flew away. I supposed I spooked them when I got too close.
So, I kept to my tasks and took the old water out of the bird bath and since it was lopsided and leaning like everything else, I leveled it before filling it with fresh water.
It was a nice taste of spring like weather which is about to come to an end in a day or so. There’s even snow in the long term forecast. So I guess it’s not just the outdoor ornaments and the bird bath that are lopsided - the weather is still topsy turvy too.
As I Recuperate
Well, I can’t go out, but I got this shot of the window bird feeder through the sliding glass door. Seemed like every time it was busier, I couldn’t get to the camera in time, but you have the picture!!
Why I Enjoy Birdwatching
The other day, I was busy with something in the yard and the next thing I knew, I had zoned out on a flurry of finches and mourning doves on and under the bird feeders. My husband caught me in my trance, and asked, “Why do you watch the birds so much?’ An hour later, I think he was sorry he asked, but I think I answered his question.
My first bird feeder was a birthday gift. I was a young mom, with not too much time, so the feeder was nicely placed on a closet shelf for a number of years. I am almost ashamed to admit that, but it’s true. Once my children were in school all day, I had a bit more time and had started gardening a lot. Then one spring, on a rainy day, I was cleaning out the closet and I found the bird feeder. It was a decorative bird feeder, colorful and shaped like a little barn, and the first thought that crossed my mind was it would make a great garden ornament. Before I knew it, I had purchased my first bag of food and added a hummingbird feeder, a couple of novelty birdhouses and a thistle feeder as well. That was 34 years ago.
For many of those years, I was only interested in watching them. I could identify very few and knew very little about them, and considering the longevity of my hobby, I am still a babe in the woods when it comes to identification and real knowledge of the different species, thier habits and likes and dislikes. So you have the background, now why do I enjoy it so much.
My yard is my special place. It’s one of my places of contemplation, peace and solitude. I love to sneak out onto the patio in the early morning hours especially in the spring and watch as the robins return, and the finches put on their summer coats and the blue birds take up residency. It brings me closer to God and nature. They are wonderful entertainment too, especially during mating season. The courtships can be quite comical as well as heart touching. It is a wonderful excuse to smile, even giggle at their antics and acrobatics. And the sounds are magnificent. What a great stress reliever too.
I won’t even pretend to recognize all the calls or even identify them all on first sight. I love their freedon, their differnet flight patterns and the quiet times and spaces they take me to. Now, this took about 20 minutes, and my explanation to my husband was at least an hour, so I warn you, there may be more to come.
Up, Up And Away
What a phenominal sight. Ok, it was just crows, but a whole bunch of them all at once. They came down from their flight as an entire flock. It seems as if they all wound up on the ground simultaneously.
You must realize that all of the smaller birds that were feeding at the bird feeders were now no where in sight. While the crows were here, they seemed to have lots of fun. They drank and splashed every drop of water out of the bird baths. The leaned up the ground under the tube feeders real well and a few of them swarmed the platform feeder and tipped out all of the safflower seed.
And, then, as if they were called by someone to follow, they spread their wings and flew, almost exactly as they had arrived - simultaneously.
Lavendar In The Bird Bath
With all the rain we have had here in Eastern PA, fighting the algae in the bird bath has been a non-stop affair. I recently got a tip to help keep it at bay.
Get the bird bath nice and clean with water and a wire brush. Then when you refill it with fresh water, add a sprig of lavendar. I happen to have some lavendar in the perennial garden, so I cut a sprig and tossed it into my nice clean bird bath.
IT WORKS so I had to pass the tip on!
Set The Table For Them
“To me, the garden is a doorway to other worlds; one of them, of course, is the world of birds. The garden is their dinner table, bursting with bugs and worms and succulent berries.”
Quote by Anne Raver
Set the table and enjoy the world of birds. The small effort required to open up this world to you and your family and neighbors is small, low in cost and the rewards are huge!
Plants with berries and fruits, suet feeders with high energy suet are just a couple of suggestions.
The Garden Predicament
I am quite a neatnick, and prefer that things be in order. I am a “just so” kind of gal, and at this time of year there is an internal struggle between me and the state of my garden.
The sunflowers, black-eyed susans and purple cone flowers have finished blooming and the untidy and unkept appearance is a difficult thing for me, and at the same time, they add a sparkle to my eye. Some of the spent blooms are now going to seed and it is so much fun to watch the finches jump from one flower to the next to pick out the seeds as they form. They are enjoying nature’s bounty.
As a result the little jungle will wait to be cut back. The fall is a wonderful time to watch the birds, most of them migrating now as they stop to rob the seeds from my dying flowers, take a bath in the bird bath and take flight toward their final destination.
Cooper’s Hawk
The other day, one of my customers was telling me about an entire Cooper’s Hawk family that nested in their yard this summer. I enjoyed every minute of him telling me about the nest they built and watching the young learn to fly and then how to hunt, and the antics of Mom and Dad while screaming their orders in training. He did also go on to say, that they robbed the blue bird nests as well as all of the other nests in their yard and they completely cleaned them out of food all summer long. It was a fascinating story.
I was so fortunate to find this picture as it looks much like what I watched this afternoon. While I was working in our yard no less. It seems that I am rarely so unprepared for such a sight. My bird wathching binoculars are usually only a few feet away, but today, I had to run inside and get them. There were actually 4 of them flying in circles over the high hill that is just across the street. They were practically right overhead and so easliy recognized once the binoculars were in hand.
Here is a little information that I found so you can get to know the Cooper’s Hawk better too:
Water Logged
Yikes, the end of August is upon us and yet when I look out the window, I see a lawn that is lush and green and in need of mowing twice a week. We usually debate about whether to cut at all at this time of year. Every time I am out and see the lush green that is everywhere, I see a spring like appearance and yet fall is just around the corner. It has without a doubt been a very wet summer and we are reaping the benefits of having to water very little, of having green and thick lawns and plant life that is flourishing.
It does have it downsides though. It means paying attention to the condition of the seeds and nuts in the bird feeders, and paying close attention to the cloudiness of the hummingbird feeder nectar and the bird bath still needs to be emptied and refilled every day.
Depending on the type of rain and the direction it comes from, it is a good idea to check and make sure the seed in your bird feeders is loose and dry and not packed tight with moisture, and thus spoiling. If your seed feeders and tube feeders have been unfortunate enough to take on the rain, it can be a bit annoying, but cleaning them out is simple enough and definitely safer for the hungry birds.
Why do you have to dump the bird baths and fill them with fresh water every day? The residue, feathers and seed along with any insects that may be in a bird bath after a day of use are subject to producing fun things like algae, West Nile virus and mush more. It is just simpler to be safe and dump the old water and clear out all of the debris and then refill the bird bath with clear fresh water.
Keep your eye on the Hummingbird feeders as well as the nectar will have a tendency to turn cloudy which means it has started breeding bacteria, and it is time to change the nectar.