Archive for the ‘Wooden Bird Feeders’ Category
Sometimes Changes Are Good
In the wake of the winds we have been experiencing here, I awoke to an upside down platform feeder and a dome that was broken in half and laying on the ground.
The wind chill factor this morning was -4 degrees, and the winds were gusting to 50 mph. I wasn’t really looking forward to going out there to right the wrongs, but I did. Sometimes change is a good thing.
I removed the platform feeder from the shepherd’s hook. put up it’s legs and set it on the ground filled with Safflower and sunflower seeds. To make sure it wouldn’t blow away, I pushed the legs into the ground a bit. It is still right where I put it. The change paid off with some frequent visits from our 2 pairs of cardinals.
The shepherd’s hook is now supporting one of my wooden bird feeders. It is a hopper feeder that holds pretty much food, so the weight of it prevents it from flying away or getting blown upside down - so far anyway.
Once I got back inside and was treated to the cardinal’s visits, I was not sorry at all that I had ventured out.
What Is a Nuthatch
The white-breasted nuthatch is a very common bird feeder bird with a real appetite for large meaty seeds. Nutchatches get their name from their habit of finding acorns, sunflower seed and other nuts and seeds and jammming them behind the bark of trees and then wacking them open with their beak which is long and pointy and quite sharp.
This tiny little bird super agile and very active. Even the largest nuthatch is still a very small bird with a large head and almost no neck and a very short tail.
They are definitely white-breasted as the name implies. Their back is gray-blue and they have a frosty white face to go with the rest of their underparts. They wear and bright black cap and their bill is sharp, straight or slightly upturned and pointy.
They literally creep along tree trunks and branches and probe for their second diet favorite which is insects. There were two of them on my platform feeder which is just outside my kitchen window . And they both flew away with sunflower seeds tucked in their bills. Sure would have loved to have seen them at the other end of the flight to witness the “hatching” of the seeds.
A Combination of Treats
I don’t think I will ever have enough bird feeders, or suet feeders. The wooden bird feeder pictured here is designed to provide a variety of treats. There are compartments for seed, suet and fruit. Just think of the variety of birds it will attract. The possibilities are endless and the solid cedar construction will insure a long lasting feeder. The price is reasonable too.
This particular wooden bird feeder is one that currently do not own, but it is indeed on my wish list.
Chickadee A-Dee-Dee
It has suddenly gotten very cold here. I spent a good deal of time out in the garden today cleaning the wooden bird feeders and pulling out some flowers that were affected by the light frost we had last night. There’s more on the way too!
Here’s a bit about the Chickadees,that will be sticking it out in the cold with us this winter. They are all woodland birds who are mainly year-round residents in their breeding area. They really stand out at this time of year. They often hang out by the bird feeders together with Nuthatches, Titmouse and Brown Creepers the downy woodpeckers and kinglets in a mixed-species foraging flock.
The Chickadees and Tufted Titmouse are omnivirous feeders. They actually store excess seed in the cracks and crevices of the bark on trees. They remember where they put it and will go back later to eat it. The Nuthatches eat insects that get from the tree trunks and nuts.
About two-thirds of a chickadee’s diet consists of animal protein: moth and butterfly caterpillars (including early growth stages of gypsy moths and tent moths), other insects and their eggs and pupae, spiders, snails and other invertebrates. In late summer and fall, chickadees eat wild berries and the seeds of ragweed, goldenrod and staghorn sumac. In the fall chickadees begin storing food in bark crevices, curled leaves, clusters of pine needles, and knotholes. The birds rely on these hoards when other food becomes scarce. Chickadees also eat suet from suet bird feeders and fat from dead animals.
Chickadees mate for life. In spring, the winter flocks break up as pairs claim nesting territories ranging from three to 10 acres in size.
Consider A Platform Feeder
Did you ever wonder why so many people choose a platform feed for their back yard bird feeding? The answer is really pretty simple. There are a lot of birds that like to feed from the ground, but really aren’t too interested in the tube feeders and feeders that provide a mere perch for them. The cardinals are often among this group. They prefer to have both feed firmly planted. You can actually place a platform feeder on the ground, or just slightly above the ground. It can be hung on a shepherd’s hook or suspended from a large tree branch. It’s versatility is the best part.
The whole point of a platform bird feeder is to accommodate the ground feeding birds. These are different birds than you are seeing as visitors to your tube feeder. They are super versatile as you can use any kind of seed or nuts, and cleaning them is very easy.
Want to make your platform feeder squirrel proof? Many platform feeders are equipped with a screen that lays across the seed. The holes in the screen are just the right size for a bird to poke his beak into, but are way too small for the hands of a squirrel. Mounting the feeder on a pole with a baffle or simply hanging one of the screened feeders will attract different types of birds and still prevent the squirrels from ridding the feeder of the the precious treats meant for the birds.
Platform feeders are often referred to as ground feeders or tray feeders. I have a regular cardinal couples that visit early every morning and again in the evening.
A Bloomin’ Lesson
It was a lovely summer day. The humidity was up, but there was a great breeze. One of my wooden bird feeders was in need of a good cleaning, the hummingbird feeders needed fresh nectar and I had to prepare more nectar before cleaning and filling them, I worked at my part time job for 4 hours and still had time to sit and reflect. The following is what came of my time of refection.
A Bloomin’ Lesson
It always amazes me how big lessons come from some the small things that we take for granted every day.
I plant a lot of flowers every year. The usual routine is to go to the nursery, buy oodles of flowers in coordinated color and of various varieties and bring them home, plant and feed, back to the nursery, plant and feed….you get the picture.
This year, I didn’t follow the routine. I was laid off from a long time full time job in the middle of March. What a perfect opportunity to do something new, and a bit more economical too. I purchased seeds and peat moss and potting soil, and because it is my absolute favorite and something I always have on my patio, I got a very small Hibiscus plant. Small meant less expensive and there seemed to be time to get it going and up to speed in the pot on patio.
This was a time of change and reflection and planting seeds just seemed to fit the theme. I was planting thoughts and dreams, and watching them grow, so why not? It would be a good test to see if I could muster up the patience to wait for the seeds.
It was so much fun watching the seeds grow. I have impatiens, allysum, marigolds and wave petunias, lobelia in blue and white, purple cone flowers and several more. I had so many little plants, and I couldn’t wait to get out side every morning to monitor the seedling’s progress, and water them.
By the end of April, I had flowers in bloom everywhere and it was time to transplant them in their permanent spots in the gardens. Then there was my poor little Hibiscus. It was growing, but at a much slower rate than all the rest. I waited in anticipation for that first bloom to delight me. You see, I usually purchase a nice big Hibiscus in a 3 gallon pot, with buds all over it and I was looking for that instant gratification!
I watered, it, and fed it and finally there were a few buds appearing. It seemed to take years, not days! Finally the day came when that first beautiful bloom appeared. It danced on the bush gleefully and was like a beacon on the patio. It brought smiles to me all day long. I went to bed all giddy and satisfied reminding me of many times in my life when I had to wait for something I had been wanting for a while. It was an amazing feeling. It also brought back memories of how often I had thrown in the towel and given up.
I really wasn’t prepared for what awaited me the next morning. You see, the other flowers, the ones I had grown from little seeds last for awhile. I was so sad when I saw the one lonely Hibiscus bloom that had given me so much delight the day before was closed up in a tight spindle and was withered. The lovely Hibiscus blooms last one day and one day only and they are gone. I was sad, and took some solace in the buds that were preparing to bloom in the near future. But I was still very sad, and actually spent time dwelling on the fact that such a beautiful thing ived for one day, and then I realized that I was grateful for the joy it had given me if only for a short time the day before.
Every day, I look at the Hibiscus blooms in appreciation for them showing up and being all that they can be even though they won’t be here tomorrow. I have come realize that what really matters is that I am opened up completely and hopefully bringing joy to someone. There’s a new appreciation for each new day, and I look at each morning as if it might be the only one I have. Each new day is a gift from God.
Isn’t it amazing how some of the smallest things can teach us the most profound lessons? Mother Nature is where I find many of mine…. Now what can I do to bring joy to someone today?