Bird Feeding ..It Really Doesnt have to be all about what grows below the feeders!!!

I enjoy feeding birds.
I had an outdoor store for a couple years .I sold Kites , windsocks, flags , windchimes, bird baths, bird feeders and bird food.

 I really had only tried feeding that store bought crap with the millet in it prior to going into a Backyard Habitat store while in Iowa.
There I learnt how bird feeding could really be a really interesting pastime.
To feed birds and not have the hassles that most consider have to be part of it....there are tricks to try.
First of all I never feed food that has millet in it!!!  Or that big box store wild bird food that the birds just scatter around trying to get to the good stuff. The suppliers make it so there is 10 % good stuff so the birds waste it all and you mow the results with the lawn mower.

There are two types of seed I recommend . You reallydon't need anythign else.

 a distlefink feeder

Black oil sunflower seed in the shell or slivered and Niger Seed.
I use Niger seed by its self or mixed half and half with slivered sunflower seeds. You can buy mixes of this blend or I buy the two separate at Peavey Mart and mix them together. If you don't want the Niger to grow spread the amount you are going to put in the feeder on a baking sheet and put in oven at 150 degrees for 15 minutes . The seeds then will not grow and the nutrition stays in it cooking them  at this low temperature  for the short time.  The Niger seed is fine on its own too! The feeders to use are designed for theses tiny seeds and the other nuisance birds cannot feed from them. Finch feeders , distlefink feeders and my favourite the upside down finch feeder are sure to bring on the hungry little birds .Upside down feeders are unique as only Finches can feed form it. they are the ones htat can hang upside down so House Sparrow so long!!!  IN the spring(when you see the first dandelion) the goldfinches will arrive. The brilliant yellow bird with black is the male and the dull olive one is the female. Female birds have duller plumage for protection when they are on the nest. Natures camouflage.  IN the fall and through the winter you will see red polls, purple finches and house finches as well as pine siskins.These are all desirable birds.

upside down feeder

Gold finches nest in my yard at the farm and I can see them feeding throughout the summer. A real treat for me . IN the city they stopped to fill up on the Niger in my feeders and after several days would head out.

Black Oil Sunflower is good for all other birds. Use feeders that the bird has to pick the seed out of a small hole .  You can get or make a net to fit under the feeder to catch any falling seeds. THe black oil can be baked jsut like the Niger seed to prevent it from growing. For fun put a sunflower seed feeder over a flower bed a let the fallen seeds grow. You will have towering sunflowers that the birds will pick the seed off of.
 Another fun thing to do in the spring when the Orioles fly through put some orange slices out on the trunks of your trees I put them on with a small nail and the Oriole absolutely love to pick at them and a more beautiful bird to watch and listen too is hard to find. 

Oriole

Want a wonderful little songbird to fill your days with sweet melodies. Buy or build several wren houses and place them in different locations around the yard. Make sure the hole is the size of a quarter no bigger.NO PERCHES ON ANY BIRD HOUSES!! Wrens will return in May and I tell you when they start to build their nest look out there is a lot of activity going to go on. The male builds a nest in all the houses and sings to attract and impress the female . She comes and checks out the houses and if one suits her fancy she settles in....Baby wrens are very tiny.   If you provide birdhouses with flip up fronts or a plexiglass side you can peek in on the birds and enjoy watching them grow. The first year we lived here my husband had hung his carpenters pouch up in the shed and didnt use it for a few days. The time came and he went to use it only to find that there was a wrens nest complete with eggs in it. He left it there until they hatched and flew away.

There are more to sparrows than just those pesty house sparrows. The house sparrow are not native to Canada but have definately made themselves comfy here. What you want to feed are the other sparrows liek the chipping sparrow , white crowned sparrow and the white throated sparrow pictured here. These natvie species of sparrows are  wonderful to observe and I recommend a brd book so you can see just what you are watching as there are so many kinds.

Suet cakes are a great attractent for chikadees, wrens, nuthatches , woodpeckers and more. I hang many of them and get a lot of different varieties at any one time.

wood[pecker on suet cage

Humming birds return in beginning of May. These little hummers are amazing. IF something zips by your head with a soundof a little helicopter it is time to dig out the humming bird nectar and feeder.  Do not use red food clouring in the mixture instead hang red fake flowers or what I liek to do is hang th efeeders near baskets of red petunias or coral bells . They love anythign red . When we hunted in the spring up norht the little hummers woudl fly up and try to get nectar out of our red rainsuits , red tail lights on thecamper literally anything red. IF you want grow scarlet running beans I tell you those things really attract the hummers . Grow them along with your flowers the flowers are large red and the beans are edible afterward. Fuschia are great for them too!

NO matter which bird you want to attract a bird bath or turning on a sprinkler on a hot day will bring all kinds of birds in for relief. A birdbath is a grea tidea. Want to prevent mosquitos jsut a drop of olive oil will prevent the mosquitos from making your bird bath a hospitable breeding pond.

Be careful where you place your feeders and birdbath. Make sure your cat or the neighbours hungry kitty doesnt have the advantage. Hang feeders from hooks in trees or on hooks mounted on fences or post.

So give it a try...it can really be an enjoyable time..

5 minutes

Sometimes I need to slow myself down...Ever notice how fast paced life is today?

 I spent a lunch hour with my son last week.... his life is always on fast forward and when I asked him if he was able to breathe while he shovelled down his food ...he realised maybe he really needed to taste his food before it hit the organs.......I have begged him lately to slow down a little and take some time to enjoy his life....we will see how that goes...

I was in line in a gas station the other day. There was a little elderly man at the front of the line...I am guessing he was about 85...my dads age. He was paying for his gas and buying a lottery ticket with his debit card. There were several of us in line and I was right behind the fellow.  I couldn't help but consider the changes this man, who was slowly inserting his debit card carefully and diligently into the machine....had encountered throughout his life...especially the pace of life and what it would mean for him and for others in his situation. He took his time and I glanced back at the line....seven or more people...Some seemed irratated, others bored with being in line. One guy about my age's eyes met mine as I studied the faces behind me.. He smiled a seemingly  understanding smile at me as he glanced toward the elderly man still slowly entering his PIN.  After about 5 minutes he set the machine down and slpwly pulled his card out returned it to his wallet and thanked the young ,releived ,cashier. It took him .about ..5 whole minutes and it had effected everybody in line. We all had to slow down ..it was obvious that some were angry , others were just uncomfortable with a few minutes to actually just be......and then those of us that  were able to take in the fact that this person that was putting all of our brakes on ......really didn't mind if we were waiting...... He was doing what the needed to do in his own time...

I walked out of that gas station and made a conscious decision that I was going to do my best to apply my brakes a little more often..
Have I succeeded ? Not regularly by any means and when I do make the effort to slow down there are usually lengthy  skid marks indicating just how fast I need to be going before I slam my brakes on.....

That elderly fellow taught me that day while the rest of the world is speeding around it really isn't necessary for me to do the same. Life goes on realtively the same if we slow down and take the time to live.  For him it seemed to be natural  just the way it was to be ...he wasn't  frustrated he wasn't struggling he was just taking his time...and all of those people in line...they had to slow down as well .......for 5 minutes ..