It's All About The Birds

I had my second nest of blue birds leave their nest a couple of weeks ago. I found a little dead baby in the nest when I cleaned in out this week. This got me to thinking about birds and feeding and attracting them. I found some good stuff as usual to pass along to you.

This first one came in my E-mail newsletter From Garden Club published by Birds n Blooms Magizine.
Hats Off to HummingbirdsIt gets very hot here in the summer. The hummingbirds have swarmed to the feeders in the shade, but avoid the ones in full sun. So, I took an old straw hat and fastened it to the top of the feeder with wire and florist’s tape.

Within minutes, the hummers were back! They can sip in cool shade. I have covered all of my feeders with hats and even decorated them with silk flowers and ribbon. It looks beautiful and gets lots of comments from visitors. –Susan Patch, Loon Lake, Washington

This next one is a very informative article with a link all about feeding and maintaining a bird habitat.

"It’s not just a dog eat dog world out there. We’ve all seen our backyard birds get downright nasty over their food. What and how you feed in your backyards may help bring a bit more peace at the feeders, and more importantly, the choices you make for attracting wild birds to the yard can also affect how well the breeding season goes for some species."

read more

This summer I added my yard to the list of Wildlife Habitats on the National Wildlife Federation's list of wildlife habitats. You can too, see if your yard qualifies at the National Wildlife Federation's website I put my sign on my front fence for all my friends to see. I got the idea from from my blogger friend Ginger who writes a terrific garden blog The Law of the Land , check her out, I think you will enjoy her blog.

Put Your Humming Bird feeders out!

The hummingbirds show up in my yard every year around April 15. One year they came on the12th. We always put our feeders out a week or two before the expected date. Sometimes we will see a little scout scoping out the neighborhood!

I have three (sometimes four) feeders in our yard. This one I can see from my kitchen table and when we sit on the deck in the afternoon we often have to duck to keep from being dive bombed! Our art studio is in the background and there is one hanging from a small tree in front of the porch. The swing provides a perfect place to watch the hummers and other bird feeders too. This blue glass one on the front porch is where we usually see our first hummers of the season.

Don't waste your money on the premixed or powdered humming bird nectar. Here is a simple recipe that will attract tons of hummers, is easy and cheap to make.



Humming Bird Nectar
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup filtered water

Combine the water and sugar and either bring to a boil on the stove top or microwave for 1 minute. Allow to cool to room temp. Fill your feeders and watch! I multiple this recipe by 4 and make 2 quarts at a time and keep it in fridge.  

I also plant flowers near my feeders and in the yard that I know attract hummingbirds. I place hanging baskets of Petunias near the feeders too, as you can see in the photo above.

Some flowers that hummers like are:
Petunias
Trumpet vine
Butterfly bushes
Honeysuckle ( it's invasive)
Bee Balm (Monarda)
Zinnia
Lilies
Tropical Hibiscus

Bluebirds building in Ornamental Birdhouse

I have had two ornamental barn wood birdhouses in my yard for years. They are cute and add a touch of whimsy to my yard. I never expected a bird to actually use them. Last year a Chickadee build in one of them so my husband added a hinge on the back of both of them so we could easily clean them out in case them were built in again.

This year we noticed a pair of bluebirds checking out the one on our back deck. I was so excited because the bluebirds haven't built in my yard for several years, despite the meal worm feeders and several traditional bluebird houses.

They visited for several days and now the male is guarding both of these houses. Before he took over we had Wrens, Titmice and Chickadees interested -not anymore- no one else can get near without being attacked!

There are plenty other places for the Wrens and her friends so I'm not worried about that. I can't tell yet if they have actually started a nest, I haven't seen the female since they first visited. I'll just have to wait till they start feeding I guess. if no action by the first of May, I"ll take a peek in the back. I don't want to frighten them off now.

I've always had to watch for sparrows invading my bluebird houses. I don't think this will be a problem this year. This Bird is more aggressive than a mockingbird.

Hummers are scouting

A real quick hint. My husband saw our first Hummingbird this weekend. It was looking for our feeders - of course, I hadn't put them out yet. I scurried around and mixed up the sugar water (1/4 cup sugar to 1 cup water) and put out feeders. I haven't seen another one but it might be a good idea to get your feeders out now. Sugar water is cheap and those little scouts may be in your neighborhood searching right now!

Worms in the Basement Part 2

Here are instructions for growing and feeding meal worms for the backyard birds. The picture here is of my favorite type of feeder. I have tried several and this seems to work best. I bought this one at Wild Birds Unlimited but I am sure they are available elsewhere. I put worms out every morning all year but you can feed only in winter and in nesting season if you prefer. It may take a few days before the birds find your feeder. Mine is very close to my other feeder on my deck so they found it right away. I can almost guarantee that a Titmouse will be the first to find it. They are the most curious little birdies – and the biggest eaters! I take worms out of my basement beds and keep a weeks supply in a recycled butter container in the refrigerator. They will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks - they go simi-dormant and perk right up in room temps.

This picture is the container that I keep and grow the worms. As I mentioned in the previous blog “worms in the basement”, I got my first worms from my cousin. If you are lucky enough to have a friend who grows meal worms, maybe they will share a few with you to get you started. If not, here are a couple of links to web sites where you can purchase worms. http://www.exoticnutrition.com/ http://www.nyworms.com/mealworms.htm Be sure to NOT buy the giant worms, they are sterile – treated with a growth hormone. I buy small or medium if I ever need extras when my birds are eating a lot. It usually takes about a week or two for the small ones to get large enough to feed but they are perfect to start you clan with.

The very best bedding and food for meal worms is wheat bran but my local feed store that used to carry it went out of business so now I use Chick Starter. The worms are doing well with it and it seems to last longer than the wheat germ did. I purchase my Chick Starter at our TSC store and it is very cheap. The wheat bran that you can find in the grocery store will work but is expensive.

In addition to the Chick Starter, you will need to scatter some raw apple or potato slices or lettuce leaves on top of your worm bed every once in a while. The worms love these; it gives them moisture that they need. I add new ones when I notice that my worms have eaten almost all of what I put in last. Do not let your bedding get wet – it will mold and could destroy the worms.

In a few weeks you will see black beetles in your container along with the worms. This is good – these are the last stage in the life cycle of a meal worm. The beetles will lay eggs and the process starts all over again. If you get a great deal of beetles, I get rid of some of them. They will eat them worms if there is not enough food for them all. I toss them in a pile of leaves in the yard – who knows maybe they will reproduce there. Meal worms live under leaves and other debris in nature.

About once a year, I sift all the worms and beetles out of my container, dump the old used bedding into my compost and start out with fresh bedding. I put it about six inches deep and place my worms and bugs back in, top it off with a few apple slices and I’m ready for a new year of bird feeding. Wear something old and a mask if you have dust allergies. This can be a dusty chore!

Once your worms are established and reproducing, you can run your fingers through the bedding and you will notice movement in the bedding. These are tiny baby worms –thousands of them! Future blue bird treats!

If you have additional questions or suggestions of your own please leave a comment.

Worms in the Basement

Not as gross as it sounds – not nearly as bad as Aphids on Iris! Seriously, I’ve grown meal worms for the birds for years. It began as a way to attract bluebirds to my yard. My cousin gave me my starter worms and, sure enough, the blue birds loved them. They are easy to keep and grow. Other birds like them too. In fact, in my current location, the Titmice, Chickadees, Nuthatches and Miss Wren Bird (my favorite back deck visitor) are eating more than the bluebirds. Miss Wren Bird inspired this little mini collage that I made from a photo I took of her (or him??)

You can grow meal worms in a plastic storage container anywhere that stays above freezing and is protected from moisture. They are clean and have no odor. Even my koi in the backyard water feature like them.

In my next blog I’ll give instructions for growing your own worms and a link to places to purchase your starter worms.

Right now I think I’ll crawl into bed with a good book – it’s snowing here right now. Yes, snow after 75 degrees last week. Welcome to Tennessee. We say here that if you don’t like the weather, wait an hour or two and it will change. Glad I didn’t plant the Rhubarb plants I bought Monday. I potted them up in larger pots and left them in the sunny window until weather settles – turned out to be a good idea.

Next blog about worms and other bird attracting tips.

Stop Birds from Flying into Your Window Glass

If you feed the birds near your windows or glass doors or even if you don't and the glass is near where they fly, you have probably had a bird dash against the glass. They often do not survive. I love watching the birds up close from my kitchen table but often I would have to go out and rescue a stunned little bird. I saw the perfect solution one day at our "everything for a dollar" store. Little metal butterfly stickers. I popped them onto my glass doors and no more knocked out birds! They make the glass visible to my little feathered friends.They have held up through lots of window washes and of course, since they are on the inside, rain is not an issue.

Boxing Day Blizzard

We got quite a wallop of snow on Sunday! At first, the forcasters were saying only eastern Long Island would get a few inches of snow. But as Christmas Day drew to an end, the news was reporting that all of New York City and Long Island should expect for a blizzard with lots of snow and wind. So all day Sunday, we listened to the howling winds blowing 40+mph and watched the beautiful snow fall, and fall, and fall until we got nearly 2 feet of snow. The storm even blew snow onto the wreath on my front door (and it's covered by a porch!):

 

But the birds were not deterred. They held onto the feeders through the snow and wind, trying to get something to eat. I was just happy that I remembered to fill them the day before the storm.

And even though the weather outside was frightful, it sure was beautiful to watch the snow coming down. And my kids enjoyed a day in their pjs to play with their new toys!

Mourning Dove Takes a Nap

Yesterday afternoon, I arrived home to find a Mourning Dove nestled in the grass in front of my flower boxes. 

When I moved closer to see if it was injured (it was not), it just looked at me but didn't move one bit. I quickly grabbed my camera, and took some photos. All the while, it never moved. 

As I expected, it was gone the next morning. I still don't know if it had been hurt in anyway or was simply taking a rest on the shady grass. Either way, it was a delight to see up close!

For more on Mourning Doves, check out Cornell Lab of Ornithology

MY DIY SUET GUARD

If you have read my blog for a while you will know that I feed the birds and even grow meal worms in our art studio for the blue birds. For that how to click here but be sure to come back. This week I decided it would be fun to have some peanut butter suet near the window so we could see the woodpeckers and blue birds up close. I knew from past experience that they can be quite messy... slinging suet all over the window and figured the parts that they dropped on the deck would attract ants too. I wanted a tray to catch the crumbs. The first thing I tried was a bakery cake clear top from a birthday cake I purchased. It worked well until a Downy Woodpecker got in it and could not climb out! I turned him loose and went to plan B. Bill remembered the little salad containers we saved from Wendy's take home so I got the lid from one of those, heated an ice pick on my stove burner and melted a hole in each of the four corners. Next I tied jute twine into the holes and tied them all together at the top to make a way to suspend the little tray under the suet. It works great as you can see from the picture above.  here's a closer view:  Next week I'll tell you about the butterflies you see on my door glass.

Birds Braving the Winter

It's still really cold here and another storm is on it's way. I haven't seen too many birds this winter - it might be that it's just too cold. However, there are some that have been braving the cold.

The male and female cardinal come to visit nearly every day. Sometimes they eat, other times, they just sit perched on the bird feeder. I can hear their distinct chirps before I see them.

This little fellow is so cute. He hangs out on the tree nearly upside down until he figures it's safe enough to fly over to the bird feeder. I think it's a Nuthatch?

The red-bellied Woodpecker is also a frequent visitor, scaring away any other birds who might be feeding.

 Mrs. Cardinal takes her spot on the feeder.

And of course, the squirrel watches the feeders from above, waiting for one of them to mysteriously fall from the tree and dump the seed all over the lawn...which will never happen!

Bird Houses in the Snow

I took pictures of some of my favorite bird houses in the snow yesterday. This is making me want spring to hurry up and get here! I need to see little blue eggs in some of these.

No one ever builds in this one. I think it's because it's metal but it's cute on my garden arch just the same.

The one on the left we moved with us the last time. Blue Birds built in it every year at our old house but they prefer the one pictured below in our yard here.

My Mom gave me this little whimsical house and a family of Carolina Chickadees built in it last summer. The sign on the angel says, "Bless the birds and the songs they sing" I say "Amen" to that!

I couldn't leave out my big fat iron blue bird. It was a gift from my Brother-in-law. He sits in my window box most years but he is spending the winter in the flower box on the deck. The wrens check him out every year but always build somewhere else. I love him anyway.

Blue Bird Treat DIY Project

I feed all sorts of birds but the blue birds are one of my winter favorites. I've written several posts about growing meal worms for them. I started buying little peanut butter balls packaged as a bird treat. They are a little expensive, so I set out to make my own. The experiment was a success and the Blue Birds, Woodpeckers, Wrens, Titmice and others gobble them up the minute I put them out. Following is my recipe:

Mix together in a large bowl the following.
2 parts Plain (not self rising) yellow corn meal
1 part freeze dries meal worms (available at most Walmart stores, Tractor Supply or here http://www.exoticnutrition.com/driedmealworms.html
1 part chunky peanut butter
Mix well, pat into a suitable container, score into serving size chunks and place in the freezer to set. Break apart and store in the refrigerator.

Ingredients ready to mix

Mix to this consistency

Ready to freeze

Not only Blue Birds but all the birds in my yard love this treat. I also made a suet/treat feeder from a carry out meal container. It is pictured below. I used two old hanging basket wires to hang it from a shepherds hook on the deck where I can watch from my window. The Lucite feeder with the cover came from Wild Birds Unlimited and I've had it for years. It is designed especially for live worms. Read how I grow them here
 http://www.tipsforgardeningonline.com/2009/03/worms-in-basement-part-2.html


Here are some of the birds enjoying the peanut butter. The Turkeys aren't after the peanut butter but we love watching them scratch for bugs in the fallen leaves. We have seen as many as 7 in our front yard.

Homemade Suet Feeder 

Blue Bird

Woodpecker

Tufted Titmouse

Wild Turkeys

Peanut Butter log for the Birds

Another fun thing we did this year was make a peanut butter log for the birds. Bill drilled a bunch of half inch holes in a small log (about Chimminea size) and I filled it with chunky peanut butter from the Dollar General Store - their's was cheap and had big chunks of peanuts. The birds love it! I stuffed each hole with peanut butter and even smeared it around the holes too. As you can see, the little woodpeckers especially like it but so do the Titmise, Wrens, Nuthatches, Junkos and others.

I think the Blue Birds would eat from it too if we put on some little perches. Bill is planning to add them as soon as he finds time.

Bluebirds in Winter

I have lots of bluebirds in my yard all summer. In fact, they nest in a bird house right on my deck. I know they stay over in my area and I’ve watched for them all winter. I had hoped they would roost in one of the bluebird houses on our property. I only saw an occasional lone bird even when I put out the meal worms every morning. The Titmice get to them first!

But then the snow came. My yard has been under a white blanket for two weeks and temps in the 20’s, unusual for upper middle Tennessee. I was working at home last week and stopped for a hot tea break about 11am one morning. There were two bluebirds on my suet feeder. I ran out and put meal worms in the feeder – five showed up to eat them almost before I could get back in the house. Needless to say I was thrilled! I figured they liked to sleep in so I started putting the worms out later in the day. They were there every time.

A week later and still snow covering everything, bluebirds are waiting for me at 6:30 when I get up. Today I didn’t go into the house after I filled the feeder but stood about three feet from my worm tray. They didn’t mind that I was there at all. I’ve seen pictures of people hand feeding birds. I think these might be good subjects for that. I’ll try it tomorrow morning when they seem to be the most hungry. I’ll post what happens.

Feed the birds!

It is snowing in the south today. We are such wimps when it comes to snow. As a friend of my husbands said today, "It's Tennessee. We have one snowplow per county." My little cul de sac won't ever get plowed. I've been watching the birds swarm around the bird feeders and the blue birds are hanging around the deck waiting for me to put out the meal worms. I figure it's a good time to repost the one about growing meal worms for the birds.

You can grow meal worms in a plastic storage container anywhere that stays above freezing and is protected from moisture. They are clean and have no odor. Even my koi in the backyard water feature like them.

Here are instructions for growing and feeding meal worms for the backyard birds. The picture above is of my favorite type of worm feeder. I have tried several and this seems to work best. I bought this one at Wild Birds Unlimited but I am sure they are available elsewhere. I put worms out every morning all year but you can feed only in winter and in nesting season if you prefer. It may take a few days before the birds find your feeder. Mine is very close to my back door on my deck and they found it right away. I can almost guarantee that a Titmouse will be the first to find it. They are the most curious little birdies – and the biggest eaters! I take worms out of my growing containers and keep a weeks supply in a recycled butter container in the refrigerator. They will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks - they go simi-dormant and perk right up in room temps.

This picture is the container that I keep and grow the worms. As I mentioned in the previous blog “worms in the basement”, I got my first worms from my cousin. If you are lucky enough to have a friend who grows meal worms, maybe they will share a few with you to get you started. If not, here are a couple of links to web sites where you can purchase worms also here. Be sure to NOT buy the giant worms, they are sterile – treated with a growth hormone. I buy small or medium if I ever need extras when my birds are eating a lot. It usually takes about a week or two for the small ones to get large enough to feed but they are perfect to start you clan with.

The very best bedding and food for meal worms is wheat bran. I purchase form our farm co-op I have also used Chick Starter but it seems to stay a little too moist for me. The wheat bran that you can find in the grocery store will work but is expensive.

In addition to the wheat bran, you will need to scatter some raw apple or potato slices or dry fresh lettuce leaves on top of your worm bed every once in a while. The worms love these; it gives them moisture that they need. I add new ones when I notice that my worms have eaten almost all of what I put in last. Do not let your bedding get wet – it will mold and could destroy the worms.

In a few weeks you will see black beetles in your container along with the worms. This is good – these are the last stage in the life cycle of a meal worm. The beetles will lay eggs and the process starts all over again. If you get a great deal of beetles, I get rid of some of them. They will eat them worms if there is not enough food for them all. I toss them in a pile of leaves in the yard – who knows maybe they will reproduce there. Meal worms live under leaves and other debris in nature.

About once a year, I sift all the worms and beetles out of my container, dump the old used bedding into my compost and start out with fresh bedding. I put about six inches of fresh bran and place my worms and bugs back in, top it off with a few apple slices and I’m ready for a new year of bird feeding. Wear something old and a mask if you have dust allergies. This can be a dusty chore!

Once your worms are established and reproducing, you can run your fingers through the bedding and you will notice movement in the bedding. These are tiny baby worms –thousands of them! Future blue bird treats!

Caring for the Wild Birds in Winter

This is what I woke up to this morning. It was 15 degrees and snow in my Middle Tennessee yard. The birds were every where and hungry! I have multiple bird feeders and a small pond as well as bird baths. I don't keep the bird baths full in winter because the birds can drink from my pond. The pond was frozen this morning - not good. I had not expected it to freeze because of the waterfall I had installed this summer. I also didn't expect 15 degrees either. I thawed a small portion of my little puddle with warm water and put in the bird bath heater that I should have done already. Fish and birds are happy now.

I doubled up on the meal worms and will probably put worms out twice a day as long as the weather remains this cold. I started feeding the meal worms for my blue birds but, although I see blue birds in the yard in winter, they don't come to the worm feeders except in summer. I don't know why unless they are feeding somewhere else. I've always had them at my worm feeders in other houses.

Another thing I am going to do this weekend is drag the old artificial tree (bought a new one this year) out to the back fence and leave it for extra night shelter for my feathery friends. If you haven't already disposed of your live Christmas tree, they make a nice shelter for the birds and the needles are good for the garden too. I used to leave mine in the back of the garden until spring before disposing of the dead branches.

Suet is a good energy source for birds when insects are scarce. You can make your own or purchase it ready made. TSC stores are my favorite place to purchase suet - the ones around here usually have it for less than a dollar a cake and carry several types. I feed suet all year round and we especially love watching the woodpeckers feeding their juveniles in the spring at our suet feeders.

Here is a recipe if you want to try your hand at making your own. Don't worry about the lard, harding of the arteries is a human problem - not birds' problem. I always add sunflowers to homemade suet because it seems to attract the birds more quickly. If you have a source of beef suet you can melt it instead of the lard.

2 cups lard
2 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 cup (yellow) cornmeal
2 cups whole oats (not quick or instant oats)
1 cup wheat bran

Melt lard and peanut butter together (microwave works fine - keep an eye on things). Stir until blended. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients, except for the oatmeal. Then, pour-in the melted lard and peanut butter. Next, start adding the oatmeal 3 or so cups at a time. The mixture should be thick. Add extra oats if it is not thick enough, until it is too stiff to stir.

Pour the mixture into a greased pan (or glass pans - no extra greasing needed), cool in refrigerator and cut or spoon into the proper shape for your feeder. If you don't use it up quickly it can be frozen until needed. You can add extra chopped peanuts, black oil sunflower seeds, chopped raisins, chopped sunflower hearts, and powdered sterilized eggshells.

For more suggestions on making your yard wildlife friendly check out the National Wildlife Federation.