Is it an age thing? Or a slowing down in life and enjoying nature thing? Because we are starting to love birdwatching and taking care of the birds around our property since we moved out here!
Went in Tractor Supply the other day (love that store, ha) and they have a whole section devoted to wild birds and everything you could want!
Seed, houses, feeders and everything. We didn't get much, but we got lots of ideas.
I had already picked up a few feeders at another store and some bird seed (a Texas blend) at the grocery.
We got them hung up in various places.
We repurposed a large canister jar we had at the old farmhouse for use as our birdseed container. It's got a rubber seal, and we put a scoop in there and it works out perfectly for filling the feeders.
We also have an awesome birdhouse that was made for us and gifted a couple of years back by an amazing friend, so that's our next step, creating specialized bird sanctuary areas.
We have a bunch of books that were given to us by a very sweet friend and these two have already been invaluable and helped us identify quite a few.
The birds are happy, that's for sure.
And we are happy...
You are really going to enjoy watching and listening to the birds early in the morning hours especially.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to provide some sort of waters for the birds to drink out of and to have them splash / bath in. https://birdfeederhub.com/how-to-get-birds-to-use-a-bird-bath/
We have no problem here, but beware of the deer and other wild life that will also eat your bird seed and one other thing; never place a bird feeder inside a raised flower bed or placing feeders too close by any planted beds or you will have all kinds of weeds coming up in your raised beds.
Any bird houses you put up; place the opening to the East; they receive the early morning sun and provide some sort of shade for them when them Hot afternoon temperatures rise. Provide some good nesting material as well.
Now, sit back, relax and enjoy the sounds of the birds singing to you in the morning.
Enjoy the rest of the week.
Blessings 2 U both
I have suet blocks in a cage nailed to a tree as well as some of the feeders with suet blocks. The wood peckers love them
ReplyDeleteI think enjoying birds is slowing down and allowing yourselves to be entertained by them.
ReplyDeleteI quit feeding them when the assassin cat next door thought all I was doing was baiting my back yard for his pleasure. He is no longer there and I need to resume feeding them.
That’s wonderful that y’all are now birdwatching and feeding. I’ve been enjoying it for many years. In addition to the usual doves, blue jays, cardinals, and sparrows, it’s exciting to see others pop in. A couple of weeks ago, I saw several Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.
ReplyDeleteI have a ceramic birdbath hanging in a tree and the birds drink from it and bath in it at times. The cats cannot get to it, it is on a chain so safe to take a nice bath.
ReplyDeleteOnce all the birds tell their friends that you have seed, you will have even more birds! We have resorted to buying a dog food size bag at Costco that we keep in the hall closet. We also had to get baffles for the shepherd’s hooks because the raccoons were cleaning them out. One looks like a torpedo and one looks like something that you would see in a rice paddy. You might find them at Tractor Supply but definitely at a bird store. As mentioned above, cats will think you set this whole bird bait area just for them. We have two house cats and one feral called Gus Kitty. Gus does catch the occasional bird😩. One of our bird books sorts the birds by color. Very convenient
ReplyDeleteThere's a free app called Merlin Bird ID from Cornell Lab. It allows you to identify birds by sound or sight. I use it a lot to identify birds by their calls. It's free and available for iPhones or Android ones. I love it.
ReplyDeleteI definitely recommend the baffles for the poles otherwise the squirrels and other critters will clean you out and leave nothing for the birds! Water too is a requirement for the birds. Finally, if you haven't already, make sure you install the Merlin app from Cornell University on your phone, it identifies all the birdsong you hear and tells you what you're hearing. Works anywhere, so if you're going for a walk or visiting a new place on vacation, you'll be able to identify what you're hearing. My favourite app!
ReplyDeleteI feed the local birds each day and enjoy watching them
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