Birds

This morning when I went to the grocery store to get the necessities of life {bread, milk, feta cheese and birdseed} I also bought a rather nice little cheapie birdfeeder and a few minutes ago, I noticed that the black-capped chickadees and the house-finches have found it. {I have noticed before that when one puts up a new bird feeder, it takes the birds a while to find it. The old one has always had a healthy visiting population.}

It is odd about the chickadees. Last year we saw two only the whole winter. This year, the word has gone out there there are goodies at Fred’s and Patricia’s! We have a rather nice young man from the Audabon Society who comes on our local midday television show at regular intervals to talk about the birds of Vermont. I remember him saying that the chickadee population varies a lot from year to year. This year, I have seen them ten times already in the last three days. {Of course, I can’t say if I have seen the same bird ten times or ten different ones! LOL}

Since our landlord cut down the nearest tree, the squirrels have {so far} not been able to find a way onto the roof and down onto the hanging bird feeders. This is a Good Thing. About two years ago, we put out a tray and squirrel food on the balcony railings in hopes that this would keep them away from the hanging bird feeders. {It didn’t.} In the summer, I put smaller plants out there on what we still call the “squirrel tray.” This morning, I scattered some birdseed out there and the English sparrows {known at our house as “the brown horde”} love it! We have also seen blue jays, and both a male and female cardinal.

Until later…

Log in to write a note
December 17, 2004

Oh how I’d love to see a cardinal at my feeders. We don’t have them out here and they’re such beautiful birds. I envy you yours. 🙂

I need to go buy some seed for my feeder. I need to look at little birdies, although I mostly get those brown hoarde variety.

December 17, 2004

We have had feeders out for awhile now and still very few takers. Don’t know what the problem is. I don’t think there are any other feeders nearby so maybe the word hasn’t spread yet. Chickadees are my favourites I think. Cardinals are not that abundant here but we had a pair at our other place a couple of winters. Such a pleasure to see them.

December 17, 2004

I love watching the birds so much. Chicadees are so cute!

December 17, 2004

I also love to watch the birds feed, i miss that so much since we moved 6 years ago. In the old place there was a injure blackbird that i saved and it came back each year, i could tell by its dmamged leg, then as the years moved along, its ofspring nested each year in the garden i hate to move and think that they had lost the protection they had come to know.

December 17, 2004

I WANT SOME OF YOUR SQUIRRELS! We have no trees that they like, in our yard, though we have 13 trees. Bah! At our birdfeeder we get sparrows, chicadees, cardinals, bluejays, grackles (those birds are gluttons!) a few doves, and the annual resident woodpecker, who looks soooo comical bending his big body around to eat from the feeder. I love them all! Weesprite

December 17, 2004

ryn, We don’t have Brick Lane, but I’ll look for it. Thanks.

December 17, 2004

I have a couple of birdfeeders and the birds love the food in winter when there is snow on the ground and no place to eat. Where we live in Wisconin we have no snow yet so no birds have been eating. The squirrels finally figured out how to get onto the birdfeeder from the deck and broke one. I asked for a new one for X-mas. Also the birds around here, chicadees ect love the black birdseed.

In the afternoons when I wash dishes, I enjoy watching the chickadees, bluejays and finches that zoom back and forth to the feeder. In my experience, “squirrel-proof” is a word with no meaning.

December 17, 2004

i saw mr and mrs cardinal out at the backyard feeders a few days ago. i wonder how long they live and if these two are the original two we first saw when we moved here. i love to sit and watch the birds. i love the chickadees song. take care,

Shi
December 17, 2004

We love feeding the birds but the squirrels here are quite clever and kept finding new ways to belly up to the bird feeders. : )

December 18, 2004

trying to get caught up AGAIN. Just wanted to let you know that it arrived. Thank you again.