Hairy Woodpecker

It is bitterly cold today. The temperature on the thermometer outside on the shed reads 16 degrees. It it deceiving with the sun shining on the snow because it looks much warmer outside than it really is.

We were sitting here this morning looking out the sliding glass windows when Fred spotted a Hairy Wooodpecker on the peanut seed feeder. He was perched there and pecking away at the peanuts.

These types of woodpeckers frequent back yards often and in the winter look for suet, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and peanut butter. During the summer months their diet consists of insects, larvae, fruit, and nuts.

Its not the best picture but we wanted to share it with you. He caught on real quick as to what we were trying to do and didn't stick around.

Feeding The Birds

It is that time of year again when the birds need a little help from us. One way we can do this is by hanging up a variety of feeders that will attract different species of birds. Birds need food and water to survive. This includes drinking and bathing water.

We just put up our tube feeders for the winter. One holds thistle and the other sunflower seeds. Chickadees, nuthatches and finches are generally attracted to these types of feeders. Suet feeders are a good source of food for woodpeckers. We have one hopper feeder we fill with birdseed for cardinals. Our feeders are eye level and hang in the trees.

A shallow birdbath sits at the edge of the yard. We fill it with approx. 2" of water and change the water frequently. Birds like clean water to drink from so get into the habit of cleaning your birdbath.

The main idea is to make the birds feel at home, safe and feel protected from any predators. Once you have done this, you can sit back and enjoy bird watching.

KEEPING OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS HAPPY

Our attraction to birds lies within their beauty, the amusement they can bring us, and their wonderful melodies of their songs. Bird watching is one activity the whole family can partake in. Here are some important steps to follow in order to make your feathered friends happy:

Birds need water no matter what time of year it is. Supplying a birdbath for the birds to bath in will enable them to clean themselves. Birds will also be able to drink from a safe place with a birdbath in the yard. No more than two inches of clean water is needed and always place your birdbath close to a hanging limb so birds can get out of harm's way if they are frightened.

Bird feeders are ideal in the winter for feeding and will attract birds in the warmer months. Birds will rely on these feeders especially when they are raising their young. Scout around and buy food for the birds most common in your area. If you have frequent squirrel visitors, invest in a squirrel proof feeder.

A birdhouse or nesting box will keep birds in your yard while they are raising their young. A sturdy wooden birdhouse hanging from a tree, attached to a tree or building with an L hook, or a birdhouse on a pole are ideal for a family of birds. Remember, birds do not like a lot of activity when they are raising their young so make sure your birdhouse is not near the birdbath or bird feeder.

Once you have figured out the basics, you can sit back and enjoy the entertainment and the beauty of the birds in your area.

Don't Forget To Feed The Birds

Winter can be very hard on the birds because snow covers up much of their food resources and ice can make it impossible for them to get nourishment from tree buds and wild fruit plants. Making sure your feeders are well stocked with high quality bird seed is pertinent and can mean the difference between life and death to birds.

There are many new suet cakes and birdseed that can provide the birds in your yard with high fat nutrients to give them the energy they need to survive. Check out your local garden centers and home improvement centers for the different types of varieties they offer, many at reasonable prices.

Today was a fairly nice day, nice enough to take pictures outside of some of the new birdhouses I made. The birds are back and checking out the yard. Today I was able to get a glimpse of a beautiful cardinal and figured this would be worth writing about.

Cardinals can be found in the eastern United States. The male cardinal has beautiful red feathers, a black throat and face mask and a head crest. The female is light brownish yellow with red tinted wings and tail. The female also has a head crest.

Most cardinals prefer bird feeders that are 4-6 feet high from the ground. They do not like hanging feeders. The more secure the bird feeder the better. Throwing birdseed on the ground is a good idea if you have cardinals around because they really enjoy ground feeding. What are some of their favorite types of birdseed? Black oil sunflower seeds, safflower seeds and striped sunflower seeds. They love to feed early in the morning and will be one of the last types of birds to leave the feeder in the evening. You may also attract Blue Jays, Rose Breasted Grosbeaks and Evening Grosbeaks with this type of seed.

Cardinals enjoy water. Setting up a bird bath in your yard is important to attracting them. Bird baths also help keeping other birds around. Since cardinals do not migrate, having plenty of water, the correct type of feeder and this birds favorite seeds, you may just find yourself with a cardinal family for many years to come.

The female nests two or three times a year in small trees, bushes and shrubs and lays three to four eggs. These eggs are light green/dull gray with reddish brown specks. She incubates them for approx. 13 days before they hatch. The male and female cardinal share the parental duties. Baby cardinals leave the nest approx. 11 days after they are hatched. By the time they leave the nest, they really do not look like a cardinal yet. They are still covered with gray downy feathers.

If you are lucky enough to watch a family of cardinals before the fledglings leave, then you are in for a treat. Cardinal parents will teach their young how to feed from bird feeders. What a great hobby to be a bird watcher. Not only are you able to watch, feed and learn about birds, but you can really appreciate nature and connect to it.

New Bird Feeders

Hi Everyone

Fred has been working hard making birdfeeders. We have two types to show you. The first bird feeder has a well that is 1 1/4" deep with drain holes in the bottom. This birdfeeder is the perfect size for your feathered friends. The roof overhangs on both sides so the birds are able to stay dry when feeding. We have painted these in red, blue, dark green and kiwi green. Visit our etsy shop and take a look.

When I first made this log bird feeder years ago, I thought, this really does not look like a bird feeder. Well, to my surpise, the birds love it! The next day I was out in the yard and noticed a downy woodpecker. Over the next few days I was surprised at how many wild brids it attracted.

The holes are 1" and the log is from a tree in the woods behind our house. This is a natural way to provide suet and peanut butter for the birds. This bird feeder is perfect for filling with our special bird pudding mix too.

Peanut Butter - Part Seven of Seven

Every bird that feeds at a birdfeeder will eat peanut butter. Woodpeckers, chickadees, and titmice are the most commom birds attracted with peanut butter.

Be careful how you offer it though. You do not want to add it to your birdfeeder in large quantities. The sticky peanut butter is not good if it gets on the birds feathers. Make sure that it is offered in a way that this does not happen. A big wad of peanut butter may also be just as hard for the birds to swallow as it is for us. We offer peanut butter in very small quantities when the weather is very cold. Smearing it on tree bark or a pine cone is a great way to offer it to the birds.
Find a nice sized pine cone and twist wire around the top. You want to make the wire into a hanger so you can hang it from a tree. This is a great family project to do with the kids. Spread the peanut butter over the cone and then sprinkle or roll it in your birdseed. Leave it in your freezer for a half hour and then hang the pine cone out in your yard where you can watch from a window. Get out your binoculars, because you are in for a treat. This will attract many birds to your yard.

We have a great peanut butter bird pudding recipe we would like to share with you. You will need peanut butter, corn meal, sunflower seeds (or bridseed) and bread crumbs. You will also need a large bowl and wooden spoon.

Add one part peanut butter to three parts corn meal and all your other ingredients. Each time you make a new batch, you can make it different because of the ingredients you choose to add.

Fold this mixture in the large bowl with the wooden spoon until it is distributed evenly.

You can use this mixture on pine cones or add it to a mesh bag. Tie one end of the mesh bag in a knot, fill the bag with your mixture and tie a string to the other end to hang it. The brids love this mesh bag. It is easy for them to hang on to as they eat the food through the mesh. Just make sure you hang it securely.

Stay tuned....Fred will be taking pictures of a bird feeder he made out of a tree branch. He drilled various holes throughout the branch and attached a hook on top with strong wire. We filled the holes with our peanut butter bird pudding recipe and hung it in the tree. The birds are absolutely crazy about it.

Nyjer Thistle Seed - Part Five of Seven

By adding nyger (Thistle) seed to your feeding regiment you will attract a lot of smaller songbirds such as finches and pine skins. The seed is highly nutritious and definitely something to consider buying in the cold winter months. There are special feeders available with smaller feeding ports to dispense the seed to songbirds. The seed is tiny in itself and is better dispensed using these smaller feeder ports. You can mix nyger seed to your daily seed. This will make it last longer and save you money in the long run.



Nyger (Thistle) seeds are tiny black seeds imported from Asia and Africa. Most bird lovers hang the seed in a thistle sock which can be purchased at your local pet store.


Nyger (Thistle) seed also will attract purple finches, house finches and juncos. Goldfinches turn a brilliant yellow color in the late spring during breeding season. Go out today and get a thistle feeder, fill it with Gold Nyger Seeds and attract one of the brightest and beautiful birds, the goldfinch, to you backyard.

Safflower Seeds - Part Four Of Seven

Safflower seed has become popular in recent years. The high fat, protein and oil content of this seed makes it a nutritional food source for the wild birds that frequent your yard. Cardinals are attracted to this seed. Downy woodpeckers and evening grosbeaks also enjoy safflower seed.

In addition to attracting cardinals, grosbeaks and downy woodpeckers, you can also attract chickadees, titmice and nuthatches. Did you know that there are birds out there that hog your bird feeders? Some of these types of birds are grackles, starlings and blackbirds. Using safflower seeds in your birdseed mix will deter these types of birds.

Safflower seeds are found in quality wild birdseed mixes and are expensive. Very rarely will you find them in bird seed mixes at grocery stores. Look for a wild birdseed mix that offers safflower seeds in it if you wish to attract cardinals to your yard.

Supposedly squirrels will ignore feeders with safflower seeds because they find them bitter. If you have a chipmunks in your yard, you may not want to use this type of seed because they love it.

Shelled Sunflower Seeds - Part Three Of Seven

Sunflower seeds without the shell attract many more different species of birds than black oil sunflower seeds and striped sunflower seeds combined. If you offered only one kind of food to the birds, this would be the choice for all of them.





These hulled sunflower seeds can be purchased whole or as chips, (sometimes called hearts) and both forms are used in many wild bird seed mixes. These hulled seeds make no mess of shells that accumulate under the feeders as with the striped sunflower seeds or black oil sunflower seeds. You must remember though, that the shells of sunflower seeds contain a component that is toxic to grass. This component will kill any grass that is growing around or beneath your feeders. Raking up these seeds are a must and because of this, many people often choose hulled sunflower seeds.

Feeding the birds hulled sunflower seeds can be a huge benefit to the birds because none of their precious energy reserves are wasted opening the shells during the cold winter monts.

Hulled sunflower seeds attract a larger variety of species including birds that are not equipped with the beaks to crack open shells or not usually associated with eating sunflower seeds. By putting this seed out you may see robins, thrushes, mockingbirds, thrashers, catbirds, sparrows and bluebirds feeding at the base of your feeders.

The best reason to put out hulled sunflower seeds though, is to attract goldfinches. They simply cannot resist this food. Hulled sunflower seeds practically guarantee they'll be regular visitors at any feeder. Don't be surpised if you also see house wrens, purple finches, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, cardinals, grosbeaks and
even woodpeckers.

Because the shells have to be removed, these seeds are costlier than sunflower seeds in the shell. There is a draw back to buying hulled sunflower seeds. The shelled seeds tend to spoil faster if exposed to dampness, so watch what type of feeder you use. They should be offered in feeders that provide protection from the elements so they stay dry for the birds to enjoy.

Striped Sunflower Seeds - Part Two Of Seven

Striped sunflower seeds are larger and less expensive than black oil sunflower seeds. They have a thicker shell and a white stripe on them. The larger size and thicker shell can make them harder for the small birds to eat, but the larger heavy billed birds like cardinals, bluejays, woodpeckers and grosbeaks do not have any problem breaking through to the sunflower seed inside. The small birds such as chickadees, nuthatches and titmice also can open the shells of striped sunflower seeds and will eat them when nothing else is readily available.

Are you wondering if these are the same type of sunflower seeds we snack on? The answer is yes. You can find these seeds on the shelves of supermarkets and convenience stores everywhere. They are just as nutritional for the birds as they are for us because they contain calcium, magnesium, zinc and Vitamin E.

The crops of striped sunflower seeds are screened so that the largest of the seeds are what we buy. The smaller of these seeds or "left overs" as the industry calls them, are sold as wild bird seed. These smaller seeds are why it is easier for many types of birds to enjoy them.

Striped sunflower seeds are the perfect choice to distract larger birds away from your bird feeders. This gives the small birds a better chance of eating with less competition. But better yet, throw some down on the ground in an area not occupied by the birds. They make an inexpensive treat for those pesky squirrels and just might keep them away from your bird feeding areas.

What Type Of Birdseed Should You Choose

Now is the perfect time to be feeding the birds in your yard. Not only will you see what types of birds stick around for winter, but you may even catch a glimpse of a migrating bird as well. Choosing the right kind of seed can make all the difference.

Fred was out in the yard the other day feeding the birds after the big snow storm when the neighbor walked by with their dog. After shooting the breeze for a while the neighbor asked Fred a question about birdseed. What type do you use?

We all know that birdseed is readily available at the grocery store and costs a lot less than birdseed at a pet store or through a specialty catalog....BUT....Is it the same thing?

No, it is not! The grocery store brand, for less money, will not be as appealing to the birds. It is most always mixed with a lot of "filler" seeds. These "filler" seeds take up room in the bag and the birds find these kind of seeds undesirable. You know exactly what I mean. This is the birdseed you see on the ground after the birds have picked through it to find what they really want. The good birdseed is going to cost you a little more, but your birds will truly love you for it! And premium birdseed will actually give you more edible seed per pound than the other inexpensive seed mixes. Remember, you get what you pay for.

There are many kinds of birdseed to choose from, but a few basic types can satisfy the most finicky birds. Buying several varieties of seed in bulk and mixing them yourself can actually save you money, too.

Stay tuned please. Over the next few days Fred will let you know what kinds of birdseed attract what types of birds and why.

Feeding The Birds

Your success in attracting birds depends on how far you can fulfill their basic needs. Even if your yard does not contain the natural wealth of food, water or large trees, you can create these features for our feathered friends by providing birdfeeders, birdbaths and a birdhouse .

You do not need anything elaborate to feed the birds. Just a few pieces of crust thrown on the ground will do the trick. Of course, many use commercial feed as a food source for feeding the birds. Feeding the birds is a popular pastime and it is estimated that 85 million people in North America use birdfeeders or landscape their yards with certain plants to attract birds. Studies show that several birds including chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and woodpeckers can benefit from extra food supplies during the winter.

Just to give you an idea as to what birds may require for food, a blackcapped chickadee requires about 160 sunflower seeds each day and requires 250 seeds in a severe frost. Researchers have found that chickadees only take about a quarter of their food from feeders. In other words, the food we give them is a supplement to their natural diet, but is extremely valuable in very cold weather. When natural supplies are scarce, birdfeeders can make all the difference. The birds rely on this food to survive in temperatures zero degrees and below.


By perching quietly with their feathers fluffed out for extra insulation, birds can conserve energy too. They can can do this only as long as they have enough body fat to act as fuel though. Once this is used up they will either freeze or starve. Therefore, it cannot be stressed enough how important feeding the birds becomes in the cold winter months. Feeding in the summer can also be beneficial to birds. Raising a family is a tiring job. Some bird parents can make several hundred flights to the nest with food each day. Making it easy to find an additional food source for them can make their job less strenuous.

Most people get pleasure from the birds that come into the yard. For people who are confined indoors, backyard birdwatching can become a particular joy. A few minutes in the morning or evening can be a perfect way to forget about the tensions of the work day. Children can also enjoy and learn from the frequent visitors that come to the feeders.

DID YOU KNOW

Food from the feeder is not usually suitable for nestlings. The feeder is actually something like a fast food joint, where both parents can get a nourishing treat for themselves while collecting food for their young.

WINTER FOOD

It is often said that once you start to feed the birds in the winter, you should not stop until winter is over. The University of Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology has said putting food into feeders can make life for the birds that much easier and it is a valuable contribution to their survival in the hard winter, but no bird relies entirely on one source of food. In natural circumstances, birds have to adapt to changing food sources for their survival and this depends on how quickly they find new food supplies. There are times when birds may become dependent on bird feeders. In the spring, before their natural food is readily available or in unusual hard spells of weather, well stocked feeders are life savers.

SUMMER FEEDING

Many people stop feeding birds at the end of winter because they are afraid that they may temp migrants to stay behind, when in fact, birds may need the extra food to put on fat to be used for their juorney. Many of the birds that do not migrate will leave the suburbs for the country to nest. Those that do, turn to natural food and seem to ignore the feeders.

The yard cannot always be relied upon to be an adequate source of food. If you have coaxed the birds into nesting in one of your birdhouses, you should make sure that they have enough to eat. Many people are often afraid that the nestlings may be fed unsuitable food from a feeder, but in many bird species, the diet of the nestling differs from the adults. The parents can obtain their own requirements easily from the feeder, while finding the correct natural food for their offspring.