Building a Bird Feeder

J and I made some bird feeders.  I found the idea on Pinterest and thought it looked simple and was a good way to use up orange or grapefruit rinds.  

I mistakenly thought I had some wild bird seed, but only had thistle, so that's what we used to fill these up the first time.  

While I hung the feeders, J enjoyed adding a few things to his "treasure chest."  He's allowed to put anything in there he wants....as long as it's not a living creature. 

Hmmmmmmmmm

I have seen a few hummingbirds this year.  I have a total of four feeders---2 large and 2 small---and I need to keep them filled.  Love when they buzz right by my head.  :) 

Pinecone bird feeders

In November, J and I made pine cone bird feeders.  I just happened to find the project listed at an online kids' site, and J's mommy had told me he had been wanting to do this same thing since he saw Agent Oso do it on his show.

First step was to collect the pine cones.  We had a pine tree that fell along the edge of the woods a couple months ago, so there were plenty of pine cones to be found.

J decided 5 was enough.  I think he was tired of his hands being pricked through his gloves. 

The next step is to smear peanut butter all over the pine cone,

which takes a lot of concentration of course.  lol

Next you roll the pine cones in birdseed.

You might get messy, but that is half the fun!!

Then you tie some twine around the end. He was SO PROUD of what he made.  This was the most excited I saw him get over a project. 

Then we tied them around tree branches and near the bird feeder.  On the way back in he said "This was so much fun!! " We checked the next day and it appeared the birds had been nibbling.

Birds Don't Share

One little bird resting,

 and enjoying his bath.

 Just taking it all in.

Until the bluebird decided he wanted the space.

And the little one flew off.

 Because apparently the bluebird just needed a nice concretey place to sit.  No bath was taken, no drinking ensued.  In the words of the illustrious Michelle Tanner, "How rude!"

Feathered friends

I've noticed a big increase in the visibility of birds in our backyard lately.  We have a fairly bird-friendly backyard I like to think, with a bird bath, wild bird seed, and a hummingbird feeder.  And of course---BUGS. 

We've had plenty of Eastern bluebirds.

The hummingbirds have been enjoying the nature-made nectar from the cannas (and buzzing Mr. GV's head when he is wearing his bright yellow bike jersey-lol), but they also like the woman-made nectar I put out.  We have two that I have seen, both either female or juvenile (no red band around the neck.)  I imagine they will be heading south soon, so I will load them up with energy as long as they stick around. 

We *finally* refilled the finch feeder.  We had the thistle and we had the feeder.  It was just a matter of cleaning the thing and getting the socks set up.  The elastic wears out over time and of course you can buy new ones, but why do that when a rubber band works just as well?  They are holding up well, with very heavy amounts of thistle bearing down on them.  The finches took about a day to find the feeder, and since then they feed regularly.

Apparently the Eastern bluebirds like to bathe solo.  One takes off as another one prepares to land.

Red-bellied woodpecker

During one of our snowfalls in January, I spotted a red-bellied woodpecker in our backyard. We hear woodpeckers when we sit outside on the deck, but don't spot them too often. I was calling this one a red-headed woodpecker, but did my research to double check and found I was mistaken. The red-headed one looks like good ol' Woody Woodpecker. The red-bellied one has a tuft of red on its belly but you rarely get a glimpse of it.

I realize the pictures aren't that great, but it was so grey outside that day, and I had to shoot from right inside the door. Whenever I opened it up, the woodpecker of course flew away.

Front porch guests

A few weeks ago I posted a picture like this, to show our elusive front porch visitor. I looked at that nest often, hoping a bird would show up. What a thing of beauty that nest is.





One morning I peeked through the dining room window and saw this:




And a few days later I was delighted to see this:

Then this:

And best of all this---four lil' birds!

Gabby was happy to see them too.....she is watching mama, who at the time was off the nest.

At this point, the nest was starting to look a little bit crowded. I saw mama (or I suppose it could be papa, as I saw the pair together a lot) bringing them food, but at this point I never caught her sitting on the nest.

A few days later, they were gone. Hope I have more front porch guests next year!