Mid-January, and the supply of natural food is dwindling for the birds. Last week’s extended sub-freezing weather made the foraging even tougher, so it was time to get out the feeders.
I don’t start feeding until the berries are gone and the ground is frozen, for several reasons. First and foremost, is that the longer the feeders are up and the seed scattered around, the more chance there is of attracting Other Things Than Birds…
Rats and mice, squirrels, raccoons…Some are fun to watch (some aren’t), but I don’t want any of them associating my house and vegetable garden with dinner.
Oh, and the coyotes are happy eating birdseed, too. AND catching the little critters it attracts.
We don’t have bears on the island, but that can be a concern in inland spots.
While the smaller birds are feasting happily around the back porch, we toss our Distraction Food up by the wall. Dry corn, peanuts, seeds…it keeps the squirrels and the bigger birds from cleaning out the feeders.
Gives Angel something else to carry in a bucket, too.
She won’t be out-of-practice when Berry Season comes back around.
I feel guilty saying this but I don’t feed the birds because of the attraction to other critters. We are over run with chipmunks and squirrels and have had to even take out our strawberry beds because they were all going to the critters. I love your helper – wonderful picture.
No reason to feel guilty, Judy – I’ll bet there are plenty of feeders (as well as wild food) nearby. Chipmunks and ground squirrels arn’t a big problem here, but we’ve seen Norway rats the size of small dogs…I’d rather they didn’t come any closer than the old stone wall…
You have red cardinals in your garden – that’s a bird I’ve wanted to see since I was little! I think I read about them in a book, and it must have made an big impression.
Isn’t it funny, how a bird I see every day is so special to someone from another country? I felt the same way the first time I saw a live hedgehog while I was in France.
I like your idea of distraction food…very clever.
It works for a few weeks, as long as the Big Food doesn’t run dry. Then, they’re on the porch…
Some really great bird shots, Marie. Our resident cardinal showed up last week, too. I see Angel has her own bucket list, although hers consists of things to do with a bucket — and this is as it should be.
I’m going to have to find her a new bucket, I’m afraid. That one’s about to rust-through.
My, but you get the prettiest little birds! I love the shots of the cardinal and the corn, with the bright colors against the winter.
Thanks, Janine! My mom always fed the birds when I was a kid back in Oklahoma…I just can’t give it up.
If you feed them, they will pose…
I got the idea to feed the birds because Grams always did. I learned SO much from her. I guess the first thing was that anyone who comes in the door can eat, and no matter who shows up at bedtime can spend the night, as long as there was floor space and quilts. Great lady, your Grams!!
Great philosophy, too…Thanks, Mom.
Fabulous – that red cardinal is gorgeous, I’ve never seen one in the flesh (or should that be “in the feather”)!
I was surprised when I saw how well that shot turned out…if you look below him, you might see his lady bird on another branch in the thicket.
Lovely pictures – we don’t get cardinals here. They are beautiful birds. Love Angel’s hat!
She told me that she wasn’t a girl, she was a bunny, and I had to call her “Bunny”..
Not likely.
I’m hoping that the cardinal and his lady bird (she’s below him in the thicket) will come in closer sometime soon.
That first photo is a keeper! You could make cards with it. I love the bucket child…I just KNOW she delights in her ‘job’. Of course, then she will get older….and well you know the rest of the story. Enjoy now…now is always perfect!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
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“Now is Always Perfect”.
I’m going to write that in six-inch high letters over my office door
What beautiful photography. I love watching wildlife in the winter. There is something about the stillness in the air and the fact that their are no leaves on the trees that really makes for a serene landscape. Then, whenever I see the tiny bit of motion from a critter or a flash of red from a cardinal it always brings a smile to my face. Thanks for sharing.
Oh, thanks so much…I’m happy to share.
Thank YOU for leaving a comment, so I could see your lovely blog, too. Great photos!
Love, love, love birds. I’m jealous of your cardinals – we RARELY get them here, though they get them in the Twin Cities – just 3 hours north – all the time. So gorgeous!
Isn’t that odd? My dad used to say the same thing when he lived in Ft. Worth – he saw them everywhere but his house!
Glad you liked the photos!
I like the wildlife in the last photo, haha. It is looking really cold there. I love the red bird and the way it stands out in that first photo.
She’s my favorite Wild Thing, too
Hasn’t been TOO cold, but that’s about to change!