Category: Birds

Looking out

The male cardinal is looking out for the female who was eating.

I often catch the males guarding the females. Around here I think its from the hawks who love easy prey.

I have found most the birds around here like the open feeders.

I have one closed feeder the titmouse, sparrows and woodpeckers like its a house type with plexiglass.

I have 12 bird feeders spread across our yard area which is one acre. I generally feed a few times a week and the rest of the time they are on their own. We have lots of plants and trees that produce bird friendly berries or fruit.

Nature gives us the presence of her beauty and requires so little from us. Appreciate the little things because their beauty is all around us.

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The mulberry bandits

Once you hear the song of the cedar waxwing you know they are back.

They are here for one reason and one reason only that is to eat the mulberries right off the tree. They fly in groups of 20 – 30 and go to town all the while wearing their mask and filling up on berries.

We have 4 of the purple mulberry trees and one white tree but the purple are so much better. The largest purple tree is our biggest producer and I was hoping to make some jelly this year.

I think they are beautiful birds and I love to hear them but we really enjoyed picking the mulberries last year with the grandkids. They would run for the trees the minute they drove up so they could eat some berries.

Purple stained hands and lips and lots of giggles to go around. These are the moments that make life so precious.

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Red-winged blackbird

The red – winged blackbirds are most often seen in groups.

I think they are a pretty bird and do not mind them at my bird feeders but they do eat a lot and can clean out a bird feeder really quick.

Often times the males are seen bowing up at each other trying to decide whos the boss.

Natures beauty is always around even during the wintertime.

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Brown-Headed Cowbirds

I went outside a little while ago to feed the birds since its getting so cold here.

First to arrive was a group of brown headed cowbirds which are not my favorite because they normally will eat all the seed and leave.

Lucky for the red birds and blue jays there were left overs. I saw the chickadees, and the wrens and even squirly everyone was glad I put out food.

Remember to feed the wildlife this cold weather is hard on them to.

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Making suet for the birds

I wanted to make my own suet just because I have never done it before.

All you need is:

Lard 1/2 cup per suet cake

Bird Seed we had chicken scratch its a good mix

Black Oiled Sunflower Seeds

Oatmeal

Cornmeal

You could cut up some apple in small pieces and add it if you want to.

I used a round meal prep container for a mold but anything plastic would work out great.

We had to buy some lard I have never bought it before everything else we had.

Melting the lard in the meal prep container in the microwave took about 45 seconds but I stirred it a few times.

As far as the quantities of the dry ingredients I just guessed it but used more sunflower seeds.

Combine dry ingredients in a container for mixing then add to the lard stir until all is moistened compact it down with a spoon and freeze.

That is all there is to it.

My Suet holders are HUGE and I guess if you wanted to you could find a deep square container to use for this. Suet spoils in our heat so I figured smaller was better.

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Chickadee

These little chickadees love this new food I ordered from Chewy.

C & S Bluebird Nuggets Wild Bird Food it was a 8# box for $9.77.

I was hoping to attract the bluebirds to eat it but the chickadees love it too. I just filled it back up again this morning.

We currently have 2 feeders in the front yard, 3 on the side, and 4 in the backyard. I mix chicken scratch and black oiled sunflower seeds for the feeders. It is important to use different types of feeders to attract more kinds of birds.

The joy of watching the birds and squirrels at the feeders brings nature into our backyard and I get to photograph it in return. It is a win-win situation for us all. LIFE IS GOOD!

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Sunflower morning

We mix chicken scratch and black oiled sunflower seeds together to feed the birds in our area.

We have all kinds of birds, blue jays, bluebirds, red birds, mockingbirds, woodpeckers, dove, chickadees, wrens, house sparrows, brown head cowbirds, black birds,  black bellied whistling ducks, hawks, buzzards, grackles, crows, & ravens then we have quite a variety of seasonal birds that hibernate in our area for the winter.

This beautiful sunflower glistens in the morning light on the back fence line as it reaches for the morning sun.

There were two bird nest one wren and one house sparrow in my hanging baskets off the back porch. One had baby birds the other had eggs and I did not get pics of either one because birds fledge so fast 12 – 15 days from eggs to flight.

When the bird’s plant seeds for us I think it’s their way of saying thank you for feeding them.

sunflower1

 

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Happy Fathers Day

Happy Fathers Day to all you dads out there including my oldest son and my husband.

My dad had a very big impact on my life but most of all he truly believed in me.

The wildlife in my yard reminds me of my dad because we both loved wildlife and nature. We loved feeding the wildlife in our yards.

He is always near and dear to my heart and will never be forgotten. I love you Dad.

 

 

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Orioles in the mulberries

I kept seeing a flash of yellow/gold and I could not figure out what kind of bird it was I was seeing.

Finally, after a closer look, I realized it was Orioles I have only ever seen 1 here before.

This is the first year they have invaded the mulberry tree. The mulberries have been getting picked for about 5 weeks and they showed up this week.

Normally it is the Cedar Waxwings that invade our tree in very large numbers. This year it was the Orioles in groups of 15 or so.

I was able to capture a few pictures but they are camera shy. They really are a bright-colored bird.

Nature is always putting on a show you just have to be in the right place at the right time.

Oriole1Oriole2

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A couple of cardinals

I was walking around our backyard on one of my nature walks looking for something interesting to take a picture of.

You can always hear the chirp of a cardinal before you see them. Along came this male and female cardinal and they posed for me.

Life is full of color right outside in our own backyards. Nature and the wildlife never let us down they are always putting on a show.

 

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