Our Fine Feathered Friends

We have had a birdfeeder outside our kitchen window for about six months now. It took a couple of months for a few birds to find it. And a couple of more months for the variety of birds to increase beyond the ever-present house finches. And recently, we finally got close enough to take a few pictures. Watching this feeder and other birds around is one of the best parts about spending extra time at home.

Male downy woodpecker

Female downy woodpecker

Chipping sparrow

Mockingbird with wind-ruffled feathers

Female house finch getting ready for takeoff

Red-bellied woodpecker

Male house finch

Female cardinal and male house finch

Bird's that slid down the drain spout. It took a while to get the bird and the nest out. The top now has a screen on it to prevent this happening again. We hope.

That bird, which I think is a finch, may have then moved to a nearby bluebird box. When I went to remove the extra nest to give the bluebirds a chance, there were already babies in it. Use your imagination when you look at the fuzzy red and yellow colors in the middle of the picture. Those are newly hatched birds, however, I was not able to see them well and neither was the camera.

And what feeder would be complete without our large furry friend.

Until next time... when hopefully a few more fine feathered friends have stayed still enough for us to get a picture.

Be Careful What You Ask For

The feeders are just an easy climb up the branch
and a little jump for the squirrels now.

Aunt Martha and Uncle Billy have a very nice feeder set up for the birds in their yard. They have things for big birds, little birds, seed eaters, and insect eaters. The have lower perches and higher perches and during the summer they grow flowers under the feeders that attract birds. The birds appreciate their efforts as seen by the many of them that frequent there each day. In fact when I visit Aunt Martha, I often have a hard time concentrating on the business at hand because I am distracted by watching all of the birds. If we have something important to discuss, she makes me sit with my back to the feeder.

So when I found out Uncle Billy had drawn my name for Christmas, I asked for a branch to be installed close to my feeder like they have at theirs. I hoped that would be the first of several additions I had planned to my set up. And on Christmas Eve, it magically appeared.

As I had hoped, the birds flocked to it. Yeah! However, what I had forgotten to calculate into the equation was that we had just added a convenient way for the squirrels to get to the feeder. How soon I had forgotten that we had worked so hard on a setup to keep the squirrels out of the bird feeder. This included placing the feeder at a distance far enough from the trees so the squirrels couldn't easily jump from one of them onto the it.

 I'm not sure what to do now. The birds are enjoying the new branch, but not as much as the squirrels are. And if truth be told, the squirrels are pretty fun to watch. However, the birds don't come around so much when they're there. And it's pretty expensive to feed a squirrel as much suet as it wants to eat.

So for now, as we consider the next move, we're enjoying both the squirrels and the birds, And we're looking for sales on bird food. :)

Here are a few pictures of the squirrels with their new-found treat.

Clever Squirrel

Anyone who has watched squirrels, especially around a bird feeder, knows that they are very clever animals. We have been finding this out first hand.

It all started when we got Ward a bird feeder for his birthday. We carefully picked out a "squirrel proof" feeder with advice from Aunt Martha, our bird expert. However, it didn't take long until the squirrels had bypassed the weight sensitive lever on the feeder and were eating to their heart's content.

We enjoyed their antics for a while, but soon tired of feeding them the expensive bird seed we had put out for the birds. We have many oak and walnut trees in our yard providing ample tasty food for the squirrels, but they seem to only want the store-bought stuff.

Last week, Ward and Wally put up a new barrier for the squirrels in the form of an upside down bowl that others had said should thwart them. However, that only slowed them down for a day or so. They are back eating to their hearts content and looking fatter than ever.

I'd like to say, "When you can't beat them, join them" and that we are giving in. But we're not. We are going to win this battle (at least in our dreams.) In the meantime, I will be flattered if someone calls me a "Squirrel Brain."

Look at the Clever Squirrel's Antics Below.

Ward's new bird feeder before the birds or squirrels had visited it.

Mr. Squirrel having a leisurely afternoon snack on the new feeder.

 

The first day the bowl is up. Notice the squirrel climbing the pole like usual.

It wasn't long until he learned to jump out from under the bowl to the feeder.

The bowl wobbled a bit, but he enjoyed his seeds.

He followed the seeds with some hearty suet.

He finished up with one our juicy tomatoes.

After his meal, he had a nice after-dinner drink.

The next day we found the bowl moved out of the way. No more of this wobbling while he was eating.