They're Back

Squirrels love bird feeders.

We have had a bird feeder at our house for years and years. While we have never reached the number of visitors we had at our old house, we have enjoyed watching our feathered friends here.

However, the last three years have seen an unwelcome trend. Late summer, the birds stop showing up and stay away until spring. This includes all of the birds that don't migrate. It's as if the bird community has a meeting and says that they are done with our feeder and move on to other things. We still see plenty of birds around, just not at our feeder. I asked Aunt Martha, my bird expert, for insight, and she said maybe the neighbors had put up more feeders. 

When it happened again this year, we did our standard. We cleaned the feeder and filled it with fresh food. No takers. After a couple of months, we moved the feeder to the back. No takers. We bought expensive food. No takers. 

Red-bellied woodpecker

Tufted titmouse

Until this week. I guess the birds had another meeting and decided it was okay to return to our feeder because we have seen finches, juncos, Carolina wrens, tufted titmouse, chickadees, sparrows, cardinals, and a red-bellied woodpecker. 

Male and female cardinal

It's all a mystery to me, especially how they all seemed to leave and return at the same time. But for whatever reason, I am glad they are back. 

Caroline wren

Until next time...

Note: All of the pictures are from years past. Our newly arrived birds are too skittish for me to get close enough for a picture.

All God's Creatures

Well, actually just a few of them that I see in my yard.

This is the latest addition to our bird feeder. Cute, but very piggy. The ironic thing is that my neighbor loves chipmunks and puts food out for them, but he has only visited her once.

We used to think that this squirrel could empty the feeder pretty fast until the chipmunk showed up.

This male finch is one of the intended visitors to the feeder.

For a couple of weeks this juvenile mourning dove lived under the feeder. 

This was the last day in the nest for these baby robins.

A house wren makes a nest in this box every year. Sometimes it's a decoy nest and sometimes it gets eggs and babies like this year.

Birds aren't the only things hatching these days. This baby praying mantis I found on my porch was only about 3/8"  (~ 1 cm) long.

Bumble bee on bachelor's button. The number of bees seems to be down this year. That may have something to do with the hard freeze we had in May.

I don't have any pictures to show you of the rabbits that are enjoying our peas or the deer that are eating our tomatoes. Maybe next time.

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.

Thankful Sunday--July 5, 2015

I am thankful for the bird feeder baffle.

We spent a long time trying to outsmart the squirrels from getting into the bird feeder with no success. Finally, this baffle seemed to do the trick. Oh, occasionally they get past it, but mostly they are baffled. :) Now the poor squirrels have to eat the abundant acorns, walnuts, and berries in the yard, as well as the dropped seeds below the feeder. But I guess to the squirrel, the seeds are always tastier when they come from the feeder. :)

Squirrel update

As you may know, we have been waging a war trying to keep the squirrels off of our bird feeder. Here is a reminder and update of our trials.

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First, there was the "squirrel proof" bird feeder with its weight sensitive lever.

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Next, there were more squirrels using the bird feeder than there were actual birds as the squirrels figured out how to balance on the pole to eat and not trip the lever.

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Then there was the bowl that was supposed to stop the squirrels from reaching the feeder. It made a nice seat for them.

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After a few days, they just pushed it out of the way and it became an umbrella to protect them from the rain and sun.

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Next, there was the Slinky that was supposed to stop them from climbing the pole. They unlatched one end of it and used it as a dining chair after they climbed up the pole with no problem.

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Then there was the new metal baffle that actually baffled them. They fixed the problem of not being able to climb around it by chewing the cable tie that was holding the feeder pole and stabilizing pole together.

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This produced desired results. They didn't have to worry about climbing or going around the baffle at all.

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Presently, the pole has been fixed and the squirrel has not made it past the new baffle cone. However, it's just a matter of time, I'm afraid, until they figure this one out. That's what happens when you put brains, agility, and cravings into one animal.

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I'll never understand why they just can't be satisfied with the peanuts we put out?

Second Look--October 12, 2011

This week during a Second Look, I continue to see changes. See what I found.

The farm behind me has added some new cattle

There seems to be a different looking mushroom every week.

Oak tree leaves that are starting to turn red instead of straight to brown.

Wild cherry tree that is starting to change.

Sweet gum tree that is in its peak of color.

Notice how this maple tree started losing its leaves from the top.

Like the leaves, the squirrel is getting redder this fall.

A Second Look,-- August 24, 2011

This week during a Second Look around the yard, I found these things blooming.

Hosta

Marigolds

Four stages of a zinnia bloom

Sage

Geranium

Impatiens

Hydrangea, Endless Summer

AND

We're still fighting our squirrel wars. (photo by Theodore)

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.