Nature's Bird Gardens

In 1980 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a landmark study (conducted by Aelred D. Geis) of bird food preferences. Black oil sunflower seeds were by far the most preferred type of birdseed and attracted the greatest number of bird species. 

I let too many volunteer sunflowers take over my kitchen garden this year...

 I don't have much of a vegetable harvest, 

but I do have a lot of free birdseed!

American Goldfinch ~ Tufted Titmouse

To get a few closer shots of the locals enjoying the harvest,

 I took a few fading sunflowers and offered them as a homegrown bird feeder.

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Nature Notes

Carolina Chickadee

A rare moment when this busy bird was sitting still...

“A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking,

 because her trust is not on the branch but on its wings. Always believe in yourself!”

~UNKNOWN

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The Summer Tanager

Last spring and into the summer months we had a odd looking bird visit the oranges I had put out for the migrating Orioles. It took me a while to ID this bird, but thanks to an almost identical photo on the Cornell's website (allaboutbirds.org) - I discovered it was an immature male Summer Tanager.

He was quite splotchy and looked as if he was going through a bad molt, but it was still fun to watch an uncommon bird (to me) visit a feeder.

This year I think that perhaps the same guy has returned to the orange feeders, but this year he was mature. - The only completely red bird in North America!


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Tufted Titmouse

“Gray day. Everything is gray. I watch. But nothing moves today.” ~ Dr. Suess

 ...Dr. Seuss must not have had these friendly (gray) backyard birds.

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Nature Notes

The European Starling

According to the Cornell website, all the European Starlings in North America descended from 100 birds set loose in New York's Central Park in the early 1890s. The birds were intentionally released by a group who wanted America to have all the birds that Shakespeare ever mentioned. It took several tries, but eventually the population took off.

At times I feel as if all the descendants are in my backyard...

Today more than 200 million European Starlings range from Alaska to Mexico. Although their feather patterns and colors are attractive, their huge flocks and competition with native birds make them among my least favorite backyard bird...

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Purple Finch vs House Finch

Here are two similar finches that are frequent visitors to my bird-feeders...
The Purple Finch is a native to North America and is described as a “sparrow dipped in raspberry juice.”

The House Finch - introduced to the states in the 1950s - lacks the overall red appearance of the Purple Finch.

Pretty easy to tell apart side-by-side - not always so easy when they're solo.

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Nature Notes

Red-tailed Hawk

Last year was the first time that I saw Bald Eagles less than a mile from my property. This winter I've enjoyed stalking them again... A few times a week I make loop a around the pond and river that they patrol. Last week I saw four one day, but only caught a distant photo of one. Fortunately -  I got a few close-up shots of an immature Red-tailed Hawk!

This young bird was missing the distinctive red tail of the older hawks, but it's still an impressive predator...

I also saw about 100 Canadian Geese grazing with the cattle. :)

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A bottle of red...

... and a couple of Carolina Chickadees! ♥

Want to make this feeder? Here's the link: DIY Glass Bottle Bird-Feeders

If you're not into "do it yourself" projects, I also sell them in my Etsy shop! ♥

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Woodpeckers: Hairy vs Downy

Here are two lookalikes that I have trouble telling apart until they're side-by-side. The Hairy Woodpecker is the larger of the twins with a much longer bill than the smaller version of the two, the Downy Woodpecker.

Downy vs Hairy

Recently I was lucky enough to get a perfect shot of the two together sharing a 

Giant Sugar Pinecone suet feeder. ♥

Hairy vs Downy

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DIY Giant Sugar Pinecone Suet Feeder

I've made winter bird-feeders by covering the pinecones from the White Pines of my property with suet for years. It makes a cheap - natural looking - suet feeder that can be reused several times. But... the ultimate pinecone suet feeder comes from loading a pinecone from a California Giant Sugar Pine!

Carolina Chickadee

If this isn't a native tree to your area, you can occasionally find these pinecones at craft or floral stores or (as I did) order them from ebay. Expect to pay around $4 - $6 per cone, but they hold-up well through several uses and it takes a couple of weeks for the birds to finish off all the suet these pinecones can hold.

Start with a basic suet recipe:

Suet Recipe
2 cups lard  ~ You can render your own suet from beef fat (it's an all day process), but I prefer purchasing lard, which is pork fat.
2 cups chunky peanut butter
Melt the lard and peanut butter together, then add:
6 cups cornmeal
1 cup flour
8 cups birdseed

Male Downy Woodpecker ~ Tufted Titmouse

Allow the mixture to cool until it slightly holds together. Wearing gloves - push the suet into one side of the pinecone then allow it to harden several minutes in the refrigerator. Add suet to the remaining side and return it to the fridge as before. Finish by pushing the remaining suet into the gaps and bottom of the pinecone. It takes almost the whole recipe to cover one 12" - 16" pinecone... I used what little suet I had left over to cover a couple of pinecones from my White Pine tress.

I used jute twine wrapped around the pinecone a couple of times near the top and again around the stem -  and double knotted. Then I made a loop in the jute for hanging.

Here's a few more ways to offer suet as a food source during the winter:
DIY Suet Feeders
DIY Suet Wreath

Female Red-bellied Woodpecker

Tufted Titmouse ~ Dark-eyed Junco

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Northern Mockingbird

Northern Mockingbird ~ A constantly singing songbird...

A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.

-Maya Angelou

The Dickcissel

Male Dickcissel

Since I've started taking notice of the birds surrounding my property - not just the ones that visit my bird-feeders - I've been amazed at the variety of species that occupy my rural Missouri backyard that I wasn't aware of before...

The Dickcissel is described by Audubon as a miniature meadowlark - which is what I thought I was photographing until I viewed the photos a little closer. It's a summer resident of the Midwest residing in open fields feeding on seeds and insects.

Female Dickcissel

DIY Fruit and Hummingbird Feeders

Earlier this year I conducted a class for the Master Gardener chapter that I'm a member of on making bird-feeders utilizing natural sources, recycled materials and re-purposed items. Of course the best bird-feeder is what nature provides: nuts, seeds and fruit from native trees, shrubs and wildflowers (and native insects)... Here's my hand-out for my "bird" talk I give:  Creating a Bird Garden

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Butterfly Bush

I love watching the hummingbirds eat from their favorite flowers around my property: Trumpet Vine, Cardinal Flower, Columbine...  But to get the up-close views of a hummer, nothing beats a strategically placed feeder. - And this one costs only about $5.00! :)

Supplies:

• Copper wire - 6 or 8 gauge. Available at Home Depot for less than a $1.00 per foot. 8 gauge is easier to bend, but I prefer the look of 6 gauge. - About 2 feet.
• Glass bottle. A wine bottle is too large - it won't hold the seal of the feeder adapter. Opt for a smaller glass water or beer bottle.
• Bling or emlishments. Something red will attract and entice the hummers. Small gauge wire -available at craft stores to attach the pendent, decoration, etc...
• Hummingbird feeder tubes. You can occasionally find these at pet stores or I sell them in my Etsy shop 2 for $4.00. Here's the link: Rebecca's Bird Gardens (Etsy Shop) 
• Wire cutters, needle-nosed pliers.

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird

How to:

Using the pliers (and a towel placed around the end of the wire to keep from scratching the copper), clamp the wire and bend a loop on one end. This gives you something to hold onto...  Start at the neck of the bottle and twist the wire around the bottle. Add another loop in the wire at the top of the bottle for hanging.

Add the embellishment and fill the bottle with a hummingbird nectar solution (1 part sugar dissolved in 4 parts water) - then add the feeder tube. Be sure to fill the bottle to the top with the solution - this creates a tight seal...

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird

DIY Fruit Feeders

• Spiral Fruit Feeder:  Copper Wire: 8 gauge wrapped around a rolling pin to create a "fruit cage" to hold oranges, apples, etc...
• S Hook Fruit Feeder: Small stick with a hole drilled in the center. Wrap 8 gauge copper wire through the drilled hole creating an "S" shape for hanging.
• Sheppard's Hook Fruit Feeder: Small stick with a hole drilled in the center. Push the drilled portion of the stick through the hook then simply add assorted fruit...

Immature Male Summer Tanager

If you don't have the time (or desire) to make your own glass bottle hummingbird feeder -
visit my Etsy shop - I usually have a few. ♥

I invite you to "like" my Facebook page to see all the Market happenings and my latest DIY projects! Click on this link:

Rebecca's Bird Gardens (Facebook)

DIY Summer Wreath Bird-Feeder

Earlier this year I conducted a class for the Master Gardener chapter that I'm a member of on making bird-feeders utilizing natural sources, recycled materials and re-purposed items. Of course the best bird-feeder is what nature provides: nuts, seeds and fruit from native trees, shrubs and wildflowers (and native insects)... Here's my hand-out for my "bird" talk I give: Creating a Bird Garden

Blue Jay

In the class, I demonstrated a winter version of this feeder utilizing cuttings from shrubs and trees (cedar, holly, winterberry, chokecherry). Now that the sunflowers and wildflowers are going to seed, I thought that I would put together a summer feeder in the same fashion. 

For the complete DIY instructions, click here: DIY Winter Wreath Bird-Feeder

Supplies:

• Grapevine wreath - $2.50 (Wal-Mart)
• Splatter guard - $1.00 (Dollar Store)
• Jute (minimal cost)
• Cuttings from sunflowers, wildflowers, native grasses

How to:

Cut three pieces of jute about 50" in length. Divide the splatter guard into thirds. Make three small holes through the screen and connect the splatter guard to the wreath with the jute (the screen will hold birdseed in the finished feeder). I did end up spray painting the edge of the splatter guard brown because the shiny silver was annoyingly obvious. 

Bring the three strings up and tie into a loop. Braid the remaining string and tie another loop (which will hold the birdseed ♥).

Tuck cuttings from sunflowers and native wildflowers into the wreath. In addition to sunflower heads, I used Ashy Sunflowers, False Sunflowers, Coneflowers and Black-eyed Susans.

Tufted Titmouse

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse ~ Carolina Chickadee

I also added a birdseed heart in the center of the feeder. - Here's the recipe: DIY Birdseed Wreaths
Add birdseed to the center of the feeder (on top of the splatter guard).

It seems to be a hit with my feathered visitors! ~ I'll have to come up with a fall version next. :)

Bluebirds 2013

This is the second year I've had Bluebirds nest in one of my older green-roof birdhouses! We loved watching the couple work together to feed the young birds until they eventually fledged. Hopefully next year the parents or their offspring will return to one of the increasing number of bluebird houses I'm accumulating at my property!

Fledglings!