Posted on 02/12/2005 9:27:14 AM PST by sweetliberty
With Spring just around the corner, at least here in the southeast, it's time to think about spending more time outdoors and making our yards and porches more pleasant places to be. FReepers have such a wide variety of interests and talents, I thought it might be fun and educational to do a thread for bird and garden enthusiasts. I see a fair amount of discussion on some of the threads about gardening and landscaping, but not too much that is specific to gardening for the birds.
I've pretty much always had a bird feeder or two around, and that number has grown since I moved into a place last summer that has a big yard. I have a fair variety of birds and I have begun to think about developing it specifically to attract more species, not only for the enjoyment of watching the birds, but also to control natural pests that are prevalent in this part of the country, without resorting to pesticides. I know that the right combination of flora can discourage certain pests and also attract birds that will help keep the pest population down. I would love to hear from FReepers who are experienced at creating such a balance. I think it would also be fun to have a place to share our experiences as we develop them. I know there's lots of links out there with useful information and I make use of them from time to time, but it's just not the same as having discussions on a forum where we have experts on everything. And I don't know of any place else on the web so animated by wit, along with wisdom, on just about any topic.
Oh, OK. Thanks.
It's the only one I've noticed that flies that way, but I have only recently started looking for birds. It's been fun:)
Becky
Squirrels are funny. They aren't suppose to like that stuff. I brought the upside down feeder and attached it directly to the tree hoping to make it more difficult. They can do it. I catch them nibbling. I put food on the ground for them so they should be satisfied, right?. I see them out eating the suet and now I just open the door and scold them, say hey and they run down. Sometimes they run behind the hedge wait a minute and come back and eat on the ground. I think they are trying to pass themselves off as a different squirrel. LOL
I brought a caged suet feeder. It is round cage and has the suet in the middle. The squirrels cannot get in it at all. . I see mostly Downey in that one but occasional will see a Flicker.
Perhaps I should plant a mulberry tree.
I pretty much gave up too trying to keep them out of the feeders. Hey their entitled too:)
Becky
Thanks for the thread.
Good luck with the gardening. BTW, I have tons of Cedar Waxwings presently and not a single berry bearing tree in my yard. Go figure. I think they're beautiful birds and look forward to them every winter. They'll be heading northwestward in a few weeks to the mountain states to breed.
The only birds I get that are kindof neat are a large flock of doves every morning, feeding off the ground. When I open the door, they flush in a flurry of sound and feathers, expecting the dogs to come bursting out.
Please add me to your ping list. I love watching the birds. Great idea, thanks.
I have a pair (I guess I really don't know if it's the same ones or not, I just think they are) of snow geese that fly over the house every year starting around this time. They showed up again this week. Spring is on the way.
I love hearing them go over honking.
Becky
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Pialited woodpeckers are really awesome.
We also had some Mississippie Kites show up here 2 years ago. They are very large birds, and very pretty. I thought at first I was seeing young bald eagles, because of the while head. In the book I have Kites and eagles are the only large bird I could find that had white heads, and the book showed kites not in this area. I heard just a few days later after seeing them for the first time that they have been seen here. They have come back for the last 2 years.
I think the dead trees in my pasture is what is attracting these different birds. I'd like to take those trees out, but I hate not seeing the birds too:)
Becky
Cedar Waxwings like a tree called "Service Berry." It is a multi-trunk tree and the berries are sweet. (The tree does shoot sucker shoots but I just clip them off). I have seen Waxwings between two 7-story buildings not more than 30 feet apart, feeding on these berries. I planted two of them and the following spring I had my first waxwings. They seem to travel in groups. I was thrilled. Looking for them again this year.
We have a very rocky soil. I don't really know what thrives best in this area and what not to attempt. I guess I will learn through a combination of research and experimentation.
We have a woodpecker here... the red-headed ones with the black and white wings... not sure what kind that is?
Are they pretty small, mostly black?
Becky
Not this... this is your Pileated.
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