Subscribe Unsubscribe

One of my favorite times to re-fill the bird feeders is after the morning rush, when the larger birds have already had their fill. The yard is peaceful and serene as only the songbirds remain, eating what they can from the many smaller feeders that are left for them. Once I've re-filled all of the feeders, the song birds are always the first to return to them, often while I'm still out there, seemingly showing their trust in me as food provider. The tufted titmice or black-capped chickadees will begin by taking peanuts from the feeder that the blue jays usually use. After that, the finches return to the thistle and sunflower feeders along with the cardinals and eventually the mourning doves and other ground feeding birds. All of the songbirds will eat contentedly together at the newly filled feeders. This serenity lasts for only about twenty minutes until word gets out somehow and the blue jays and other large birds return to the backyard, but that twenty minutes is one of my favorite times of day. 
Backyard tip of the week: Try making some easy backyard treats for your feathered friends this holiday season. Begin by harvesting some pine cones from your yard if possible or maybe from a friend's yard. Grab some peanut butter and spoon it into all of the little crevices in the pine cone. Spread out your favorite bird seed on a pan or tray and roll the pine cones over the seed until you have enough stuck to the peanut butter. Tie a metal string or other hanger through the pine cone to complete your festive holiday bird treat. Hang it from a feeder or other good place in your yard. The birds are sure to love it!
Backyard sightings for last week: Including northern cardinals, dark-eyed juncos, and white-throated sparrows. Carolina wrens, eastern goldfinches, house finches, purple finches. Red-bellied and downy woodpeckers, white-breasted nuthatches, the tufted titmice, black-capped chickadees, blue-jays, mourning doves, American crows, a few European starlings, grey squirrels, and a sky full of blackbirds.
Cool sightings of the week: On Saturday when I was working at the computer, suddenly there was a loud ruckus outside the window and I looked up to find the backyard filled with what must've been a thousand or more common grackles and bronzed-headed cowbirds. They descended upon the feeders en masse and flew away in waves each time they were spooked for any reason, returning almost immediately to consume more seed. It was a little crazy and they only stayed for about twenty minutes, but watching waves of blackbirds float through the backyard last Saturday afternoon was very cool!
This has been The Backyard Report for December 12th. Heard on WDVR and brought to you by BackyardTV.com - Now Open! With backyard video, audio, photos, zen thoughts, The Backyard Report & more. And, the BackyardTV.com Online Store with many holiday gift ideas!
© 2008 BackyardTV.com