Backyard tip of the week: Last week we covered the benefits of a heater for your bird bath or water feature. Just a little something to help keep the birds going through the winter. A friend told me afterward of her expense using an electric heater last year and of her own solution of using hot water to keep her bird bath unfrozen. You may consider this as perhaps a more cost efficient alternative to using a heater. I would caution the use of very hot water near any birds or animals, but I'd also suggest that birds are probably smart enough to keep themselves out of hot water. Besides, any water will cool off quickly on a cold day. So, try the hot water or try a heater, depending upon your needs. Just remember, when using an electric heater, be sure to use a timer or thermostat to keep it from running unnecessarily. 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, grey squirrels, and some deer.
Cool sightings of the week: Twenty-two Canada geese were counted flying over the backyard last Saturday evening at sunset. They were heading east in the direction of Spruce Run Reservoir. Also seen flying with the geese were many sea-gulls or ring-necked gulls, and probably a few odd ones mixed in as there were many hundreds of them! Some chose to follow along with the geese while many chose to lag behind and join the group as the gulls made large circles climbing higher with each turn as the sailed on the thermal updraft coming off the mountain in the last moments of daylight. It was very cool!