Birds and squirrels

[mafdet]

I moved into this house in 2011, after my mom died. Before that I was living in a condo in an adjoining small city/suburb. There, I was feeding birds (and squirrels!) on my deck, and here I feed them in my backyard

Comments

[valis2]

hee! Dany is such a regal kitteh. ;)

[pondhopper]

I miss squirrels as we have none here in southern Spain. Lots of birds, though. But feeding the birds here is not a custom as our seasons allow for abundant natural food all the time. I saw a Eurasian Hoopoe the other day, a rare visitor who migrates through here.

[mafdet]

"Hoopoe!" Hehe! That really does sound like a Harry Potter-verse name!

[cionaudha]

For me, Hoopoes will always be associated with Stephen Maturin, from Master and Commander. :-)

[pondhopper]

Hee! I love the name Hoopoe and it's even fun to say.
:D

[alkari]

I'm sure you are right about the benefits of fountains and the landscaping near your previous condo. We tend to forget the importance of water, especially ponds and fountains that are sheltered by low-growing nearby bushes. And of course, birds love nice ladies that put out ready-to-eat buffets for them - as well as kind humans who provide 'permanent' water even in dry spells! Let's face it - would you rather splash around and cool off in a nice clean fountain, or some muddy puddle that dries up all too quickly, LOL. If you've already got a good variety of shrubs and trees in you garden, maybe you need to instal a small pool/fountain for bird splashing? Watching that would definitely provide many hours of feline entertainment :)

And yes, I will always associate you with squirrels too!

[mafdet]

I agree that a fountain would be a wonderful addition to the yard. I am not sure where I could put it - the yard is due for major, major maintenance. I know that any fountain WILL get used by raccoons as well. Around here, people who don't cover their koi or goldfish ponds at night often find them emptied in the morning. Raccoons LOVE us because our yards, fish ponds, pet food bowls and garbage cans feed them!

[alkari]

If a fountain is too much work at this stage, why not just one or two bird baths, which are quite cheap and can be moved around later? No koi or goldfish, but plenty of fun for birds to drink and splash around in. All you have to do is top them up every couple of days in hot weather.

We don't have raccoons here, but many people with fishponds have to put wire netting over them to combat the kookaburras.

[in_the_blue]

We have three bird baths in our tiny yard and they all get used. When the raccoons see fit to leave it alone, our suet attracts some mighty fine warblers, kinglets, and woodpeckers in addition to the usual suspects. We have scrub and Steller's jays, both, and a sharp-shinned hawk that likes to sit on our fence and eye the house finches at one of the feeders. When he's not there, the mourning doves like to hang out and wait their turn.

The Anna's hummingbirds are nonstop menaces. It took them about three minutes to find my feeders, so now I'm dedicated to feeding them fresh nectar every three days or so. My cats watch from the kitchen window, and every now and again I see a neighbor cat in the yard, but he doesn't stay too long.

[mafdet]

I cannot remember where I read this, but supposedly Anna's hummingbirds are increasing in numbers because of all the hummingbird feeders. Whenever I've had hummingbird feeders, I notice that the Anna's do tend to bully everyone else away! The males are so pretty, though.

Back in PH I had a Cooper's who would hang around and eye the delicious birdies on my deck. I once found her cornering a terrified squirrel behind a flower pot! (This is how I figured out she was a Cooper's and a female; sharpies usually aren't big enough to go after squirrels, nor are Cooper's males, but the female Cooper's can get pretty big and they DO go after small rodents during nesting season.)

You have so many awesome birdies! And yes, the raccoons will move in. So will skunks and possums. One story here made the rounds - some man called the cops complaining that "someone" kept digging up his lawn at night. The culprits were raccoons and skunks looking for grubs.

P.S. Let me know which works best for you - February 9, 15 or 16 for crepes and kitty pics!

[in_the_blue]

I'm used to the aggressive Anna's, we had them (and rufous) up north. The ones here are hungry enough to perch on the feeder when the thing is still in my hand on the way out the door. I've had that happen more than once. In my yard the females tend to rule, they're kind of ruthless (and adorable). Supposedly we have black-chinned here too. If they'd sit still long enough, I'd be able to tell.

There's a Townsend's warbler frequenting my suet. I just switched to a different brand (because I ran out of the stuff I brought with me from Oregon) so we'll see who that attracts. I know we have skunks and raccoons, and a lot of deer (the former owner apparently said raccoons and deer were the bane of her existence). I don't mind either.

You want to do February 9? I'm okay with any of those dates, but why not the soonest date? We'll finally get to meet!

[mafdet]

February 9 it is! Would 8:45 or 9 AM be too early? I'm a morning person and I want to at least TRY to avoid the crowds (though Crepevine is always pretty crowded...).

[kit_the_brave]

I just have to say that I would totally eat a peanut and cranberry wreath. In fact, it kind of sounds like a Christmas cookie recipe in Better Homes and Gardens.

Maybe I should fix dinner now... :D