Quote:
Originally Posted by Carl in Tampa
Because of debilitating medical issues I have not put bird seed in two bird feeders in my yard for a couple of years. I'm improving now and this past week I reloaded one of the feeders. In just a few days I've attracted a recognizable Cardinal pair who visit my yard at about the same time every day.
Today I saw my first Blue Jay of the season.
There have been two or three squirrels foraging on the ground below the feeder. I expect that before too long one of the more enterprising among them will figure out how to beat the anti-squirrel feature and begin eating directly from the feeder. That's OK. It's entertainment.
I'm going to plant some Lantana and a Milkweed Butterfly Bush to try to bring in some butterflies and hummingbirds.
Bringing the yard to life with wildlife that I love to watch.
Tranquility.
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So glad to hear that you are doing better. We are avid bird watchers and have a feeder hanging under a big white crape myrtle which overhangs our patio. Go out there first thing every morning to put out the feeder and anything else I have for the birds and I can actually hear them waking up and start to make little chirping noises. I like to think they are nudging each other and saying "wonder what she has for us today?" One year we had a mouse, but a trap and a little cheese took care of that!
We also have a bird bath, but they dip their bits of bread of other stuff in the bird bath and it gets awful, we have to clean it every day - which is fine, rather do that than have no birds.
Just recently something really interesting happened - I have a couple of empty decorative flower pots sitting on the wall of my patio and the rain has filled them to the top. I was in my kitchen one morning and saw something bobbing up and down in one of the pots - a mocking bird was using it as a swimming pool and bathing itself. The other pot they drink from! So now every morning they get fresh water for a bath and to drink.
Yesterday was a really special day. Again I was at the kitchen sink and something made me look up right into the long beak of a Sandhill Crane looking in my kitchen window. Very slowly I moved into the sun room to see what was going on and he had his family with him - a wife and a chick. They slowly made their way around the patio picking up bits and pieces off the ground, and then equally slowly made their way over to the pots and drank from them, and then just wandered out into the yard and onto the golf course.
If you want birds don't forget to put out fresh water, they get hot too!