Enjoying the

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Our first visitor was a hummingbird. Their exploits are recorded in the article about hummers.

I read everything I could find about attracting wild birds to ones yard. Some books have much more useful knowledge than others so, I became a collector of information. There were lots of cardinals in the area, flying along the roads we traveled and we wanted them to visit our place. The areas of low growth and low hanging branches are necessary to give protective cover to the birds as they come out for seeds and water. We also have hawks and have watched as they kill cardinal and blue jays. The male cardinals are the bright red color to attract the predator and protect the plain colored female. It is important to have different heights of cover; low branches or shrubs but not so thick as to where you cannot walk through to change the water or clean the water pan. A medium and tall cover to keep the large predator hawks from being able to fly through the area.

With a large table outside the living room window, we were delighted to watch as the cardinal parents brought their babies to learn to eat seeds during the spring. The baby cardinals have a dark beak not orange like the parent. The entire area is shaded and protected by many large trees. We�d started out with a suction cup-type little tray on the window but that created fights that pulled the whole thing off and onto the ground. A 3- foot by 4-foot table made from scraps on hand, was built at window level where the birds could have more space and we could watch from indoors. They still fight for space but I put seeds in several bowls and scatter other seeds. There are several other feeders within the 15 square foot area to keep fighting to a minimum.

We quickly learned to visit the feed store and buy wild birdseed mix and the black sunflower seed in the 50-pound bag. Safflower, nettle and shelled sunflower seeds, we find in 5-pound bags. The seeds are all stored in large metal trashcans with tight lids (raccoons will eat it all if they can get into it.) When the lid isn�t a tight fit, find a good-sized rock or brick to keep the lid secure. The handles on the lids aren�t usually watertight so they must be tested and patched to prevent leaking; wet seeds will sprout and spoil. Some people think squirrels are just the cutest little things. Truth is they are rodents with fuzzy tails. They are nasty and mark their territory with a fluid that looks really bad. I put the shelled sunflower seeds on the window table in an effort to keep the squirrels out of it. I put chicken scratch in the feeder the greatest distance from the house in another effort to keep the squirrels away! I�d read that red pepper would keep squirrels out of your seeds. Wrong! It doesn�t work and now I have a jar of pepper I don�t use.

The first water pan I used was about 16 inches across; small birds love the more shallow water but blue jays and black birds take baths and can empty out a small pan in no time at all. I found a vegetable drawer from an old refrigerator that is most popular. The bigger birds will swim from one end to the other. When a water pan springs a leak, it becomes a seed pan. The color of the pan doesn�t seem to matter in the slightest, only the shape of the sides of the pan. A narrow, rigid shape makes the best edge for the little bird�s feet. Many small birds enjoy a very shallow pan to splash around in. The last �fancy� bird magazine I read featured an article from a lady who had gone to the garden store and bought a really pretty birdbath and a feeder. She stuck them out in the middle of her manicured backyard. She was so very sad that she had no visitors but she did have a nice yard. Another lady did not put out water during the winter because she did not believe they got hot and thirsty during the colder months. She was wrong.

The cardinals are a year round resident. With plenty of space, we can leave them plenty of area full of heavy briar growth and large piles of cut limbs and branches. We hoped to have regular visitors but never dreamed of all the different birds that would become regulars. Also year round are the tufted titmouse (we call them tufties), black-capped chickadees, cactus wren, dove and quail. The tufty babies have no dark color in the tufts but parents and young, they do love the peanuts, raw of course. After they finish the seeds around the yard, the dove will come to the window table, flying down from the tree above it. You get a very brief glimpse of brilliant red colors on the underside of their wings. When I found an I.D. book with 6 different doves, I could see that what we have are called Inca Dove. Most books only had one dove and that wasn�t it. Quail are more elusive and come out for water when the summer is hot and dry. It�s a joy to see them in the underbrush, a mama bird with little ones scurrying along behind her.

The cactus wren is a small plain looking bird but the one to nest in the birdhouse gourd as soon as they are put out in the spring. They will also nest in the electric switch box. They will sit up in the tree in front of our house and sing the prettiest song for hours on end. The chickadees do make lots of sweet chirping and mimic noises they hear but the wren sings the whole song.

We have had brief glimpses in the early spring of orioles, mockingbirds, and robins. A roadrunner visits during the summer, everyday when there has been no rain, but he only comes up for water and makes a clicking noise if I get too close to him. There was one sighting of a ring necked pheasant. There is a group of 30 wild turkeys that move through our place about once a year and smaller groups coming through on a more regular basis. When I scatter the chicken scratch out for the turkeys, the more brave will venture up into the yard for seeds and water from the big pan.

The red-winged blackbird only appears during the summertime and will come up the window table to eat seeds but they are always joined by lots of plain blackbirds and the brown-headed cowbirds. When the scissor tails (swallows) appear, you know there won�t be any more freezes. They will sit on the electrical wires about 50 feet from the house by never come any closer to the house.

Still other birds only appear during the wintertime. The blue jays move in early in the fall and their loud call lets you know they have arrived. They usually stay in the more dense parts of our oak forest but come up to the yard three or four times a day, everyday. They like the peanuts we put out for the tufties but they are such a big bird, they can eat a lot! There is a white-crowned sparrow that has a distinctive cap, several other sparrows, house finches, gold finches and a cute little red headed finch. There is a dark-eyed junco that I had called a white bottom bird until I finally found its picture in a book. The smaller birds will usually come up as a group and will cover the seed table in an eating frenzy. We had noticed small craters in the lose sand of our driveway and watched later as the small birds were taking dust baths.

In the heat of the summer, several woodpeckers will come up every morning for water. For the longest, we only saw one going up and down the oak trees but finally two would appear at the same time, drinking water at the larger pan and eating sunflower seeds but never coming to the window.

It is often suggested that a water heater be used to keep water from freezing during the winter. We have so little freezing that it is not a great chore to carry out a gallon of water; pour over the ice in the water pan and they will have plenty to drink until the rest thaws. I once watched as small birds burrowed into the snow, melting it with their body heat and drinking the water. I have also seen a squirrel lay across the frozen water pan to warm it enough to drink. You become very popular when you bring out the water. We have seen the cardinals and blue jays taking baths on the coldest day of the year, it�s not just a summer thing. I read where many people are able to get wild birds to eat from their hands and sit on their shoulders but I lack the patience to sit still that long. I have just constructed a bench from cinderblocks and boards in the middle of an arbor.

My desk and computer are situated in front of the living room window and I have a continually changing view of the entire front yard, the window table and the chicken coop. It is distracting, ever inspiring and most relaxing. Even in the cold of winter when there is very little color, the variety of beautiful wild birds provides live, most colorful yard decorations in constant motion.

It is not necessary to buy much of anything to get started attracting the wild birds. My plastic pans are actually the saucer part for a very large plant pot. They are sold separately so you can only buy only the saucer. Do remember that if there are seeds and water left out at night, you will be inviting raccoons, skunks, the neighbor�s pets and whatever lurks in your neighborhood. I try to put out fresh seeds early in the day and most are gone by the evening. In the gloom of winter, the yard is decorated with bright red cardinals and beautiful blue jays, swarming with a flurry of small birds. To keep them, you must change their water every day, never let them go without seed or nectar and they will reward you greatly. If they leave with the season change, they will be back.

Birds are the gardener�s favorite visitor and many are among nature�s most efficient insect predators. They are valuable allies in the fight against pests; the tiny wrens in particular. Even the hummingbirds eat small bugs and can make swarms of gnats disappear in no time.

When you lack the space needed to create a bird habitat, it might be a good idea to look into helping a friend improve their site. Ask first or be listening when they mention what they wish they had. Many people spend a great deal of time watching the world from inside their window. Help trim the shrubs or buy a new nectar feeder so it will be easier to clean and keep a feeder out at all times. Notice if they need a good identification guide.

Several times now, I have spotted a bird at the water pan that I'd never seen before. http://www.enature.com has a most excellent website that can help you figure out what bird you've seen, but it is wise to make a few notes when you are seeing the bird; colors, pattern, size. Many varieties wee see here only a few days every season. They remember and they do come back! eNature has newsletters you can get for free.