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Table of Contents
1) Editor's Comments:This week we're going to look at feeding birds -- it is amazing how many gardeners enjoy this activity. We don't know about you, but both of us love to listen to birds sing and watch them feed. If you haven't done this in the past, you may want to consider it -- we're sure you'll become as addicted to it as we have. As always, if you do have questions, suggestions or ideas, do not hesitate to drop us a note. Rex Gregor Tom Krueger 2) Song Birds in Your Yard:
Hang your bird feeders in a tree or fasten them on a post near a tree. Remember that bird food should be fresh -- not stale or moldy. If not fresh, they won't like it and I don't blame them -- would you want to be served stale and moldy food? Keep your feeders filled. If a bird returns to find no meal, they will find another place to visit and may never come back.
Some birds are very territorial and demand their own feeders; while others are congenial and willing to share a spot with another. If you are a bird watcher you will soon learn that some birds have a personality of their own. It's amazing, birds have a built in clock, and like the swallows of Capistrano, they will arrive at the same time of day, every day! I have been successful with a liberal mix of some cracked peanuts, sunflower seeds, and a variety of weed seeds (weed seeds are a natural diet of most song birds). I always give "my birds" several different feeders with particular types of seeds; I also have one or two with a mixed variety of seeds. Such an arrangement allows them to pick and choose the meal of the day. SUNFLOWER SEEDS will attract redpolls, chickadees, cardinals, nuthatches, titmice, goldfinches and pine siskins. CRACKED PEANUTS will attract cardinals, woodpeckers, nuthatches, grosbeaks, chickadees, titmice, and towhees. THISTLE SEEDS will attract finches, redpolls, pine siskins, juncos, and indigo buntings. SAFLOWER SEEDS will attract cardinals, chickadees, titmice, starlings, grackles, (note: squirrels do not like safflower seeds and will not bother this feeder) THISTLE GOLD will attract goldfinches, purple finches, pine siskins, redpolls, and juncos. MILLET will attract pine siskins, fox sparrows, mourning doves, juncos, and purple finches. PERODOCIC SUNFLOWER (Black oil) will attract cardinals, chickadees, finches, grosbeaks, crossbills, nuthatches, titmice. (This is one of most favored bird seeds) 3) Humor for Today:It's a summer holiday weekend, and a man walks into a butcher shop that has a sign in the window saying, "Ground Sirloin: 29 cents per pound." The man says, "I'm having a cookout this weekend. I'd like 5 pounds of your ground sirloin, please." The butcher shakes his head and says, "Sorry. I'm all out." The man, disappointed, goes down the street to another butcher shop and asks, "How much is your ground sirloin?" The proprietor replies, "It's $3.29 per pound." "Three twenty nine!?!" exclaimed the customer. "Just up the street he sells it for 29 cents!" The butcher smiles calmly at the gentleman and asks, "Does he have any?" "No. He's out of it right now." "Well," says the butcher, "when I don't have any, I can sell it for 19 cents per pound!" 4) Removing Strong Food Odors:
Winter Moonrise in the BWCA
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It is easy
to invite cardinals and other brightly colored birds to your yard if
you give them something to eat. Birds, like people, have certain favorite
foods; for that reason, if you want them to come back again and again,
you must give them what they like.
Offer them
a variety of their favorite foods and use different types of feeders.
Give them a schmorgish board. I have watched a cardinal fly from one
feeder to another looking for cracked peanuts -- one of their favorite
foods. Once they find what they like, they will come back again and
again to the same feeder year after year.
We've all
done cooking with strong, full-flavored foods such as onions, garlic,
and seafood. Sure enough, when we finish we leave a lasting reminder
on our hands. It isn't that difficult to remove the odor -- simply wash
your hands and rub on some lemon juice (fresh or bottled), and then
re-wash again.
Here's
is some thing interesting to think about - apparently researchers at
universities in Nebraska and Oregon have determined that if you cultivate
your garden at night, you may have a smaller weed problem.