Simply For The Birds

There’s nothing quite as exciting for bird watchers as witnessing firsthand the caring for and development of baby birds. From the egg to the nest to that first tentative flight, this can be an exciting and truly amazing process to witness. And if you want to be a part of it, make sure that you put up your bird houses now. This will give the birds a few solid months to acclimate to and trust your bird houses.

Once the birds are confident that your houses are safe and secure, they are all the more likely to build their nests inside the bird houses in your back yard. So if you want to make sure that you can enjoy the baby wrens next spring and summer, make sure to put out your wren houses now. Birds are migratory creatures. If you provide them with a desirable place to eat, rest, and roost, they’ll return to you. But it’s best to start now to reap the benefits next year!

Now is the time to start planning what you want to put in your summer garden and or planters.  If you are a hummingbird lover like I am, you might consider adding some plants that will attract hummingbirds to your containers.  Here is a list of some flowers you might want to consider in your planning~

Superbells, bright red cuphea, weigela, verbena, fushia, supertunia, honeysuckle, columbine and jasmine. This list is a suggestion and by no means exhaustive of the flowers you can use to attract hummingbirds and butterflies to your garden.

Be creative with the colors you choose so the planter is pleasing to your eye as well.  Keep in mind that hummers like colorful flowers, especially reds and deep pinks.

Don’t forget to set out a feeder or two as well!

A beautiful and rich purple color, one of the most common birds that people love to spot and track is the Purple Martin. A member of the swallow family, they are renowned for being the largest in this group. To that end, they are around 20 cm long. You can differentiate an adult for a youth by the size and the presence of a forked tail, which the adults possess.

They utilize this tail to help them perform their very acrobat aerial moves. As such, the Purple Martin is often noted for his agility and speed. This is partly why so many people seek out Purple Martin bird houses. They want to attract these fun and beautiful birds to their home. Devoted bird watchers should be aware that the Purple Martin is most abundant on the East Coast of America with a few scatterings of sightings on the West Coast.

If ants are causing a nuisance with your hummingbird feeder, there are several things you can try.  There is a gooey product that can be applied around the hook on your feeder called Tree Tanglefoot Pest Barrier.  The ants can’t go through it.  Another thought is using an ant moat to protect the nectar.  A clear ant moat works well so that you can see when it is full of ants and time to change the water.  A red one will help attract hummingbirds to the feeder.  Affordable way to keep ants from taking over your feeders.

Here are a couple of recipes for bird treats that were in Birds & Blooms that make great treats for your backyard birds.

Recipe for the Flock

2 C. cornmeal                           ½ C. molasses

6C. water                                 ½ tsp baking powder

½ C. bacon drippings               1 tsp. red pepper

1 C. flour                                  Nuts and raisins, optional

1 rounded Tbsp.sand

Mix cornmeal with water, boil and cool.  Add remaining ingredients.  Mix in enough additional water to bind mixture together and pour into small foil pie pans.  Bake at 400° until brown.  Hang the pans in a tree and watch the birds flock to the treat.  Can be frozen.

Recipe for Success

1 C. lard                                   2 C. whole wheat flour

1 C. crunchy peanut butter        1 C. oats

½ C. honey                              2 eggs

Mix all ingredients and pour into a greased 9 inch square pan.  Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Can hang treats from trees or bird feeders in mesh bags.

Go here for more bird treat recipes.