I have a volunteer which I think is this, Chinkapin,
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/69223/
and I guess I'll try to find a place for it. I see these in a local park along the edge of the woods by the ballfields.
Feeding feathered and furry friends
That looks like a great little Chestnut...the birds and critters will thank you.
Seems nice in theory, but we don't get deer, and all our squirrels are on 24/7 alert due to dog, so the actual mileage may vary. I can hope the squirrels take some nuts over to the scrubby pine area behind the neighbors fence, and plant them.
I wish I could plant seedlings in the forest, but considering how this hunting site touts them as great plants to have if you want to attract deer, I don't think they'd fare very well. I could try what I did with Serviceberry and native Euonymus seedlings - plant them several feet into raspberry thickets.
http://www.qdma.com/articles/know-your-deer-plants-allegheny-chinkapin
If only we could teach deer the concept of delayed gratification!
This message was edited Nov 11, 2014 6:56 PM
In mature woodlands here the deer have all but eliminated the natural understory. In some areas even the brambles usually found bordering open areas of the canopy. If our local population gets too large I'm not opposed to eating venison. It's low cholesterol and I love the taste. I don't see them (except maybe fawns) as graceful woodland creatures. I think of them as garden terrorist.
We've had a nice flock of blue jays hanging out around the feeders for the last few days. Wax wings are not uncommon in our range, but it is usually when foul weather is having an effect on their more normal feeding grounds. We had a huge flock stop here once for juniper berries.
If anyone has an unwanted Juniperus virginiana seedling, I'd be glad to take it - the larger the better. I don't think they're sold in garden centers. I probably could find one in the park near my house though, come to think of it.
The birds are enjoying the split peanuts I put out for them, especially the cardinals because they can't break open the whole ones. Blue Jays swallow 3-4 pieces at a time.
I like them because they are a lot cheaper than whole peanuts and I don't think squirrels bury them.
It's a balmy 44 degrees outside...time to go spread mulch.
I may have a J virg for you. Certainly have seedlings but one is close to three feet on the skinny top. It'll need to be dug from among some amount of maple roots.
I'll take a look and see what's in the park before you go to that much trouble.
As I was emptying a pot, I discovered that squirrels do indeed bury split peanuts.
I had a little varmint burrow under my caging for the calycanthus you gave me Sally and eat off a stick. Little jerks. I put rocks around it so no more of that nonsense. There is a big fat rabbit that I suspect has been living under our Larch. Every so often, he'll run out from under it when I get real close. Soon the needles will have fallen off so I don't know if he'll stay under there. It is a money shelter spot though.
We have had a total bird drought lately. For the last two weeks or so, we've gotten virtually no birds. I put a new cake out last weekend and it's barely gotten any action. Anybody else have a bird drought occasionally?
We don't but my parents that live in a more development type area do.
Jerks indeed!
I just got some safflower and millet out yesterday so I can't report. I better get the suet cake today!
Jeff--
odd that you mention this. I just sat down and had decided to ask people
"Where are all the birds"? especially--black birds. I have yet to see ONE,
of any version, on my yard. NOT that i wish to see them--good heavens!
Do Blackbirds migrate and just are nor here yet? Hope they stay away...
I see piles of sparrows and Doves, but only an occasional Chikadee, some Junkos,
or Tufted Tirmouse. I know there are a couple Wrens around..seen a couple Titmouse.
I thought maybe my year old seed mix is not to their liking. ????
The other morning, though, I saw a bunch of drab Goldfinches at my Finch feeder
as well at my regular feeder.
I put out 2 cakes the other day--as far as i can tell--they have not yet been discovered.
I bet when we get snow they will all be coming around.... G.
I have to get suet cakes out too.
I'm still seeing the usual birds, although there seem to be less Cardinals. I saw one Junco yesterday, but I expect a lot more to be arriving soon.
Muddy--
Jill has posted before her recipe for Homer-made Suet cakes.
I have all the ingredients to make them--but I just don't have the
nooks and crannies" to put them out on/in.
I bought lard--and a big jar of peanut Butter. have bird seed...
have raisins and dried cranberries...as well as shelled peanuts...
I have NO evergreens...NO pine cones to stuff it inside of....bummer!
Not sure how well it will turn out if I make my own version of Suet cakes???
That's about the only thing I can think of....Greasy job--I bet!
Jill--can you pop in and help us out? I am sure you have written an article on this!
Thanks...Gita
You could put it in a bag made of mesh, bird netting, chicken wire, etc. and hang the bag from a pole or tree branch.
Critter probably has the answers right off the top of her head, but until she has time to respond, here are some links with recipes and ideas for feeders:
http://www.todayshomeowner.com/how-to-make-a-suet-bird-feeder/
http://inhabitat.com/diy-suet-winter-birdfeeders/
Even if you just smear peanut butter on a tree and press raisins and other goodies on it, you will make birds very happy!
I mixed up some peanut butter, sunflower seeds, peanuts, corn and cornmeal. Packed it into the collars on the tree where branches have been cut off. Have had to put more out twice already. Going to make more tonight.
Sounds yummy, Catbird, I like your idea putting in the collars
Hey, did you know that birds can count?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOIY49jfapM
cool!
Somebody has eaten my safflower. I just haven't been around to see it. And one was at the millet. I startled it and didn't see what.
Sally--
After your advice, a while ago, to fill my tubes with Safflower seed---
to keep the hoards of sparrows from gobbling everything up--I did.
And--it sat there...and sat there...for 2 weeks...and not one bird same to have any.
So--I dumped it all back in the bag and filled the tubes with my regular mix.
Now--I have my regular 'customers" back.
Still mot one "Blackbird"...YEAH!....has anyone noticed this as well?
Or--have you seen any blackbirds?
G.
Attn: Muddy.
For the last several weeks I have been gathering just sprouting acorns to send to you to plant (disberse0 in the woods area near you. Unfortunately some critter discovered my cache and the acorns and Gladware bowl they were in disappeared. Spied the bowl without its cover
down the road!
Maybe the critters who dine on the gleanings of my yard carryout so I can give them my choice of Menu items instead of the buffet all you can eat approach. Hummmmm.....
SSG et al a while ago I posted about oak trees and the truffles that are associated with them. Much digging is to get at the truffles which are not at the surface of soil. Might be better to put a dash or two of red pepper flakes in with each bulb as well as on the surface!
Haven't heard or seen the resident Bald Eagles for about a month. I thought they would be busy improving their nest and breeding. Thankfully on Mon I heard both of them and saw one but perched in a tall old pine far from their nest tree. Maybe they are moving to a tree more off the beaten path.
Wonder how the birds in the Buffalo area are doing with all that snow? Hopefully many of them made it out of the snow band and are finding food.
Gita, all I can say is what I have observed for several years. I am happy to NOT have blackbirds or english sparrows, and I only feed safflower, thistle, and millet and pure suet. The birds I like seem to like me.
That snow in Buffalo was incredible. And did anyone notice they said it was confined to just one fourth of Buffalo's 40 square miles? I find that most incredible of all. How very sad that one man died in his car. I can imagine he got stuck and thought he'd sleep it out.
coleup, no worries! After taking a closer look at things growing on the other side of the creek, I've realized there are oak seedlings growing there. The trick will be to protect them as they grow.
I fill 3 feeder trays with a mix of safflower and millet in the morning and it's gone by the end of the day. Cardinals and Doves like both, and the Juncos and Fox Sparrows love millet.
This morning, there was a large hawk stalking my birds and squirrels. I was so busy trying to scare it away that I didn't take a close look at it, but I know it was a juvenile because it kept flapping its wings, fluffing its feathers and crying like baby birds do when they're hungry. I felt bad for it; I wished I had a mouse for it....or that it could have just played nice and eaten bird food.
I checked the bird houses to make sure they were clean and found a bunch of peanut shells in a house! That was a surprise. The hole is only big enough for a Titmouse or Nuthatch, and they love whole peanuts, so I suspect one of them flew there to eat in peace.
This message was edited Nov 21, 2014 6:06 PM
What a beautiful day! I let my cat stay outside on a long leash while I was planting crocus bulbs, and I was surprised that a steady stream of birds kept flying in for peanuts even though he was about 15 feet away.
The White-Breasted Nuthatches, Titmice and Red-bellied Woodpecker were unfazed by him. The Blue Jays were wary at first, but then figured out that he wasn't a threat.
Amazing, how can they know when he's not a threat?
Maybe when he's in plain sight they can gauge how close they can get, but if he were hidden they wouldn't have time to react to sneak attack.
had a nuthatch, and a downy WP today, interested in the suet.
We have a glass top coffee table on our deck that we scatter bird seed on. Our cat sees the birds and insists on going out. He sits under the low table and gets excited watching the birds less than a foot above him. They seem to understand that he cant get to them through the glass and come and go, much to his frustration.
Those birds are pretty brave! I guess your cat must have figured out that unless he stays under the table, the birds will stop coming.
Some birds are chickens, though, particularly the doves. They're even afraid of me.
Heard a loud sound of crows squawking up a storm. Looked up to see a Hawk zooming across the yard with 3 crows in hot pursuit.
That must have been quite a sight! I wonder whether they attack hawks if/when they catch up with them.
David and Goliath times three
Last summer I watched four crows chase one of the Bald Eagles on my paper route. They were merciless, dive bombing from above, below and both sides one after the other. Finally, the eagle landed atop a tall old pine, but the crow attack continued with the eagle ducking and extending wings, etc. After several minutes of relentless harassment the crows flew off loudly proclaiming their territorial perogative. This behavior is called 'mobbing'. A crow is pretty agile in flight and could probably out maneuver an eagle or really tire it out if it did pursue.
So a murder of crows are mobbing an Eagle. LOL
Crows are pretty tough. It's funny, though, that when they come to my yard they're very shy. Unlike almost all other birds, they won't eat in front of me.
I would like them more if they didn't eat bird eggs.
They aren't the only ruthless buggers out there.
http://www.chuckspurplemartinpage.com/starspar.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brood_parasite
The first link didn't work, but I read the second one.
Man, I will not be as welcoming to cowbirds as I have been in the past!
Oops sorry IDK what happened there.
http://www.chuckspurplemartinpage.com/starspar.htm
Oh, I thought I had deleted an 'l' on the end of htm in the other post. seems like htm needs to be html but I guess not lol
Yeah cowbirds are major jerks
This message was edited Nov 24, 2014 9:37 PM
geez--Now I should close off all the holes in my half dead Cherry tree by my
mail box. I have always enjoyed how the starlings guard tat "condo" hole in the trunk.
and--how they return to it year after year....
Hmmmm....not sure I want to do it..bur I DO hate starlings...
They are one of the "Black Birds" that trash my birs feeder.
G.
Sally, that starling and sparrow article was hard enough to read; I passed on the videos
Birds are loving the berries on my native honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens!
I interrupted one that I couldn't identify. When I walked by, it flew over to the brick wall and kind of perched on it sideways, then went right back to feeding on the berries.
I think it may have been a sparrow of some sort.