Birdfeeder blow-out

So my last blog was a while ago, probably a week and a half ago. At that point our birdfeeder was knocked down by a nasty squirrel and I didn't want to put it back up and have it happen again. Also, our suet feeder was knocked down and I ended up leaving it empty. The end result was about 5 days where we didn't have anything out for the birds (or squirrels...)

So eventually I went to wal-mart and bought a pretty cool anti-squirrel bird feeder. After I put it up and filled the suet feeder I expected to see birds pretty quickly, but it's been tough going.

I didn't see any that night. I saw one the next morning and one or two more throughout the day. Things were looking glum.

Eventually the birds noticed the suet and started coming back, but even now - a week later - I don't have as many as I did with the other feeder. Sometimes I would have up to 10 cowbirds (and once or twice, bluejays) out at the feeder. There were days when I would fill it up and all the seed would be gone by the next day.

So things aren't quite like they used to be. I have noticed most of the usual birds, the cowbirds, the sparrows, the other ones I can't seem to identify for the life of me. I just started seeing male and female cardinals the last day or two. The downy woodpeckers came back. Even the doves came back!

But my precious gold bellied woodpeckers didn't. They were so beautiful and my favorite! I'm still holding out for them - hoping that they come back, but I don't know.

In general, the birds seem to flock to the suet and they don't really notice the seed feeder. Only a few of the sparrows and other unidentifiable birds have actually fed off of the new feeder.

I did see a squirrel.

He seemed so anxious that he didn't even come up to the feeders. I don't seem to have a squirrel problem any more, but I'm awaiting the day that they are brave enough to try the seed feeder.

The seed feeder claims to be squirrel-proof becaues it has a wire cage sort of thing around the whole feeder. When any animal that weighs alot (lets say, squirrel weight) sits on the cage, it lowers and closes the feeding hole. The weight is adjustable and uses a spring...I think it'll work okay, as long as the squirrels don't figure out how to stand on the deck and eat seed without putting their weight on the feeder.

We'll see!

Oh - tomato update. They look fine! Except for plant #1 officially died. After a big rainfall it completely vanished. I think the part of the plant that came out of the ground was so frail that it couldn't hold up the rest of the plant and fell to the ground. The others all have nice green tomatos that look yummy!

Tea Preservation

So I've always loved tea.

When I was growing up my mom had huge patches of different kinds of tea that we would freeze and make into tea (the drinking kind...)

I felt like it was kind of a sign then, when Kyle and I saw our new house that we'd be renting and it had a HUGE tea patch growing under our stairs. We rented the house and here I am the next summer, trying to not mess up this tea patch.

So far, I've noticed there are two kinds of tea (I can tell by the appearance) but I don't know which is which. Also, since it had started growing up, I've noticed alot of bug spots (or something) on the leaves - especially on the one kind of tea. Since then I've bought some Sevin and sprayed the leaves down - this was two weeks ago.

The new growth since then seems less buggy and more promising.

In a week or so, I might start to harvest the leaves and I'm trying to figure out what the best way to preserve it is - freeze? dry? something else?

So far I've found one website that recommends boiling the leaves and creating a syrup that could be canned and used to make tea (the liquid kind). I'm going to keep doing some research and see what other methods are recommended.

Finally got the pictures...

So I've been putting off uploading my pictures to the computer, but I've finally done it.

Right now I have five tomato plants. This year was the year of the "Topsy Turvy", but I'm too cheap (and don't like buying into things like that), so I created my own topsy turvy planters. I bought five cheap small plastic buckets and five hook hanger things from the dollar store. Kyle cut holes in the bottom of buckets and we filled them. Every time I try to plant tomatos from seed, they always die after a while, so I bought five plants around Easter time. About a week afterwards three of the five died. About three or four weeks ago I bought three more plants. Right now they're doing very good (They're plants #2-4). #1 and #5 are the oldest.

I wish I knew how to put all the pictures horizontally on the page. Oh well!

Something weird happened to plant #1 and a little bit to #5. #1 is practically dead and I think it has to do with a large amount of heavy rain. It seems to have gone through the plant and down the leafy part. The shoots that have the mud on them from when it rained alot seem to die. I know it sounds weird, but I'm not sure what else could have done this. Plants #2, 3, and 4 are doing really well. They're not super huge, but they're healthy and each has a number of small green tomatos already. #5 has some flowers and #1 did until this past weekend when it rained alot and (I think) basically killed the plant.

Also - below is a really awesome lily that I found out in the yard. It's interesting living here for our first summer - I don't really know what is planted where...it's just a waiting game to see what comes up and what doesn't.

Round Two: Dog Wins

So although I haven't gotten my old birdfeeder up yet, I saw something interesting today.

In addition to a male downy woodpecker (finally one with the red neck), I saw the neighbors dog come on the porch and sniff around the suet feeder (maybe he's the one who knocked it to the ground...?) and then he "left his scent" on my deck.

I guess he wins this round.

Round One: Squirrel Wins

So.

I came home the other day and found my seed feeder empty and broken on my deck. It seems a little critter has chewed through the cord that it was hanging from. I didn't really mind the squirrel until now. I don't really think I'm allowed to shoot it. I guess I need to get one of those bird feeders that keeps squirrels out.

On top of all of this, I checked the suet feeder this morning and it was left on the deck floor! It had been drug down or had fallen down...and this is getting pretty frustrating! I couldn't really see a squirrel doing that, but what else could it be? I don't think a bear would be after my feeder, but maybe I'm wrong.

I guess we'll get things back to normal and see what happens.

No matter what happens, it's not stopping the downy woodpecker from feeding!

Pesky Critters

Yesterday I saw the House Finch and his wife in the morning, but then my stupid squirrel scared all the birds away! He's very pesky and I wish I could get rid of him. So far he's eaten all the seed out of the feeder and he's left the suet alone. This morning I've been seeing alot of the Downy Woodpecker and Golden-Fronted Woodpecker. Actually, right now the male House Finch is out there.

A herd of cow...

...birds! So a few new observations over the last two days:

• I have a lot of Cowbirds. This afternoon I came downstairs and counted 9 all feeding at the same time.



• I think there are some females out there, as well - even though they're coloring is different.



• Cowbirds and Mourning doves don't get along when they both want food.



• One dove will kick many cowbird butts.



• I think I saw a House Finch!

House Finches intrigue me because they really didn't exist in the wild until the 1940's. Apparently, in the 1940's many people who had them caged, released them in New York City. From the 40's til the 70's they really didn't exist outside of the city, but after that they started to spread. They are a dark bird with an orangish/pink/red color on the head and bottom of the back. The one I saw hasn't been back since yesterday morning.

I've also got a better look at the black and white woodpecker - it's definitely a downy woodpecker.

Did you know...?

...that the plural for Titmouse is Titmice? I have a few of them out by the feeder every now and then. They're nice to look at and seem mild mannered enough.

I've also been observing another woodpecker - other than the golden fronted woodpecker that I mentioned earlier. I think it's a female Downy Woodpecker. She is small, has black and white markings all over her body with a white belly, white streak on her back and white streaks on her face. The male would have an additional red marking on the back of his head.

My bird book says "it is the smallest, tamest and most abundant of our eastern woodpeckers. It comes readily to suet feeders in suburband yards and is a familiar sight in city parks and in roadside shade trees and shrubbery."

Now that I'm looking at it - it might be a Red-cockaded Woodpecker instead....? I can see the slight differences in my book, but it's tough to get close enough in real life to positively decide which it is.

So it's a mourning dove!

So sitting in my living room I can see through my two glass double doors to my seed feeder and suet feeder. Today I've been seeing a Mourning Dove. I know she's a mourning dove because she doesn't have the white along her wings and has a bit of pink on her belly. Maybe it's a boy? My bird book said the boys usually sit on the eggs during the day and the girls do at night. I've also seen some cardinals (both male and female), the usual group of sparrows and wrens (not sure which kind), and my favorite - the Golden Fronted Woodpecker - or atleast that's what I think it is. I've been trying to figure out what it is for a while. It's bigger than a Red-Bellied Woodpecker and it has a flourescent orange head and mostly white body. My bird book says that the Golden Fronted Woodpecker lives in Texas. :/

Since we've put up the feeders (a few months ago), there have been a number of other birds...although some I couldn't identify.

I almost forgot! I also have been seeing alot of Brown-Headed Cowbirds. I just found out what they are called today. It was pretty easy to pick them out of my bird book because of their weird brown head. Apparently the female lays her eggs in other birds nests and then leaves it to other birds to feed and raise her kids! What a jerk!

Just to set the record straight...

I didn't start a blog because I thought there was an undying interest and thirst for knowledge about the critters in my backyard. I started this blog as a journal for my own resources and a way to share pictures and thoughts with my family if they so inclined. Either way, if someone out in the wide web world comes along my blog and finds it of interest, then it's all the better for the world!