Happy New Year!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! WELCOME TO 2008!!!

Mother Nature blessed us with a few inches of snow last night (glad I wasn't going out anyway, even if it was New Year's Eve). The feeders have been hopping this morning as all the birds try to cram in as much food as they possibly can. I usually have a few doves, but they came out of the woodwork today!

Don't believe me???



I hope this bodes well for the new year and my backyard habitat.

Not much snow for us....

Well the storm passed through Friday and didn't leave us a lot of snow behind. My backyard was a flurry of activity this weekend. Especially popular has been a large platform feeder that I keep stocked with sunflower seeds and a ground level heated birdbath. Those two items have been holding 5-10 birds at a time, quite often. If someone were just starting out with feeders, I would definitely consider those items being top choice.

Other feeders that I have out are thistle feeders (holding nyger seed - an imported daisy type flower which is heat treated to prevent germination - it's NOT the wild weedy thistles people think of), suet feeders, and peanut/woodpecker mix. These are also fairly popular.



Ultimately my goal is to have so many natural feeders (i.e. plants and shrubs to provide berries, nuts, seeds, etc.) that I won't even need as many feeders - even in the winter! But I'm not at that point yet, so I use bird feeders to encourage the wildlife to visit my yard.

Winter Storm Approaching

A winter storm is approaching our city and the forecast calls for anywhere from a dusting/1" to as much as 5" of snow (and maybe more if lake effect kicks in), depending on which side of the city you're on. I'm currently at my mom's (who is in the 5" range) but my house is only supposed to get an inch or two.

As a gardener, I want all the snow I can get, so it will protect my garden plants and provide moisture. As a homeowner, I'm a little less than thrilled about the shoveling. As a birdwatcher, I'm excited because I know this means there will be a lot of activity at my feeders this weekend but I'm also a little concerned about the safety of my feathered friends. I always put out a little extra feed right before a storm when the birds are often in a flurry of pigging out and a little extra feed after the snow is done falling.

We've already had about 10 inches of snow during the last month, which is a little high for our area. It had already melted away though, so I don't mind a little more coming. I like my winter to last from about Thanksgiving to Valentine's Day. Any longer and I am chomping at the bit to get out and play in the garden. Unfortunately, living in Chicago, winter rarely is done so early (though you never believe it's over until Mother's Day no matter what, because freak late season storms do pop up every so often.