Well, we can't do too terrible much in the garden at the moment -- Mother
Nature is dropping ice on us and has been since yesterday evening. So we
decided to play with the birdies.

With the trees being leafless, we have half a dozen feeders up. The Redbud
has a suet box and a tube feeder with sunflower seeds, the Crab Apple has a
suet box and a tube feeder with nuts. We put a house type feeder up in the
Black Walnut -- suet cakes on the sides and about 2 liters of mixed foods
that come out the front & back slot. We also have a tube with thistle for
Finches as well as a small house-type feeder, both on plant hooks that are
on either side of the walkway (these are where we typically hang the Fuchsia
or other such basket plants). Since we've been attracting a number of
ground feeders, we spread a generous bit of all types of foods on the ground
and even set a little bin up with a few piles. (There's no telling what
will pop up out of the ground this spring.)

Bearing in mind that we live in the city, street in front of our house sees
about 60,000+ cars a day and the property abuts the street with only about
30 feet to the fence, we've picked up quite a selection of birds. Zone 6,
Cincinnati, Ohio -- here's the list so far:

Dove
Robin
Canary/Finch
Nuthatch
Chickadee
Sparrows (various types)
Starling
Downy Woodpecker (Breeding pair)
Cardinal
Carolina Wren

For most we have both male and female varieties, the Cardinals seem to be
REALLY prevalent (must be a ton of 'em out of there). We had a Blue Jay as
well, but he hasn't been back in about 2 weeks that we've seen so I don't
know what happened to him. With all the ice we've been getting, the birds
have been hitting us particularly hard -- at this rate, we'll be tapped for
bird foodstuffs in a few days. Hopefully things will clear up with the
weather soon, although we're not holding our breath -- according to the
weatherman, we're looking at anywhere up to 8 inches of snow overnight now.

Now that we see just how much bird life there really is in this area
(surprising actually) we're looking at adding some additional plantings to
the property. First thing is to get some shrubs going that will grow
quickly and provide berries for them, second is to put some new trees up --
probably some mulberry trees to complement those that are already out back.
We'll be adding some additional feeders in the back as well as a water
source this spring.

No gardening yet, but lots of plans.

James

Temperatures are chilly in northern AR today - didn't get above 32 and a
skiff of snow with a bit of sleet adding to the chill. We had the usual
birds (chickadees, cardinals, goldfinches, Carolina wrens, titmice, etc.)
going through double the normal amount of seeds at the feeder. Yesterday and
today a robin decided to add seed to its diet.

Seeing a robin eating seed on a platform feeder was a first for me. It's
usual food must have become scarce in the chill so it decided to change
diet. It was so puffed up in the chill that it appeared twice its normal
size.

John
"Noctaire" wrote in message
...
Well, we can't do too terrible much in the garden at the moment -- Mother
Nature is dropping ice on us and has been since yesterday evening. So we
decided to play with the birdies.

With the trees being leafless, we have half a dozen feeders up. The
Redbud
has a suet box and a tube feeder with sunflower seeds, the Crab Apple has
a
suet box and a tube feeder with nuts. We put a house type feeder up in
the
Black Walnut -- suet cakes on the sides and about 2 liters of mixed foods
that come out the front & back slot. We also have a tube with thistle for
Finches as well as a small house-type feeder, both on plant hooks that are
on either side of the walkway (these are where we typically hang the
Fuchsia
or other such basket plants). Since we've been attracting a number of
ground feeders, we spread a generous bit of all types of foods on the
ground
and even set a little bin up with a few piles. (There's no telling what
will pop up out of the ground this spring.)

Bearing in mind that we live in the city, street in front of our house
sees
about 60,000+ cars a day and the property abuts the street with only about
30 feet to the fence, we've picked up quite a selection of birds. Zone 6,
Cincinnati, Ohio -- here's the list so far:

Dove
Robin
Canary/Finch
Nuthatch
Chickadee
Sparrows (various types)
Starling
Downy Woodpecker (Breeding pair)
Cardinal
Carolina Wren

For most we have both male and female varieties, the Cardinals seem to be
REALLY prevalent (must be a ton of 'em out of there). We had a Blue Jay
as
well, but he hasn't been back in about 2 weeks that we've seen so I don't
know what happened to him. With all the ice we've been getting, the birds
have been hitting us particularly hard -- at this rate, we'll be tapped
for
bird foodstuffs in a few days. Hopefully things will clear up with the
weather soon, although we're not holding our breath -- according to the
weatherman, we're looking at anywhere up to 8 inches of snow overnight
now.

Now that we see just how much bird life there really is in this area
(surprising actually) we're looking at adding some additional plantings to
the property. First thing is to get some shrubs going that will grow
quickly and provide berries for them, second is to put some new trees
up --
probably some mulberry trees to complement those that are already out
back.
We'll be adding some additional feeders in the back as well as a water
source this spring.

No gardening yet, but lots of plans.

James

Temperatures are chilly in northern AR today - didn't get above 32 and a
skiff of snow with a bit of sleet adding to the chill. We had the usual
birds (chickadees, cardinals, goldfinches, Carolina wrens, titmice, etc.)
going through double the normal amount of seeds at the feeder. Yesterday
and
today a robin decided to add seed to its diet.

These birds out here are unreal -- I mean, I live on a MAJOR thoroughfare
here and I'm seeing bunches of 'em out there. With this weather being so
nasty, I'll bet they're having a really rough time finding food.

Seeing a robin eating seed on a platform feeder was a first for me. It's
usual food must have become scarce in the chill so it decided to change
diet. It was so puffed up in the chill that it appeared twice its normal
size.

Our Robins are puffed up big time -- they get bigger every time we see them.
Chuckle

James

My own birds are voracious as well, but I expect to see ducks at any moment
with all the massive rain fall we've had in the last two days. g I have
everything you guys have, except I have great crested woodpeckers that
scares the bejebus outa the little guys when he comes in for a taste of the
suet. He's humongous! I have yellow sap suckers drilling the pawlonia, and
to my east, the apple trees I enjoy for their blossoms. Then I have what I
think is a type of Oreole. He looks like a darker version of a robin. Black
jacket with white marks on his wings and instead of a soft orange, his is
more an orange red and dark. He's mostly a ground feeder. The mourning doves
are too smart to visit my buffet. I have Pesters and his protégée, Polluxx
outside watching for distracted birds gorging on the bounty I sat out for
them.

I caught a squirrel hanging upside down on the cedar and hardware screen
pulling out black sunflower seeds as fast as he could, but my Daisy pellet
rifle took care of his ass. He has plenty of food in the woods that
surrounds me, I have no pity for him. I'm a dead shot. Because of him or his
kin, I have began finding walnut seedlings popping up in my raised beds, and
if you don't find them before they get up to10 inches, it will take
something more than a tug to get out of the clay based bed. Anyone who has
to battle black walnut seedlings knows their taproot is as deep as the shoot
is tall........I never miss. He now has a hole in his ass.

By the way, I don't shoot birds, not even the crows or ravens or blackbirds.
If I ever see what a grackle is, though, I will change my ways. I have NEVER
seen such abilities to strip a sour cherry tree as these guys have.

We've stopped getting the deluges of rains, Knoxville to the west, and
various other surrounding areas in the mountains have all sorts of major
problems with rushing bodies of water careening down steep hillsides and
mountain sides. I sit on a ridge, but everywhere there is a low point in
the roads I travel, I have to pass thru at least 4-6 inches of water due to
all the pastures and filled ditches that run right alongside the roads,
(there are hardly any standable shoulders on these roads, so if you have to
walk down them, you're screwed......)

I thought I was gonna hafta get out the John-boat to go check the mail
yesterday, but remembered it was Sunday G Which is hilarious since this
place we live on is on top of a hill tucked between other hills and woods
and pastures, so flooding isn't in the equation. But the ground "squishes"
when I walk on it, and for clay, that isn't always a good thing. I read the
water tube yesterday and since Friday night we've gotten over 9 inches of
rain. Had we gotten the cold front earlier, that would have been over 90
inches of snow..................All those little crocuses I have coming up
have now been beaten to a pulp by the rains over the weekend.

Time to fill the feeders with the last of my sunflower seeds. keep warm and
dry!
madgardener up on the soggy ridge, back in fairy holler, overlooking a blue,
cloud wrapped English Mountain in Eastern Tennessee, zone 6b


"Noctaire" wrote in message
...
Temperatures are chilly in northern AR today - didn't get above 32 and a
skiff of snow with a bit of sleet adding to the chill. We had the usual
birds (chickadees, cardinals, goldfinches, Carolina wrens, titmice,
etc.)
going through double the normal amount of seeds at the feeder. Yesterday
and
today a robin decided to add seed to its diet.

These birds out here are unreal -- I mean, I live on a MAJOR thoroughfare
here and I'm seeing bunches of 'em out there. With this weather being so
nasty, I'll bet they're having a really rough time finding food.

Seeing a robin eating seed on a platform feeder was a first for me. It's
usual food must have become scarce in the chill so it decided to change
diet. It was so puffed up in the chill that it appeared twice its normal

size.

Our Robins are puffed up big time -- they get bigger every time we see
them.
Chuckle

James

The plot thickens -- got another woodpecker today. This one was a lot
bigger and with lots of red on 'im. Looks like the red belly's come
into town. Grin

Gotta admit it was a riot when a little starling tried to bully him -- he
asserted his position quite nicely and kept right on peckin'.

James

I caught a squirrel hanging upside down on the cedar and hardware screen
pulling out black sunflower seeds as fast as he could, but my Daisy pellet
rifle took care of his ass. He has plenty of food in the woods that
surrounds me, I have no pity for him. I'm a dead shot. Because of him or
his
kin, I have began finding walnut seedlings popping up in my raised beds,
and
if you don't find them before they get up to10 inches, it will take
something more than a tug to get out of the clay based bed. Anyone who has
to battle black walnut seedlings knows their taproot is as deep as the
shoot
is tall........I never miss. He now has a hole in his ass.

Shame on you MG -- rubber pellets maybe, but BBs?

By the way, I don't shoot birds, not even the crows or ravens or
blackbirds.
If I ever see what a grackle is, though, I will change my ways. I have
NEVER
seen such abilities to strip a sour cherry tree as these guys have.

We're doing a lot of our plantings and such with the wildlife in mind. I've
long since given up on getting much out of this tiny plot.

We've stopped getting the deluges of rains, Knoxville to the west, and
various other surrounding areas in the mountains have all sorts of major
problems with rushing bodies of water careening down steep hillsides and
mountain sides. I sit on a ridge, but everywhere there is a low point in
the roads I travel, I have to pass thru at least 4-6 inches of water due
to
all the pastures and filled ditches that run right alongside the roads,
(there are hardly any standable shoulders on these roads, so if you have
to
walk down them, you're screwed......)

The snow and sleet are killin' us up here!

I'm putting together plans for a new platform feeder that I hope to build in
the next few weeks. It's going to be the primary feeder for our rear
yard -- I'm looking forward to bringing in a few other species of birds.
Got a red belly woodpecker today -- amazing the woodpeckers we're getting
for such an urbanized area.

James