I love feeding the birds just like the rest of you do. I would like to join. Mary Ellen

laurelyn
is that one of those sqirrel proof feeders? if so does it work for you?

Please tell me you don't have that snow already!!!!! I know you get a lot of snow in NY, but that would be too awful to think about.

frances

LOL Frances, no, thank goodness that's last winter's snow! But that squirrel-proof feeder really does work against squirrels. Chipmunks and grackles can still get into it, but that's a minor problem.

Laurel

well the titmouse does seem to like the feeder, I am glad you haven't got snow already. I miss it at Chrismas time, but not enough to want to have to shovel it

Laurelin,I really like the pic.I love watching the little titmouse hide the seeds in the bark of our trees.Last year I put a feeder right by the window in the dining nook.We really were entertained with all the birds that came to it.I also saved heads from our sunflowers last year.I put them on the ground for the doves and they loved it.

If the swap is open to anyone, I would love to join.

Ginger

Pictures through a window:

{{gwi:635394}}

Laurel

yuk, yard rats!!!!! they drive me batty. Digging holes everywhere. They do hate HOT SAUCE and Pepper though. I have started using it around some problem areas and it really helps. You have to be more persistant than they are though....

I have seen them clime into the tray of my bird feeder and eat themselves into a stupor. Take a nap and then start eating again as soon as they wake up!

Frances

Ginger,
Everyone is WELCOME in this swap!

Deb

I like the little chipmunk.But I don't see many here.Only when we go hiking.

This little chip is an anomaly in our yard - the neighborhood cats usually keep the chipmunk population at zero around here. I haven't seen chip in a few days, but I haven't had the heart to tell the kids that. . . . Squirrels, now, I could happily do without. THEY are a real nuisance around here. Thank goodness I don't have deer nearby, I'd have the yard fenced like a fortress, and I'd get a dog.

Laurel

Laurel
You are very lucky to have only one, they are a real menace in large numbers. Don't even get me started on 'tree rats' I am surrounded by mature oak trees, we have the only 'oak free' zone on the street, but you'd never know it by the crunch of acorns underfoot. Too much food around here to keep the squirrel population at bay.

I have started spraying my bird food with pepper infused oil. The squirrels and chipminks hate it, but it doesn't bother the birds at all. Now I just need a plan to reduce the number of mourning doves and grackles. (neither of these would be terrible, but they seem to arrive in flocks) and they can go through a 20lb bag of seed a week.

Frances

Thanks Deb, count me in!

Ginger

Sorry for the delay in posting. Our internet went out yesterday (due to high winds).

Laurelin sends to Mellen
Mellen sends to Cedarnest
Cedarnest sends to Letha
Letha sends to Debbya
Debbya sends to Fcoffill
Fcoffill sends to ggwrn
ggwrn sends to Laurelin

WooHoo!The list.What is our send out deadline?Did I miss it somewhere?I've been doing a little shopping.I think the stores went from Halloween straight to Christmas.Hard to find "turkey" items here.But I'm getting it together.Hope ya'll have a great weekend!Letha

Usually the swap deadline is the 15th.

Deb

Deb,
Do we email the person that we are sending to and get their address from them, or does everyone send their address to you??

Ginger

Seems I was left off the swap list. Guess fate works in strange ways. I've got alot going on right now anyway.You guys have fun!
April/dirt_under_my_nails

April,
You were not left off on purpose! I don't know HOW I missed your name! UGH! I'm sooooooooo sorry! I'll gladly be your swap Pal for this swap! I'll send to you, and you to me!

Or if you prefer to sit out this month, of course that's fine too! Just let me know!

Ginger,
Please email each other with your names/addresses. If you can't contact your swap Pal with in a few days, let me know and I'll either look up the person's address in my stored swap files, or if the person's new to the swap (I'll email them personally).

Hugs,
Deb

Deb,I think I'll set this one out,but thanks for the offer.Will wait for the x-mas swap.
Later...April/dirt_under_my_nails

Hi Ginger!
you could send me your address via the email link on my GW page (It always works for me) I am almost finished the box. Also wanted to say "hey neighbor!" you only live about 40 or so miles away!

Frances

Frances, I sent you my address.

laurelin, I sent you an email requesting your address. If you don't get the email, please send me your address through gardenweb.

Ginger

Letha..Your box is flying your way..#9102785091401319713403 you should have it soon..Hope you like what I chose for you : )
Nancy

Giving this a bump! Boxes should go out by the 15th.

Laurelin sends to Mellen
Mellen sends to Cedarnest
Cedarnest sends to Letha
Letha sends to Debbya
Debbya sends to Fcoffill
Fcoffill sends to ggwrn
ggwrn sends to Laurelin

ggwrn your box is going out today, should have the confirmation number shortly.... my email is not working properly, let me know if you get the number by email

took me awhile but I finally got the thing to work
Ginger here is your Delivery confirmation #

DC# 0101 8555 7493 2548 4360

Frances your package was mailed out today! USPS Priority #0307 0020 0003 2229 5850.

Deb

:)

THank you Deb, I will watch for it.

Anyone interested in a recipe for homemade seed cakes....

Peanut Butter Seeds (favorite of the Downy Woodpecker and Chickadees around here)

All ingredients can be purchased at your local dollar store, make big batches and have them ready in the freezer this winter. Also is good in the summer because it doesn't melt in the heat.

1 Cup of Peanut butter (Chunky is best but what ever you have on hand will do)

2 Cups of wild bird seed

1/2 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)

1/2 cup of cornmeal

Melt Peanut butter over low heat
Stir in Seed and fruit
Add just enough cornmeal to make a stiff dough.

Spoon warm mix into a large Zip lock bag (can also use foil or saran wrap (even waxed paper if you have it) and allow the mixture to cool enough so that you can handle it without burning yourself.

Inside of the wrapping squeeze the mixture togeter and form into cakes that will fit in your suet feeder. (yeild should be about 2 cakes of standard size) or......

Stuff the cooling seed mixure into an onion or citrus bag wrap tight and hang anywhere

Woodpeckers love this.

I shop for the ingredients at the dollar store, buy what they have and then make several batches to store in the freezer.

Francis...thanks for posting that recipe....Sounds very simple and good.I am always looking for new recipes for my birdies.I bet my woodpeckers will go crazy for that.

Letha..I checked the number and it says they tried to deliver your package yesterday and will be returned to me if it is unclaimed? You might want to check on that..I don't want them to return it to me : (

Laurel your package is on the way.
Confirmation # 03071790000146875848
Frances, I'll let you know when I get the package.

Ginger

Deb,your #03070020000201106208.Hope you like everything.Cedar,my post office hasen't notified that I have a package.I was there Sat.& Sun. and Mon.it was closed.I'll have my hubby go by tomorrow and check.Our post office is so crazy anyway.Once when we had too much mail for our box they decided to put it in a tote in back.They never told us that they had a tote for us.I had bills and stuff that I assumed were never sent to me.Little did I know it was there all the time.I'll let you know tomorrow if he gets it.Thanks,Letha

Hi Mellen, I finished your box last night. It will go out Thursday AM, and I'll post the DC# when I have it. Have a great day!

Laurel

I'm glad to see all the birdy packages flying! That really sounds corny, LOL!

Deb

I received a wonderful box from Frances (fcoffill). She sent me 2 window birdfeeders (one of them is a hummingbird feeder). 2 suet cakes (one of them homemade)I know my birds will love them. 3 packs of seeds. Copper plant markers. Christmas cactus cuttings (Frances you must have been peeking in my window and seen how much I like them. I don't have one the pink color that you sent. She also sent some beautiful note cards with pictures from her yard/garden. Frances I love that idea. What kind of paper did you use to print the cards?? Thank you very much for the wonderful package!

Ginger

Wow that was really fast! even for Priority I am glad you enjoyed the box.
My MIL gave me the cactus this year and I am quite excited about it, (I never had one before) I can't wait to see it blooming It is completely covered in flower buds now and twice as big after spending the summer outdoors! I hope the cuttings will do as well for you.

The note cards are made by Avery, and come already perforated and scored, Just print and separate. I think you can buy them everywhere now. (Best Buy, Circuit City probably even Walmart) The come in different sizes and colours too.

Frances

Hi Mary Ellen,

You package is on its way this morning! The DC# is 03062400000082398256.

Laurel

Frances,
Don't move your Christmas cactus at all or it will lose it's blooms. I made that mistake one year! I moved it to a different location (in the same room) and EVERY bloom fell off! Keep it watered too!

Deb

Oh Deb
I have been moving it in and out ever since the temperatures started dropping around freezing :O I hopt the flowers do not fall off! EEEK!

I recieved your lovely box of goodies this afternoon! I am a big fan of scented plants and herbs! and have been looking for Stocks all summer, thank you so much for the seeds! There were several packets of seeds which I will try to winter sow this winter, but Stocks and the Basil are huge faves around here very much appreciated!

The little Lavender pot is darling too, where ever do you find such things!

There were also a couple of suet cakes, a pretty metal birdhouse, a cool thing for turning Pop bottles into a birdfeeder.... can't wait to try that! Also a little Hummingbird, a thistle sack (now I can quit recycling the old ones) lol.... hmm hope I didn't forget anything

I do not know where you find all of these little things, but I am delighted that you did!

Thank you so much

Frances

Frances,
I'm so glad you liked your package! I'm always picking little odd things up from a local greenhouse in my area. They carry such neat things!

My package from Letha arrived today.
Letha sent a suet feeder, and a couple of suet cakes. The Bridgeview birds thank you so much for this! I have the cutest woodpecker that comes each day to the suet feeder!

Also in the package was a "Birds and Blooms" magazine, Thomas Kinkade Calendar, I love Thomas Kinkade! A cute bird house stationary set, Golden beaded Christmas bird (so cute), several packages of cocoa, hot apple pie cider, and a woodpecker bar! Turkey cookie cutter, Cardinal wind chime (my favorite item, it's just beautiful), plus the cutest wooden looking owl!

Letha thank you so much for such a nice box! Bird item boxes are the best!

Hugs,
Deb

Hello everybody!Deb,I'm glad you like your box.Hope your birdies like it too.Cedar,I got my box today.I don't know how long the post office had it but they never did tell us it was there.Okay,I recieved in my box from Cedar:cute Cardinal figurine,corn/sunflower seed mix for my feeders,suet feeding basket,berry/seed suet cake,a very pretty crystal figurine with a hummingbird/flower etched in(I put this in my lighted cabinet in the living room-very pretty with the light shining through it).Malva(2 kinds),coreopsis,salvia,sweet william,rudbeckia,foxglove,siberian wallflower,hibiscus,& dianthus seeds to attract birds & butterflies.And a spun glass figurine with mirror stand.Thank you so much Nancy!I love swapping birdie things! Letha

Nancy, I have your box all packed up and ready to send. It will go out in Friday's mail. Mary Ellen

Laurel, your wonderful feathered friends box arrived yesterday. I will post the contents later when hubby and I get done cleaning the garage. Yuck!!! Mary Ellen

Eeeew! Garage cleaning, enough said. I did our car port in September, and that was a real chore. It sure feels good to have it done, though!

I'm glad you liked the box - Happy Thanksgiving!

Laurel

Laurel, Eeww was right! But now it is done! Hooray!!! It was soooo baaad! I want to thank you for these awesome gifts:

-a very nice mix of finch seed
-a nut and fruit seed bell-Laurel, I love to hang these on the porch as I can get a close up view from my sitting chair in the living room.
-seeds-salvia(St. John's fire), purple coneflower, chianti sunflower, gaillardia, brilliant red poppy, Will Rogers zinnia, and gloriosa daisy. The birds will have a heyday with many of those flowers. Thank you!
-double chocolate Ghirardelli coffee-oh YUM!
-cute decoration shaped like a birdhouse with sunflowers painted on it that says, "Harvest Home Inn"
-a beautiful hummingbird windchime
-4 separate hanging birdhouse decorations-each is done in a different color with a different flower and a different saying-the sayings are Love, Hope, Faith, and Peace--These are very, very cute!!! The paintings of the flowers on them is so tiny and detailed. Hope has blue morning glories, love has yellow sunflowers, faith has a pink/white lily, and I am unsure what flower peace has, but it is a pretty blue. These are just soooo neat!!!
-English Teatime tea in a cute Happy Holidays box that has a couple of cheery, fat birds on the front.
-a tube of Baume Du Jardinier the Gardener's Hand Healer-it smells wonderful and makes my hands feel smooth and silky. It has shea butter in it.
-a holiday tin with a winter scene of a farmstead all decked out in snow and greenery and a beautiful cardinal or two. The tin itself is full of Hershey's mint truffles. These are deLISH!!!!! You can't just stop at 1 or 2.
Laurel, thank you so very, very much for the wonderful box of goodies for our feathered friends AND for me. Wasn't this a fun swap? There is just something about feeding and watching birds that is so satisfying. I'm guessing that you think so, too. Everything wass wonderful and very appreciated!!!
Mary Ellen

You're so welcome, Mary Ellen! The peace birdhouse has lavender on it, one of my favorite fragrances. Enjoy the treats while you watch your feathered friends! (And you're right, you can't stop with just a couple of those mint truffle Kisses. . . .)

Laurel

Letha,So happy you liked what I picked for you.It was alot of fun deciding what to put in your box.

Thank You Mary Ellen!! My box ia here : )The birdhouse and window feeder are welcome additions as are the suet cakes.Birdies will be loving this winter! Also thanks for all of these tulip bulbs! I never had any of them,Last of the nice days the way it sounds so I am going to get them in the ground later today..ok that bobbly headed lady bug is too cute.Is that made from a tiny gourd??lol..too cute I tell ya!! Thanks again Mary Ellen : ))
Nancy

Ginger,

Thank you VERY VERY much for the great box! I was so excited to get some new feeders, it was like Christmas morning. My kids helped me open the box, and they were just as excited as I was. Here's the goodie list:

Two tube feeders, one 1/4" wire mesh for sunflower seed and one larger plastic multi-perch one for finch seed. (Now I can hang a feeder farther out in the yard for the winter, and one close to a window too. Great!)

One seed bell, which the chickadees and nuthatches will love.

A peanut suet block (My suet feeder is empty - my birds will thank you for your kindness!)

And, a lovely winter-themed towel and pot holder set. (How did you know I'd be needing that potholder for baking this week? I'm scorching my fingers through my old ones, your timing is excellent, lol.)

Now I can attract even MORE birds! Thank you, what a great box.

Laurel

Our swap is now closed! Thanks so much Everyone for participating! I LOVE bird related swaps! They are so much fun! Everyone put together such a nice packages, I enjoyed reading about each box!

Deb

You're welcome Laurel! I hope you have lots of great birds come to the feeders.

Ginger

Oh my goodness, I forgot to thank Ginger for the SEEDS she sent me, too! I'm sorry, I don't know how I forgot (as my kids rampage by and talk to me while I type and I'm getting ready for the holiday and - lol!). Ginger sent me Verbena bonariensis (thanks, I've wanted to try that!), Rudbeckia fulgida, Rudbeckia 'Rustic Colors,' and Echinacea 'Ruby Star' (that sounds wonderful, too).

Thanks again!

Laurel