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The Bird Garden

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Posted by janis_g z7GA (My Page) on
Sat, Mar 10, 07 at 13:13

It has been a very long time since i've even had a minute
to really sit and watch birds so grabbing my binocculars, a
pen, pad and camera I pulled up a chair in the guest room
that has a nice bird garden with a birdbath and feeder just
outside the window wall.
The birdbath was dripping away and immediately a Goldfinch
flew in to sit on the top of the dripper and grab a drop of
water before it could fall into the birdbath. All the
smaller birds do this for some reason.

Next up was a beautiful male Cardinal, since he was
sitting alone on the feeder I assumed that he and his wife
were not on speaking terms today. I wondered if he had
forgotten their anniversary and was being punished.

Next were the Chickadees, 5 in all. They are the busiest
little critters. Now there is a bird that doesn't give a
rip whether the sun shines or not. They are going to have a
good time no matter what. They took turns drinking from the
dripper, grabbed some seeds and off into the woods without
so much as a backward glance.

The Hermit Thrush was trying to be invisible but since a
male Towhee was scratching not too far away he wasn't very
successful at hiding. Mrs. Cardinal showed up and picked a
fight with the Mr. i'd say their marriage is on shaky
ground, maybe she caught him cheating.

In the Hemlock tree I caught a glimpse of a tiny red dot
with a little splash of yellow and sure enough there was a
Golden Crowned Kinglet all alone picking away at the bark.

It wasn't long before the Titmice were replaced at the
drinking fountain by 2 cute as buttons Brown Headed
Nuthatches. No doubt there will be babies again this year.

There were more Goldfinches, a Brown Thrasher, a White
Throated Sparrow, some White Headed Nuthatches and a lone
Mockingbird that loves the berries on the Lirope.

A Fox Sparrow came hopping around the corner and started
scratching in the leaves near the Hermit Thrush. Mrs. Tohee
flew in just in time to grab a bug from her husband's beak.

Birdwatching is without a doubt one of the most relaxing
and rewarding hobbies one can have. Certainly worth the time
and the money.
I think the money I spent on the dripper is one of the best
investments i've made considering all the birds flocking to it on a daily basis.

Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: The Bird Garden

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Wow, what good sightings! Thanks for sharing...

Barb
southern Ontario, CANADA

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RE: The Bird Garden

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Wow, sounds like a beautiful garden. My daughter and I just started bird watching. I am looking into growing a bird garden as well as a butterfly garden. At this time we just have a couple of feeders. Although we were lucky enough last week to catch a glimps of a wild turkey strutting around in our yard. Any suggestions on what to plant to keep Mr. Gobbles around?

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RE: The Bird Garden

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Janis G, your bird garden sounds lovely. What kinds of plants do you grow in the garden and why do the birds like them?

I already have several gardens and a couple bird baths in the front yard, with many flowers for butterflies and hummingbirds and other pollinators. Some make seeds the birds like to forage too (like Purple Coneflower and some of the annuals). I will be adding some native berry-producing shrubs to the yard.

Also there are three feeders and a small bird bath in back and I would like to add more perennials and annuals the birds can use around the yard, especially near the feeding station (which is part-shade).

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I need ideas of what perinials to plant to attract more birds to my yard., also what shrubs would be best. My soil is mostly clay and very wet. I have a front yard that gets the afternoon sun, in the west . My back yard faces the east. Any sugestions?

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