Bird Watching
One of my favorite pasttimes during the winter months is to relax in a comfy chair and watch the birds at the feeders.
One can find great pleasure and entertainment from bird watching, which is among the top hobbies of Americans. It is relatively inexpensive, takes very little effort, and generates hours and hours of joy and satisfaction.
Besides the black oil sunflower seeds that birds love (avoid the mixed wild bird seed, as it contains many fillers that birds do not touch, creating a large waste,) there is also niger, also known as thistle.
Niger is a small, thin black seed that is quite light in
weight. The seed requires a special kind of feeder, as the seed is much too small for a regular feeder. Most thistle feeders are shaped in a tube, with tiny holes for the seeds.
The American Goldfinch simply loves this type of seed. I find this bird among the most beautiful in the area this time of year (they are not as prolific during the summer months,) and await their arrival just as much as I
do the hummingbird during the warmer months.
What is extra neat about the Goldfinch is that they are quite tame, and won’t mind if you stand close by while they feed. Even though the seed is a little more expensive, I believe you will find it worth the price, as these birds are a treat to the eye.
Just as I make nectar, or food, for the hummingbirds in the
summer, I also make food for the birds in the winter. During these cold months, birds are hard at work looking for a food source that is not as plentiful during other part of the year, in order to keep warm.
Birds need to eat from one to three fourths of their body weight each day in order to have the energy they need.
Suet is a great source for the energy birds need. There are
many different recipes for suet. I have found that it only takes four ingredients to make a tasty meal for our feathered friends during Ole Man Winter’s reign.
Combine one cup of flour, one cup of peanut butter, one cup of shortening or cooking grease, and four cups of cornmeal. After mixing it together, separate into hand sized cakes and place in a suet feeder.
Like the niger feeder, these are easy to find at any store
that sells bird seed. One can find many different shapes and sizes of suet feeders, but the simple suet cage will work just find.
Woodpeckers are just one of the birds that enjoy suet.
Yet, beware, squirrels love suet, as well. I put some red hot chili pepper flakes in my suet, to deter the hungry squirrel. Don’t worry, birds don’t have taste buds, and it won’t harm them in the least.
For a great winter treat, put up a thistle and suet feeder
outside your window at home, and enjoy the show.