Feeding the birds is great entertainment. Spring is especially so because all the summer visitors arrive.
Our bird feeder is nothing fancy. It’s a platform sitting on four T-posts with a roof structure over it. The sunflower seeds go out in a metal tray. Scratch feed is in a bowl. Water is in another bowl. Suet is in a cage.
All winter the usual crowd is around. Downy and Red-bellied woodpeckers enjoy the suet. Cardinals, titmice, morning doves, chickadees, nuthatches and juncos gorge on the sunflower seeds, milo and corn.
Blue jays are the first summer visitors to arrive. They are really close to being here year round, only missing a month or so.
After that, things change almost daily. The goldfinches and purple finches show up. The juncos leave as they are winter visitors.
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have stopped by several years now. They would be welcome to stay for the summer, but don’t.
Orchard orioles are b ack this year. They move in on the hummingbird feeders to the dismay of these summer visitors. They also love the suet cake which was a surprise.
Towhees stay a day or two. Northern flickers raid the yard for ants and ignore the feeder. And the cowbirds move in. They are a rowdy bunch.
The neighborhood squirrels know about the feeder, but rarely visit. They have a stash of black walnuts to keep them busy.
Raccoons are the biggest problem. They too are one of the summer visitors. The feeder trays are taken in at dark every day and go out with fresh supplies in the morning.
There is usually one enterprising raccoon that comes during the day. It’s livetrapped, relocated and more cautious upon returning in a few days.
Sunflower seed prices have gone up by half this year. They are still a bargain as watching the bird feeder replaces fees for satellite TV, the only kind available here.
And the birds are much more entertaining.
Meet more Ozark residents and visitors in “Exploring the Ozark Hills“.
