Cold weather and snow make for indoor days. We would rather be outside, but settle for watching the birds at the bird feeder.
That feeder was one of the first things we put up over thirty years ago. It has seen some changes over the years, but the bird crowd doesn’t mind as long as the sunflower seeds arrive every morning.
The Feeder
The feeder is a simple affair. A metal tray is balanced on four t-posts with a wood rim to hold it in place. Four wood posts go up to hold a tin roof.
The tray holds a rectangular tray of sunflower seeds. An old pan without a handle holds water if the temperature is above freezing. A pottery bowl holds scratch feed. One corner has a wire cage with a suet cake in it.
These trays and dishes are collected at dark every evening and brought into the house. Night forays by raccoons and opossums are not welcome as they make a mess on the main feeder floor.
In the morning, the birds gather in neighboring trees and the feeder tray and roof to wait. Sometimes a squirrel comes early to check over the spilled seeds. The bird seed arrives shortly after dawn.
Watching the Birds
Some birds are regulars all year, as the feeder is put out all year. Cardinals and morning doves are the main ones. The other visitors vary by the season.
Winter brings the titmice, chickadees, nuthatches and house finches. The others are more in evidence then too. Downy and red-bellied woodpeckers eat the suet. Blue jays attack the corn in the scratch feed. Doves like the milo.
Squirrels come too. Gray squirrels are sometimes good visitors by sitting at one end of the sunflowers allowing the birds to eat at the other end. Some gray and all red or fox squirrels hog the tray.
Arguing with the squirrels is pointless. It’s easier to let them nibble up what they want and leave. Then the tray can be refilled for the birds and we can get back to watching the birds for the afternoon.
More about feeding the birds is in “Exploring the Ozark Hills“.