-
Bed & Breakfast Edible Birdhouse is Back On!
Delectable, functional and a totally fun gift, the original Birdie’s Chalet Bed & Breakfast is back for the holiday season! It’s an awesome edible birdhouse with premium seed consisting of songbird’s favorites; black oil sunflower, safflower and millet. A decorative pine cone on top lets you add peanut butter or even spreadable suet for more variety and a calorie-packed winter treat.Festively designed to bring smiles to recipients and birds, the gift keeps on giving well into spring. The 1.5-inch entry accommodates bluebirds, downy woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees and many others who’d be happy to call this place home!
Once the seed is consumed, the birdhouse may be stained, painted or just left natural to weather over time. A sturdy hook on top lets you easily hang the abode from a quiet branch in the yard. It’ll be hosting a family in no time. Keep the house up year-round to offer a roosting spot on cold nights. During inclement weather, birds may also seek shelter inside the cozy digs.
During rough winter weather, it’s important to remember the resident birds. Food, water and shelter will keep feathered friends around your place through the long cold season. The Chalet is a gift that lasts, for feeding activity now, and for many spring seasons as a useful birdhouse.
Real estate’s tough out there… please help house the birds 🙂
-
Instant Set-Up Bird Feeder Brackets
Although we’d rather post pretty bird images, our goal is to get more folks involved with backyard birding. It’s an awesome hobby and one that’s addictive too. Here’s a good place to start:So maybe you’re thinking about feeding the birds? But when surveying the yard for good spots to hang a feeder… there really aren’t any. A branch would work if you have suitable trees – but beware of crafty squirrels!
If the yard is mostly open, a bird feeder bracket set like this is ideal for an instant oasis to entice feathered friends. It provides a solid & sturdy spot with room to grow. The water dish and tray are included, the latter offering a spot for just about anything you’d like to offer. Peanuts, suet & nuggets, mealworms (if you’re so inclined), even fruit in spring and summer for migratory birds. Any assortment of feeders could hang here, and they’d be most welcome by resident fliers in winter. These include seed, suet, & peanut feeders and thistle/nyjer feeders for finches. Adding a baffle to the main pole will keep squirrels at bay too… believe it or not!
Smaller scale? A simple deck-mount bracket might be the perfect answer. Especially if there’s a good view from the kitchen or breakfast area. The clamp-on hardware won’t harm deck rails, and a nice plant saucer works great for the dish. This can even be converted to a bath in summer, shallow pans are the perfect depth for birds to bathe and wade comfortably.Another complete bird feeding station includes the baffle. As long as squirrels can’t jump sideways from something to gain access- they’ll never make it past this baffle! We use this one at home and can absolutely confirm squirrel failure!
With all the rain in Southeast lately, the ground has become overly saturated. The auger or ground screw on this set keeps feeder stations from looking like the Leaning Tower of Pisa! We have some of those too 🙁 The topper also comes with 4 brackets for room to grow. It’s a sturdy set that lasts for life.During winter, natural food sources become scarce as insects have died off and berries are gone. Feeders and heated baths help birds not only survive-but thrive in frigid weather. Birds bring gardens to life on the dullest winter days, there’s nothing better than hearing birdsong or seeing the vivid red of a cardinal in the yard. Try for yourself and see! Okay, maybe just one pretty bluebird 🙂
-
Happy Halloween Pumpkin Turned Hopper Bird Feeder
After Halloween (like tomorrow) you can take that pumpkin and recycle it for birds!Over at Hummingbirds Anonymous (a really cool facebook group with 26,000 members) this image appeared in their news feed. By digging a well, or scooping out the pumpkin, a hopper’s created to hold peanuts or seed for feathered friends.
Another idea found over at Audubon.org, shows a hanging pumpkin with easy instructions for crafting this temporary hopper bird feeder. Some of the comments are fairly funny, bear feeder, squirrel feeder and raccoon attraction, so if planning on hanging a pumpkin for the birds, use a baffle on the pole to thwart squirrels and raccoons!
Need an idea for a cool carving? Back again at Hummingbirds Anonymous, these pumpkins rock with their bird themes! Folks do love their avian amigos and the ways are simple and many to help them thrive.
The basics are easy, as in food, water and shelter. When planting, think native for natural food sources and shelter. Water need not be in a bird bath per se, just a shallow pool about 2 inches deep works great. This cold be a plant saucer or bowl from the kitchen! Add a few stones or a large rock to assist with safe footing for perching and landing spots. Depth is important, no more than two inches of water in any kind of vessel. Leave birdhouses up through winter as many species may use them to roost at night.
At holidays, be cautious of outdoor decorations as some may pose a real threat to wild birds. Just because migration is winding down doesn’t mean the cool birds are gone. Resident birds like chickadees, jays, nuthatches, cardinals and titmice will bring song and color to the garden through the dreary months of winter ahead.
Happy Halloween to all ~ may it be a safe and fun one!
Birding Tips, Information & News
