Birdfeeding: Friends of a Feather Flock Together

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with ... green birds!

Birds come in various shades of green. The brighter shades tend to appear in tropical areas, while temperate species are more often olive or yellow-green. Some birds have patches of green as an accent, like mallard ducks.

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February is National Bird Feeding Month. What are you doing to celebrate? Here are some ideas ...

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This is the December community post for birdfeeding. Which birds did you see this month? What were your wildlife activities during December? What are your plans for January?

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Today is cloudy and cool.  It's still damp from yesterday's rain, with puddles here and there, but not raining today.

I fed the birds.  I haven't seen any at the feeders but have seen them flying around.

We cleared a place to plant the Colorado blue spruce in the Yule ritual tonight.  :D

EDIT 12/23/23 -- We got the spruce tree planted.  \o/   

If you have holiday money to spend, or if you're still shopping for friends, here are some ideas ...

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Today is cloudy and cool.

I fed the birds.  I haven't seen any actually at the feeders but have seen flocks of sparrows and possibly cardinals in the vicinity, glimpsed through windows.

I put out water for the birds.


I  have a new birdfeeder!  :D  I bought this with holiday money to replace the old white metal one, whose tray has enough holes that it's not going to last a lot longer.

Outdoor Bird Bath and Garden Trellis Combo for Climbing Plants Decorative Hummingbirds Detachable 40 Inches Tall
$28.16
Original Price:$35.20
20% off sale ends December 10
The bird bath on the top, can be used as a bird bath or bird feeder as needed. The diameter of the birdbath is 8.3 inches and the depth is 0.8 inches. Appropriate depth conforms to common bird diameters, allowing birds to enjoy a relaxing time while bathing.

This is a really clever translation of a blacksmith piece that's usually welded together, broken down logically so it can be mass-produced much more affordably, ship in a smallish box, and assemble at home pretty easily.  Though I admit, when I looked at the wordless picture instructions, my first thought was, "I wish Shiv was here."  The pieces weren't all perfectly labeled but with a little thought I figured them out.  The pointy bars go on the bottom to sink into the ground.  The middle bars screw together with others.  The top bars have curls, and two of them have cute little birds.  The bottom and middle rings are the same, while the top ring has extra pegs to hold the tlower-shaped tray.  That tray doesn't lock in place, but it seems to stay put well, and this way you can take it off for cleaning if you want to, without needing to wash it in place or uproot the whole structure.  The sides have funky little ivy stems that are jointed in the middle.  The joint bolts to a hole in the middle ring.  Each of the two ivy halves has a hook on the end, so those go over the top and bottom rings.  It took a bit of figuring to realize that you have to push them all the way over to the nearest bar so they go at an angle, and secure them there with the twist ties.  Otherwise the hooks stick up on top and the tray doesn't fit securely.

I had a lot of fun putting this thing together.  It's right in the sweet spot for me, not too easy and not too hard, doable with a little thought.  If you're looking for a teamwork assembly project, this is a great choice.  I also love the fact that it has three legs, whereas my old one is just a peg and therefore tilts severely.  A tripod is much more stable.  The tray isn't very big, but that's okay.  It's ideal for putting out a small amount of things like sunflower seeds or peanuts for small to medium birds who aren't fond of clinging to a feeder -- the cardinals will love this thing -- or critters like chipmunks and squirrels.  It'll also work for putting out pieces of fruit to feed birds or butterflies.  It's deep enough to work as a water dish, but my birds don't like water that's up off the ground, go figure.  Recommended.

Has anyone else given or received bird things for the holidays? 

Today is Buy Nothing Day. Take a break from being a consumer, and be a creator for day. How do you celebrate Buy Nothing Day? Here are some bird-themed and general ideas...



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