Birdfeeding: Friends of a Feather Flock Together

Today is sunny and warm.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few house finches. Red-winged blackbirds are singing in the trees. I've seen others at the drainage ditch, so I wonder how long these will stick around.

I put out water for the birds. Honeybees have been draining the birdbaths.

I set out my small flats of seedlings.

EDIT 4/22/26 -- I planted 4 snapdragons and a yellow-and-orange lantana in the barrel garden. I realized that I forgot to pick up the firecracker plant for hummingbirds that I meant to get yesterday. >_< I may get back to DeBurh's another day, or somewhere else might have it.

EDIT 4/22/26 -- I planted a pineapple sage besides the barrel garden.

EDIT 4/22/26 -- I planted a Yellow Pear tomato, a Santa (a red grape tomato), a Cherokee Purple (a slicing tomato), a Mr. Stripey (a sweet yellow-and-red slicer), and an Old German (a slicer, mostly yellow with a bit of orange or red inside) in the new picnic table garden.

EDIT 4/22/26 -- I planted 4 'Safari Yellow' marigolds around the 'Santa' tomato. I need to watch for more marigolds; my attempts at sprouting them from seeds didn't produce many this year.

EDIT 4/22/26 -- We picked up sticks from the west end of the south lot, so that can be mowed later today. There is a big patch of ground there which is either bare or growing weeds from having the big branch on it for several years. So it needs to be mowed close, then raked and sown with grass seed. Friday looks like rain.

EDIT 4/22/26 -- I watered the newly planted things.

EDIT 4/22/26 -- I buffed the apothecary cabinet, so that part is done. A couple of the hanging pegs on the bottom are loose, so I want to put wood glue on those before we hang it.

EDIT 4/22/26 -- I planted a fennel, a sweet marjoram, a curry plant, and a dill in the large trough pot on the old picnic table garden.

EDIT 4/22/26 -- I raked the west end of the south lot.

EDIT 4/22/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 4/22/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I planted the Forever Purple heuchera in the forest garden and watered it.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.

Today is partly sunny, breezy, and cool. There is a frost warning for tonight, so I'm doing non-planting tasks today.

I set out my flats of plants to get some sun.

EDIT 4/19/26 -- I fed the birds. I've seen a few house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/19/26 -- I wanted to waterseal the solid-top pallet today. But while I was trying to lay out the dropcloth for that, the wind picked up so much that it wouldn't lay still no matter how I weighted the edges or middle. I had to give up and undo everything. >_< Frustrating.

EDIT 4/19/26 -- I started finishing the apothecary cabinet that I plan to use as a spice cabinet. It has doors over the shelves to block light. We set up the worktable in the garden shed and covered it with a garbage bag, then set the cabinet on top. I used an old hand towel to spread the finish, which is made of orange oil and beeswax, very pleasant to work with. I wanted something reasonably natural for a spice cabinet, although it doesn't need a finish meant for food preparation like butcher block wax. I spread on a very thin coat over the top and sides, and that will need some time to dry before I do another section. I still need to coat the inside and the back. While I don't have the woodworking skills of my parents and grandparents, I did pick up the "assistant" level skills, so I'm very pleased that I still know how to finish a piece of furniture that someone else constructed. :D

EDIT 4/19/26 -- I did more work on the apothecary cabinet, covering the inside with the door open. It turns out there will be very little work to do on the back, as much of that space is covered by a thin fiberboard to minimize weight, which doesn't need to be waxed. Progress!

I've seen more house finches, a few sparrows, a pair of cardinals, a brown-headed cowbird, and a fox squirrel.

EDIT 4/19/26 -- I finished the back of the cabinet. The waxing is done. \o/ I'll let that dry overnight. Tomorrow I'll buff it with a dry cloth, and then it should be ready to hang.

EDIT 4/19/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 4/19/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 4/19/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.

My second garden craft today was making a mini-water garden. (See the House Yard and the Worm Bin.)

( Walk with me ... )

Today is mostly cloudy and cool. Looks like it rained a bit last night; there are small puddles in a few places.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 2/26/26 -- I put out a fresh cake of peanut suet.

EDIT 2/26/26 -- I cut and labeled 4 more water jugs. These will hold native grasses: little bluestem, side-oats grama, northern sea oats, and switchgrass. It will be interesting to see how they do. Potted grasses tend to survive well but are more expensive. Broadcast seeding on the ground has variable results. So if I can find more and better ways to pot my own from seed, that's an improvement. Native grasses attract wildlife with food, shelter, and other resources. Many birds devour the seeds. Some butterflies, especially skippers, and other insects use native grasses as host plants. My prairie garden swarms with skippers and other butterflies in summer and into fall.

EDIT 2/26/26 -- I filled, sowed, and taped the milk jugs. This potting soil was wet enough that it didn't need watering. I thought I had some topsoil left, but I'm out of that; I'll need to restock in March. I put the four new jugs in the parking lot and tied them together.

While I was out there, a honeybee buzzed around, wishing to pollinate me, perhaps attracted to my bright coat. I had to explain that I was not a flower.

I've seen more sparrows and two male cardinals.

EDIT 2/26/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 2/26/26 -- I set up a simple worm bin in the log garden's leaf enclosure. I used an old 5-gallon bucket with a cracked bottom and a hole in one side. This will allow worms to go in and out as they please. I put some leaves inside to start, and packed more leaves around the bucket. Now I have somewhere that I can drop food scraps for the worms to eat, and cover with a handful of leaves. This gives me a place that will likely have plenty of worms when I want them -- such as for dropping into large planters -- and also where I can take a handful of very bioactive material to jump-start pots filled with potting mix with little or no bioactivity. When the bucket gets full, I can dump out the worm castings to use for fertilizing plants, sort out some worms, restart the bucket with more leaf litter, and drop in the worms.

There are, of course, commercially made worm bins that are much fancier and allow access to more outputs. However, these are expensive. Also they trap the worms inside, which is not great for an outdoor setup. This is free and better suited to its situation.

EDIT 2/26/26 -- I picked up the empty trough from last year's mini-water garden and moved it to the log garden, where I surrounded it with extra logs. I have taken pictures of the worm bin and the water garden.

EDIT 2/26/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I heard a woodpecker drumming but didn't see it. I have seen a fox squirrel up a tree.

I am done for the night.

Today is mostly sunny, breezy, and cool.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a flock of sparrows and at least one starling.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 1/21/26 -- We installed the first of the new latches.

EDIT 1/21/26 -- We installed the second of the new latches.

EDIT 1/21/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 1/21/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 1/21/26 -- I put out a peanut suet cake.

EDIT 1/21/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I am done for the night. 

Today is partly cloudy and cold. It snowed a bit more last night, leaving white patches sprinkled over the yard.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 11/10/25 -- I finished assembling the lantern terrarium with the air plants.  \o/  It looks pretty good.  I had to put it on the table with two other terrariums, though, because today is too cloudy to see where the light falls in the planter window.

Also I need to bring in the ceramic pots from outside, which I should have done earlier.

EDIT 11/10/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches mobbing the fly-through feeder.

Most of the mulberry leaves dropped all at once, and this year they're a muddy shade of yellowish-brown instead of the normal bright gold.

EDIT 11/10/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 11/10/25 -- I brought in the goddess statue and the ceramic pots.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

Today is sunny and mild, a beautiful fall day.

I fed the birds. I've seen a large flock of sparrows. They drained the hopper feeder and the small metal birdbath.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 11/5/25 -- I finished spreading the last bag of composted manure on the tulip bed. Both flowerbeds are now ready for leaf mulch. \o/

EDIT 11/5/25 -- We started picking up sticks from the entrance to the south lot and where the wood chips will go. I found two large, old pieces of deadwood that I dragged to edge the wildflower garden.

EDIT 11/5/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 11/5/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

I've also been working on the main branch for the lantern terrarium, gluing more pieces onto it.

EDIT 11/5/25 -- I bagged up Ambrosia apple and yellow pear seeds in damp sand to cold-stratify in the fridge.

I set up the core of the next bonfire so we can dump more sticks on top of it.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

Today is mostly sunny, breezy, and cool.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

10/22/25 -- I installed the larger of the two wormstones beside the barrel garden. First I picked a spot, then I cleared the weeds. I dug into the ground a little so that the stone would lie closer to the surface. I had to move a few tulip bulbs that turned up there. Then I put the stone in place and pushed the soil back around the edges. \o/

10/22/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

10/22/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

10/22/25 -- I installed the second wormstone by the barrel garden.

10/22/25 -- I planted 10 'Flaming Beauties' tulips around the barrel garden. I still have 10 left. These are streaked tulips so they are yellow/red, purple/white, etc.

10/22/25 -- I planted the rest of the 'Flaming Beauties' in the tulip bed.

As it is almost suppertime, I am done for the night.

Today is mostly sunny and sweltering. It is 90°F in mid-September. Fuck climate change. >_<

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds. The metal birdbath was empty again.

EDIT 9/14/25 -- I set up 9 crabapple seeds in a baggie of damp sand to cold-stratify in the refrigerator.

EDIT 9/14/25 -- I disassembled the fairy garden so I can use its lantern container as a terrarium.

EDIT 9/14/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 9/14/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

9/'14/25 -- I watered the irises, old picnic table, new picnic table, septic garden, telephone pole garden, and a few seedlings in the savanna. *goflopnow*

Cicadas and crickets are singing. I've seen a lot of butterflies today -- cabbage, painted ladies, and monarchs. :D

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.

Today is sunny, steamy, and hot. :P It's 86°F with a heat index of 92°F. I still have a bunch of things to plant, but I doubt I'll get much yardwork done in this weather. A beautiful day to stay indoors and write! Or possibly work on the in-progress terrarium with the fern. Tomorrow is supposed to be a little cooler.

I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, two brown thrashers, and a male cardinal.

I put out water for the birds.

I put out the 3 partial flats of pots and watered them, along with the strawberry towers.

EDIT 5/15/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

It's currently 87°F with a heat index of 92°F.

I've seen several mourning doves, a female goldfinch, and a young fox squirrel.

EDIT 5/15/25 -- I've seen a brown-headed cowbird.

The pink bergamot in the strip garden is blooming! :D I confess that I picked off the trumpets from an entire flower head and ate them all.

EDIT 5/15/25 -- I assembled the cookie jar terrarium. \o/

I've seen a female rose-breasted grosbeak. :D No male, but one visited earlier in spring.

EDIT 5/15/25 -- I rearranged pots on top of the new picnic table.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.