Birdfeeding: Friends of a Feather Flock Together

June is National Pollinator Month. The most famous pollinators are butterflies and bees. However, other animals such as bats and rodents also serve. Among birds, the best known are hummingbirds (North and South America), but sunbirds (Africa) and honeyeaters (Australia) are important too. Also bear in mind that caterpillars are nature's hot dogs, so attracting butterflies and moths will also feed birds. It takes about 10,000 caterpillars to fledge a clutch of chickadees! Here are some ways to celebrate National Pollinator Month ...

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Happy Earth Day!




25 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

40 Fun Ways to Celebrate Earth Day Throughout Earth Month

Check out this list of bird and wildlife holidays.

We have an introduction questionnaire. Now is a good time to fill it out, since lots of folks dust off their blogs in January, and goals_on_dw which has lots of resources for New Year's resolutions and other goals.

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 sunny and cold.  Yesterday we planted our new hollies. 

I  haven't fed the birds yet.  I've seen a large flock of sparrows, a tufted titmouse, and a fox squirrel.  I heard a woodpecker drumming but didn't see it.

I checked to make sure there was enough dirt around the newly planted hollies, which there was.  Then I poured a gallon of water around them.

I took pictures of the hollies in their new home along the south edge of the Midwinter Grove.

EDIT 12/21/24 -- I fed the birds.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 12/21/24 -- I went out to spread compost around the hollies, but found the bag frozen into a solid block.  :/  Drat.  So I'll have to wait and see if we get a warmer day to thaw it out enough to spread.

Instead, I grabbed my hand clippers and cut more brush around the Midwinter Grove.  I discovered that an old red-stemmed dogwood has seeded a new one amongst the rocks, very pretty!  :D  Theoretically it could be one I planted, but the position makes me think it's a volunteer seedling.

I've seen several house finches.

EDIT 12/21/24 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

My partner Doug pointed out that I could just haul the bag of compost into the foyer to thaw, so I did that.   A frozen slab of compost is much harder to wrangle than a soft bag, but I managed.

I saw a starling and a northern flicker drinking from the ground bowl!  :D 3q3q3q!!!  We've had flickers here in the past but not recently.  I hope it sticks around.  This is a great habitat for woodpeckers, hence the downies.
EDIT 12/21/24 -- I did more brush cutting around the Midwinter Grove.

As the sun is setting, I am done for the night.

These are some gifts you might get for fellow fans of birds and nature, or put on your own holiday wishlist.

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Today we went out for Small Business Saturday. I noticed that a downtown pocket park, which has been slowly developing for some years, had a small light display. (The town's main light display is in a much bigger park but wasn't turned on yet when we went past.) So I stopped to take some pictures.

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Today is World Migratory Bird Day. Fall is the period when birds fly from their summer breeding grounds (usually toward the poles) to their winter sanctuaries (usually near the equator). During this trip, they need food, water, and places to rest. Here are some ways to celebrate this holiday and help migrating birds.

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Watch for the upcoming event Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, running April 25-May 15. Folks post content only visible on Dreamwidth, and there are usually memes and other activities too. Mark your calendars!

This year I'm planning to focus on questions and questionnaires as a means of building community. That'll create a few good anchor posts along with the daily question posts.

Last year I posted about birds, if you want to go back and browse those for inspiration too.  If anyone else wants to make or copy their Three Weeks posts here, anything on the subject of birds (or related things like gardening for wildlife) is welcome.