Monday, November 07, 2005

FEED THE BIRDS (Tuppence a bag)

Fall has fallen and it's time to feed your feathered friends. If you already do, now's a good time to clean (yes, CLEAN) your bird feeders and change your seed choices. Suet, sunflower and peanut butter are all high in fat and oil and that's what the birds want right now.
If you have never fed the birds, why not try it now? It's easy and low maintenance. Birds are just about the easiest critters to attract to your yard (or balcony or whatever). You don't need a lot of land or time to enjoy the little cuties. A hopper feeder is a good one to start with. It's got perches all around it and lots of different sizes of birds can use it. A suet feeder is a big favorite with the woodpeckers, chickadees and titmice. Don't want to buy a feeder? Old bread smeared with peanut butter and hung by a twistie-tie will do nicely. So will Cheerios, cranberries, raisins, peanuts in the shell, and popcorn strung on a string.
And now to my soap box: We, as humans, take and take from nature, whether it be cutting down trees, planting grass farms, using pesticides or millions of other things. Helping out your local wildlife is a positive, morally obligatory act and the birds (and other critters ) will thank you by visiting your yard and bringing a smile to your face.
WARNING: Once you start feeding the birds, you may find yourself (like I did) completely enraptured with them and will fill up your yard with every kind of feeder you can get your hands on! And guess what? That's a GOOD THING!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I, Susan's husband, can attest to what she's saying, about becoming addicted. I bought her a simple bird bath and a tree for Mother's Day a couple years ago, and she's never been the same since.

Susan Gets Native said...

So true, so true. I HAVE become a bit of a nut.

Anonymous said...

If you can still find bird food for a mere tuppence, I've been shopping at the wrong green grocer.