I made several small discoveries today. My rubber tree in my office had new growth on four branches. I forgot that it has dormant periods. It is over three feet high. I give it a little water every day. That is the extent of my care. I never had one do well before. I will just continue doing what I am doing. I like looking at it every day and noticing anything new about it.
There were actually six goldfinch on my thistle feeder briefly and I noticed five or six also on my sunflower feeder at the same time. Goldfinch will sit there five minutes feeding. Now they are all gone. All the birds appeared to be male. That seems a little odd.
Last fall before the cold killed the two Gerbera daisies outside we brought them in. The annuals were going to die any way. And stuck both plants by the window and occasionally would give them water. The one closer to the window actually had a flower we discovered yesterday. I could not determine the color yet.
These were just three small observations I made in the last twenty-four hours.
Tags: bird feeding, bird-watching, birds, Gerbera daisies, goldfinch, goldfinch have come back, rubber tree, rubber tree dormant period, small observations, sunflower feeder, thistle feeder
Posted in beauty, birds, flowers, knowledge&learning, local, nature, seasons, time |
An hairy woodpecker came to our suet two times in the last three days. It is one we don’t see too often. It is marked just like a downy woodpecker only bigger. There was no red on its head so it was a female. Monday I was thrilled: I not only saw my first robin of the season but also an hairy woodpecker. At least, one hairy woodpecker is now aware of the suet I put out.
Tags: bird feeding, bird-watching, birds, downy woodpecker, first robin of the season, hairy woodpecker, suet
Posted in beauty, birds, local, nature, seasons, time |
I am prepared for the goldfinch. I bought five pounds of thistle for my feeder. Now I sometimes get three or four goldfinch at one time. For a long time I did not get any. From my observation in early spring the goldfinch come to my feeder in flocks. In the past I have counted as many as twenty at one time. That, of course includes the ones feeding on the ground on the thistle that falls there. Often the goldfinch will remain at the feeder for five minutes or more. Before I know it the the males will turn golden again. That always amazes me.
Tags: bird feeding, bird-watching, birds, goldfinch feed on thistle, goldfinch in spring
Posted in beauty, birds, local, nature, seasons, time |
It was a funny moment. I got tired of my squirrels eating my suet I put out for the woodpeckers. I rattled the screen door as if I was going to dash out side to yell at the critters eating my suet. Usually I don’t. This time a squirrel peeked his head from the other side of the tree. “Is he really coming out this time?” he was wondering this time. I just laughed when I saw that. I have almost given up discouraging the squirrels.
Tags: a funny moment, bird feeding, sharing the suet with the woodpeckers, squirrels, squirrels eating my suet, woodpeckers
Posted in animals, local, nature |
I put out all my birdseed. I was out of all my different kinds–regular, sunflower, suet and thistle. A nuthatch immediately found the birdseed (regular) on the platform I laid seed on. I put fresh thistle for the goldfinch. My wife said they all migrated away. I suspected the thistle (which I had bought months ago) had gone stale. I will see who is right. I almost never run out of feed for them. It was only a day so they were not out of feed too long. Anyway, I now will continue to watch the visitors that come to my feeders.
Tags: bird feeding, bird-watching, birds, birdseed, goldfinch, my wife, nuthatch, suet, sunflower seed, thistle, watching the birds out my window
Posted in birds, local, nature, time |
The goldfinch finally came back. I realized I had not seen one at the thistle feeder for months. I first cleaned out the crusted thistle and put out fresh thistle (out) and waited. It took about a week for the goldfinch to rediscover the thistle. There were even three on the feeder at one time today. I did not realize the thistle had gone bad.
Tags: bird feeding, birds, goldfinch, goldfinch and fresh thistle, thistle feeder
Posted in beauty, birds, local, nature, time |
I put out fresh thistle today. I had not seen a goldfinch in weeks. I tried scraping out the caked thistle as best as I could using the end of a knife before putting out new thistle. Let us see if the goldfinch come back. And how long it will take.
Tags: autumn, bird feeding, birds, cleaning thistle feeder, Fall, goldfinch, thistle
Posted in beauty, birds, local, nature, seasons, time |
The goldfinch stopped coming in flocks. In the last week. Sometimes between the finch feeder and sunflower feeder there could be seen at one time five or six or more goldfinch. In the last week they stopped coming in throes. Now I am lucky if I see more than one or two at one time. I have no explanation for this. I did nothing different. I am not sure if goldfinch migrate. That would be a possible explanation. I have to ask someone about this. I am just curious about that.
Tags: bird feeding, bird-watching, birds, finch feeder, goldfiich stopped coming, goldfinch, migration, sunflower feeder, the goldfich are migrating?
Posted in birds, knowledge&learning, local, nature, seasons, time |
The red bellied woodpecker was back. When the grackles took over, they disappeared. After I figured out how to discourage them, the downy woodpeckers returned. It has been several months since I last saw the larger woodpecker come to feed on my suet cakes. I could never figure out why they call this bird a red bellied woodpecker. The red markings are on its head not its belly but in back of their head. Anyway, I was thrilled to see one today and hope it comes back.
Tags: bird feeding, bird-watching, birds, downy woodpecker, grackles, red bellied woodpecker, suet cakes, the grackles took over for awhile
Posted in beauty, birds, local, nature, seasons, time |
Praise the Lord I can feed my seven cats and four dogs. The dogs are large dogs between seventy-five and ninety pounds so it take quite a bit dog food to feed them. The cats are not as bad although we get special cat food for them: one cat needs a certain diet and we can’t feed him that and not the rest of the six cats a cheaper cat food. And that does not include the bird seed I put out and the suet cakes for the woodpeckers. It is only by grace I can do all those things. Some families who are broke or unemployed would love to have the money we spend just on our pets (and bird seed). Praise the Lord for all that.
Tags: bird feeding, bird food, birds, cat food, cats, dog food, dogs, feeding our pets and birds, four dogs, God, large dogs, our provisions are only by grace, our seven cats and four dogs, pets, praise the Lord, seven cats, suet cakes, woodpeckers
Posted in animals, birds, God, life, local, nature, pets, relationships |
The grackles finally stopped coming. First, I stopped putting out suet cakes and then limited the birdseed on the ground. Sometimes I would have seven or more grackles feeding on the ground at one time. They crowded out the other birds. Now I have not seen one in weeks. This summer I had a regular visitor of a indigo bunting for the first time. They are such a beautiful bird–aptly named. The downy woodpeckers are now feeding on the suet but I have yet to see a red bellied woodpecker. I am waiting to see how long it will take before they rediscover the suet cakes. I can’t remember the last one I have seen. They are such magnificent colored woodpeckers.
Tags: bird feeding, bird-watching, birds, birdseed, downy woodpeckers, grackles, indigo bunting, red bellied woodpeckers, suet cakes, summer
Posted in beauty, birds, local, nature, seasons, time |
Two days ago we had a flock of three indigo buntings visit us. We have had one indigo bunting come to feed on the birdseed on the ground for weeks. This time he brought his friends. They are aptly named: it is a small bird deeply purple all over. I’ve read they feed in flocks but this is the first time in a long time I have seen more than one at a time. It is always a treat to watch one, for they are so beautiful and uniquely colored. There is no other bird like them here. They are “jewels.”
Tags: a flock of indigo buntings, bird feeding, bird-watching, birds, birdseed, indigo bunting
Posted in beauty, birds, local, nature, time |
