I received suet for Christmas, and that lasted until March. If I had put out just one bag at a time, it would have lasted all year. I got my reward when the grandchildren watched birds perching on the suet right against the picture window facing the ravine.
Bird watching is so much fun, and easily funded. We saw an impressive inside cage setup at the Mayo Clinic, and I was tempted. Common sense set in and I realized God could do most of the work better and at a lower cost.
Suet is a bargain bird food. A little goes a long way, and suet favors the insect eaters. Like friends who show up whenever they smell baking, the birds will appear for the snack and stay for the real food - insects. We have had cardinals, bluebirds, starlings, juncos, and others feeding. I added Nyjer seed to attract finches in the near future.
I added two birdbaths for another low-cost bird feature. The main bath is a ceramic dish, $7, sitting on a cinder block near the suet. Birds need fresh water more than they need food, so the combination multiplies the bird population.
Mrs. Ichabod enjoys seeing the birds feeding from the kitchen window, so I have one bag of suet hanging in a bush near the kitchen. Birds are territorial, so that allows the front yard birds to enjoy some extra food. I now see cardinals more frequently in the front yard. They are a shy bird, so having one peak in the chapel window is a bonus for providing a little extra care. I will probably set up some water in the front yard too.
I have found that a $100 birdbath will clog up just as fast as a cheap one, so I would rather Go Galt and use the cheapest materials. I used ceramic because Sassy ate one third of a plastic birdbath. They should study the digestive track of a Cattle Dog.
I feed corn to the squirrels each day, and that keeps them away from the bird food. The grandchildren loved seeing the squirrel sitting at his meal, from the dining room window, when they sat down for theirs. He does not even run when I come out on the back deck. He knows I would have to jump from the deck, wait for the broken bones to heal, crawl over to his tree, and struggle getting up - to even be a threat.
When I get compost going, that will also attract birds. The final stage of compost is riddled with earthworms doing a final mix and laying their eggs, so birds love to hang around for a quick protein meal. Compost will be useful for the roses.
I met with the altar guild and decided to go wholesale on flowers - grow my own. Thus empowered and enabled, I ordered some aromatic roses from Wayside Gardens. I was disappointed in the offerings at Jackson and Perkins and unable to find some of my previous suppliers. Wayside is a great catalog, a favorite of mine along with Dutch Gardens. I almost ordered some tender bulbs but decided roses would be the best purchase, bloom for bloom. I will have enough to share with the entire street (two other homes).
Roses enjoy garlic or chives as a companion plant. Rosarians swear that garlic improves the aroma of a rose while keeping bugs away. The more pungent the garlic, the better.
Garlic is also a good herbal for blood pressure and the immune system. Fresh garlic carried by every Roman soldier may be the secret behind their amazing success in war, why enemies fled before them.
