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| Purple finches will show up in groups to enjoy sunflower feeders. |
Long ago I pushed suet into mesh bags and distributed them around the backyard. Yesterday a downy woodpecker rewarded me by posing on one bag while eating. We saw pileated woodpeckers twice in Bella Vista, doubtless attracted by suet hanging and an abundance of oak borers in dying trees.
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| Downy woodpeckers love suet when they are not eating bugs. |
I also noticed that the extra lump of suet--stuck in the tree and covered with almond butter--was completely gone. Mrs. Ichabod pulled that suet out of the freezer and began slicing it up as turkey breast. The almond butter was starting to turn, so I added that for dessert.
Our grandson Alex helped me scatter sunflower seeds in the mulched vegetable and corn gardens-in-waiting. More seed was poured into the soi-disant squirrel proof birdfeeder. We reached 60 degrees yesterday, so the bedroom window was open and bird sounds came through. Purple finches were munching sunflower seeds inches from the open (screened) window.
Our vast expanses of mulch serve as birdfeeders, providing a cover and food for soil creatures, a large shopping area for birds to select fresh food for themselves. I add sunflower seeds for the seed eating birds that prefer eating from the ground.
Lowe's had just what I wanted - a little metal chair to attach to a tree. I also bought field corn to screw into the squirrel feeder. Soon squirrels will sit in the chair and enjoy corn treats. My favorite is a composite cob a Ace Hardware. It takes forever to eat and resists all kinds of weather. However, the old fashioned cob photographs better and scatters corn on the ground for blue jays.
