If we were birds we would want to have a home too. They hunt for thick branching trees such as evergreens. These include Spruce, Pine, Cedar, Larch, Balsam Fir and etc. When they have found this, they congregate here and use this spot in wind, rain, snow and cold weather. The reason for finding this secluded place is to stay dry in rain, out of the wind, snow, rain and cold weather. They may not nest here, but use it as a bad weather retreat or as a place to be out of the sight of birds of prey.

So, I am the bird and I am ordering a new home from you with all the following attributes. This is what I would like to have.

THE BIRD HOME Thick evergreen foliage, a tree or two to fly to and from, Fruit trees, and shrubs with berries, lots of nest building material, a water source and close to bird feeding sources, some thick bushes to hide in. That's pretty much it, so when can I move in?

The home requirements for attracting birds need not be in any one location but scattered over your yard.

A thick Spruce in the back corner of your lot, an apple tree that never gets picked (the birds love very ripe apples). Birds feed on any apples that do not fall off the tree, all winter long. An old method of attracting birds to nest in your area is to dry egg shells to completely dry and then break up into tiny pieces to be spread on the ground around your property. The birds need this calcium, lime base material to make egg shells of their own and eat it as required (you can call it eggshell recycle).

Today, it is Oct 31st, halloween and we counted, bluejays, cardinals, goldfinchs, house finches, sparrows and chickadees all eating extra ripe spy apples. (see female house finch at spy apple feeder in picture). We made 3 pies today from some good apples and these birds are feasting on the best of apple taste.

Plant a holly or other bush with red berries, species sunflowers that birds love to visit for insect harvest and seed harvest as they begin to ripen. Thick shrubs and cedar trees to protect the birds from birds of prey (sparrow hawks, falcons, short shinned hawks). Birds of prey swoop down on unsuspecting birds in the open and they become hawk food, so they need a spot to retreat to with thick branching. I have seen a very hungry hawk light in a cedar and try chasing the birds from limb to limb, where he hardly ever will succeed. His best tactic is to fly in from hundreds of feet away onto unsuspecting prey. He will choose the fattest bird in the group (his chicken dinner) , and for this reason tiny birds, as chickadee, are seldom ever targeted.

The picture above is at the north edge of my gardens where I hybridize daylilies to get new varieties. You can visit and find more about the gardener there at haroldsdaylilies.com .

BIRD FOOD AND FEEDING

In Summer you should not need to feed birds in a feeder nearly as much, or none at all as they have many sources of food growing all around and plentiful insects when the weather is warmer. Begin feeding in late fall and increase the amount as Winter weather comes along. Birds feed on the seeds of many weeds, but man (and woman) have decided that weeds are not attractive, and shouldn't be allowed to grow. If you are near an open field or woodland, you will have many more birds because of greater food supply of berries and weed seeds. If you were to allow your front lawn to be a wild flower field (plant it), you would have many more birds visiting there. Sunflower open pollinated seeds are available at William Dam Seeds, visit www.damseeds.com. The sunflower pictured has small to tiny sweet tasting seeds that the smaller birds just go crazy over, fighting to own a flower head with seeds as its very own feeding station.

I will not tell you what feeds to buy as they are many, but will let you know that, like your own children, each type of bird has foods that it prefers. This is a science in itself, studying what each bird's main food supply is, so I will tell you to buy a mixture of seeds. Larger birds prefer larger seeds, smaller birds prefer small seeds. Some of the most attractive foods for birds include, large and small sunflower seeds, red and white millet, milo , fine cracked corn , broken peanut meats. From there you get into exotic seeds that include, vetch, niger seed, flax, sunflower meats, safflower, and etc. The most important seed of the exotics is the niger as it is eaten by near all finches, junco, chickadee etc. This seed is available separate and can be fed in a niger feeder or sprinkled on top of the mixed feed. A good bird food supply store will have a chart that tells which birds prefer each type of seed. Take a pen and jot down the seeds that birds you have like and then decide on which bag to buy. This gives you informed knowledge of what you are buying.

THE DECOY - So you have the bird feeder up and filled for the birds, but who comes along but old bushy tail squirrel. I don't mind that he get something to eat in the cold of winter, but not at the cost of my birds. So! I have devised a decoy tacked on a piece of strapping and a long nail through it to put a cob of corn on the nail. This contraption is then nailed on a tree stump that I use as an open feeder. Place a few mixed bird seeds with sunflower seed in it on the stump and Mr. Bushy Tail stops by here first, goes out on a limb, and works on the corn. Decoy complete.

WATER SUPPLY

I have a bird bath at the end of my house in a shady location out of the noonday sun. Since I supplied this bird bath, which is used more as a drinking station, I have increased the bird traffic to this water supply to amazing numbers. The birds will fly in from some distance, have a cool drink in the shade, and off they will go. I have a bench for the tired gardeners rest on a hot day that is about ten feet away from the bird bath. Only the Chickadee will come, drink and even bath, while I am sitting there. Other birds come close, then fly away. Often a black bird will zoom in around the corner as it usually does and then put on the brakes scream at me and fly away as if I had interupted his cool drink..Each day when I remember, I hose out the stale water and add fresh cool water out of the garden hose that is chlorinated. I am watering my birds then, with e-coli free water in the bird bath.

On a hot day in summer, I have seen a robin come in and drink, then walk into deeper water and ‘flop, flop, flop' its' wings and body into the cool water, often staying for several ‘flop, flops' another drink or two, and then fly up onto a branch to prune and preen its' feathers.

Today Dec. 23rd, 2008, I took a picture of the first ever that I have seen at my bird feeder of a Roufous-sided Towhee. Take a look at my picture right. This fellow is the size of a cardinal and plump. I mistook him for ?? a robin on Dec. 22nd? So I looked a little closer and saw the white belly and then got out my North American Bird book to see what new bird I had attracted. It says they have been called a ground robin, as they nest close to the ground and feed off soil insects, often scratching one foot at a time for something to eat, just like an old hen in the manure pile. Needed a few last minute items for Christmas today Dec.24th, and it was raining (on top of a foot of snow that fell last night). Along the road drinking the salty water off the road run off were hundreds (yes hundreds) of snow buntings. What a beautiful bird they are. This tells me we could attract birds by having (not a lot), but a a bit of salt water to supply their salt requirements. Jan 9th, 2009, and old Roufous Sided Towhee was back. I can't see there is a pair but hope so for family making (birds do it too) next spring at bird raising time.

When I am not watching the birds, you will find 'Gardener Harold' among his daylilies . This time of year updating his website on daylily, hosta,and seeds of daylily, heirloom tomatoes and a few others.