Our cat is about 11 years old, we think.  She was dropped off at the end of a nearby street, and a neighbor friend cared for her for a couple of years until she no longer was able to do so.  Then, she became a dear member of our household as our previous cat had just become ill and had to be put down. 

     When we hung two bird feeders near our large front windows, our lazy, sleepy cat suddenly became much more active!  She became interested in going outside, and she would spend hours watching birds and attempting to "catch" them, although she rarely has been successful since our feeders hang so far up from the ground (on purpose).  She's not FAT anymore!

     If you enjoy watching birds, here is a neat little article that gives some great advice about making your yard a great site to do some bird watching and feeding.   Enjoy!

Julieanne

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Activity For Bird Time

A little background first. As you may know, winter sends the birds packing for warmer climates. As they pass through, they are looking to fatten up. So, during winter months, they want fat. As spring approaches, they change their diet to more seed and worms for protein. Their main goal as they return is to mate and raise their young. Over the years, I have learned some cool habits about the common birds we have around here, Blue Jays and Cardinals. We have also identified several Cardinal couples. It is wonderful to watch them show up, watch the female get fat, notice she has disappeared, and then see both the male and female show up with the babies. Their habits at the feeders are so sweet. The male will sit nearby and keep a watch for the female while she eats. Then when the babies come along, the male will work with them and teach them how to break open sunflower seeds. They rotate as a family from the trees to the feeder to the ground.

     But to get this excitement, you have to create a yard where they know there will be food available. This can get as outrageous as you’d like or as simple as you’d like. For me and a limited budget, I chose to do the following. I bought 2 poles with hook ends for hanging bird feeders. Then I decided to use the trees for the rest. I bought 4 very cheap feeders and a large bag of wild bird seed. You’ll also need some peanut butter and pine cones.

     The key is to create a situation where the birds can eat near a tree line or safe distance away from the house. Then stagger the feeders closer and closer to the house or a large window. We managed to get the closest feeder 1 foot from a window. As they eat the food in the furthest feeder, they will start to venture to the next closest feeder and so on.

     For the pine cones, put peanut butter on them and roll them in seed and hang them around the yard also. This has a mixture of fat, protein, and the seed they want.

     Many people get upset when squirrels come to the feeders, but we enjoy them just as much. Their antics are hysterical as they try to hang on and maneuver the feeders. Sometimes we’ll buy peanuts still in the shell and litter them on the ground for them, not the salted or roasted ones, just the plain ones.

     Once you have your backyard set up by the middle of March, just wait.

     As the birds return, you’ll notice that one day you’ll see a bird at one of your feeders. Word spreads quickly through the bird community that your place is set up and ready. When they find that there’s still food, day after day, they will decide to nest here. If you let the feeders get empty and don’t refill them, they will set up house somewhere else. Each day you will see more and more and more birds until you get up one morning, and your backyard is a bird convention! Those mornings are great!

     Another great thing is after the rains. The rain brings the worms to the surface, so right after the rain stops, the birds come out and start pecking on the ground. You can watch them pull worms up right out of the ground.

     Asking them each day if they see any birds, raises the excitement level. As spring moves on and the populations grow, it gets more exciting. We keep several items on hand. We have a pair of binoculars, a bird identification key and a camera, ready to go. We have decided this year to take pictures of the same male and female cardinal that return and mate each year. We will document them from beginning to when they bring the babies out. The babies are so gray and fluffy looking!  Then, as summer moves on, they fill in.  By the end of summer, the males are mostly red and ready to leave.

     You can have your kids take pictures of each bird, print it out, identify it, and create a page for each bird. Then at the end of the season, create a book out of them called common birds in (your city). Look up the locations of these birds and their migratory patterns. Try to figure out where they might be in October, November and about when you think they leave their southern home and are returning and how long it will take them to get back. My son and I talk frequently right now about where we think our birds are. We are thinking about making a bird feeder this year. You can also find printables, and drawings of the birds.  The kids can try to color them based on the birds they see outside.

     My son is now 9 but we began when he was 7. He has grown attached to them, knows them by names he has given them, and knows all the fights between the jays and the chickadees and the jays and the cats. He realizes that the jays leave the cardinals alone, but they’ll pick fights with all the others.

     Right now it’s January, so I have frozen grease in glasses and dumped the grease pucks all over the back yard. As they start returning, the few who remain eat on them while it’s still cold. We will break out the feeders and wash them and fill them in March to prepare for our extended family’s return. We sure have missed them!

     I am surprised at how much my son knows about birds now and how involved he is with their lives and patterns. I love it, because it helps him remember that we too have cycles and seasons and we grow and change. He has learned timing and patience and preparation.