How To Cut Your Sunflower Seed Usage By At Least 25%
Winter Is Coming
During the summer months it’s really not that big a deal managing your sunflower seed usage. Your backyard birds are not as worried about your feeders and you may even take them down. It’s not until the first leaves start to fall that you see feeder activity pick up. That’s the time for deciding if you’re happy with your bird feeding method. If you have spent the last winter watching your feeders get attacked by grackles and cleaned out then fall is the time to make changes.
Lowepro Field Station Review
Not About Fashion
I know I’m not the only one who has been in the field and seen birder’s and wondered “Do I look that much a dork?” Sadly, my answer is always yes. So, let’s dispense with the notion that the Lowepro Field Station is something you’ll wear to attract a suitor. You’ll wear it because it will ultimately help make your birding easier and more enjoyable. I’m glad we got that out of the way. Now, let’s proceed.
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Bluebirds Caught Leaving The Nest
Finally Got It!
I’ve been wanting to get one of my broods of bluebird babies as they were leaving the nest but have not been successful-until now! I noticed one evening a few days ago that one of the babies was getting rather impatient and bold around the nestbox hole. The parents were bringing him or her food on a regular basis so I didn’t see any reason why they would want to leave right then. Plus, I googled to find out when they would be most likely to leave, morning or evening.The consensus was morning. I had shot about an hour of video waiting for them to leave and just decided it wasn’t going to happen. I also decided that I would get up bright and early because it really seemed to me that it was just going to happen. No scientific data just a feeling I had. When you’ve been bird feeding as long as I have, you tend to heed those feelings.
Lowepro Field Station First Look
Lowepro Adds An Optics Line
I received my Lowepro Field Station from Lowepro to review the other day and I thought I’d give you some first impressions before doing a full review. If you’re not familiar with them, Lowepro makes a full line of bags and cases for everything from air travel to professional photography and nearly everything in between. They’ve recently added an optics line to cater to birders and nature photographers and they contacted me to see if I would review one. As the higher end cases are for carrying way more gear than I would want to carry, I chose the Field Station as the one I thought would appeal to my readers.
Here’s a quick down and dirty on the Field Station of my first impressions. After I use it a while, I’ll write a full review.
How Not To Domesticate A Wild Rabbit
Recently, I’ve been tweeting about my backyard bunnies and their antics. I’ve been putting a wildlife mix on the patio at certain times and they’ve been happy to partake of it. This has brought a smile to my wife and I as we know the numbers are against rabbits surviving even their first year. To have two bunnies in our backyard we feel blessed but we also accept our responsibility for keeping them wild for their own protection.
Since we first spotted them, they’ve gone from running and hiding under our fence every time the back door is opened to moving a comfortable distance away from us. They no longer look terrified to hear or see us but they don’t completely trust us. This is a very good thing and I want to keep it that way. At this point, if I wanted to, I could probably “train” at least one of them to come to me for a baby carrot. I will not do this and let me explain why.
Have You Been Changing Your Birdbath Water?
If you live in the mid-south or anywhere else that’s been locked in the 90′s for a while I hope you’ve remembered your birds and backyard critters. I’ve had to change my birdbath water at least twice each day and clean them about every other day. They really appreciate it and I see it. For instance, I can usually tell when the water has gotten a tad murky because my goldfinches will land on the bath and stare at it before taking a small sip and going back to eating. When it’s just been cleaned, they land, take several sips quickly and THEN go back to eating or whatever. They’re very particular about their water-LOL!
